Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-05-12

were marrying penniless orphan, and
now, as In fairy tales, your wife is
changed into a wealthy heiress."
THE ART OF THE NOVELIST.
This is lineage Of the novelist. There
are more people writing novels, reading
novels and reading about novels and
novelists than ever before. Every
body's "best hundred books" contains
a large percentage Of fiction. Even
history can scarce get hearing unless
she decks herself in the garments Of ro-
nance, and religion lays aside her
sackcloth and goes awkwardly in
Scherazade's trousers. What an OBJ
.1ect OF interest is the novelist? How
ne gets his story and his scenery
whether he impales his acquaintance
1or study or makes up his characters
out OF his head''-how he looks when
ne Is writing and what he thinks of
other peoples books. know two
children of one household The little
girl Is blessed with that sweetest gift
OF childhood, imagination. A doll, a
toy, bit of cloth, in her hand takes
on lie and interest. She amuses her.
self. The boy has no fancy. When
ne sees his sister taking pleasure in a
toy he thinks the interest lies in the
bit of material. He snatches it from
her and is disappointed to find that
the charm is gone. This interest,
Which everybody takes in the mechan-
ism of novel, is not founded in idle
curiosity, but in the feeling we all
have at some time in our lives that
we, too, can write stories. What bright
winged creatures of fancy fit through
our minds! If we could Birdie and sad
die these elusive steeds whittier might
they not carry u.s.?
| Du Maurier said everyone had the
power to write one story. The unread
works of many who kept on writing
after the fountain was empty shows
that many have the power to write but
one.
Sometimes the stream bursts forth
in full fountain, to be lost afterward
in desert sands, as in the case of the
author Of Lorna Doone. Sometimes
it begins as streamlet, growing in
volume as it rolls on. This is the
course of the great number who learn
to write by writing and make
the public pay for their edu-
cation. Sometimes writer does
not dip from the stream until it
has reached its greatest volume. This
was the course of Du Maurier, who con-
founded the critics. Another case in
point is the author of Among the
Dunes" 1t often happens that amidst
the noise of the literary claque, which
gives temporary fame to few novels
served, other works of equal or greater
merit.
Among the Dunes" came out about
the close of last year, and has already
appealed to a large number of readers.
The author, Mrs. D. L. Rhone, is a
woman of large and varied experience,
and the book is the product of mind
which has long been full. Her father
was student at West Point in the
'forties," but his health failing, he
went to sea as mate on sailing YES
sci. The years he spent on many seas
as we'll as rambling ashore in Europe
and Africa made him charming ra-
contour in later years. These tales of
travel and adventure were the nursery
| lore of the author of the Dunes, and
| explains her familiarity with sailors
| lingo and strange lands. She was born
| in mining camp in California at the
! time when women and babies were
| rarer than gold dust, and rough min
ers and strolling actors paid court to
| the young mother and child. Most
of her early life was spent in Califor-
mia and Nevada, varied by sea voyages.
She was educated at Wyoming semin-
AIRY in the famous Wyoming valley in
Pennsylvania, supplemented by art
study at the Woman's School of Design
in Philadelphia. She was married to
Judge Rhone of Wilkes Barre, Pa,
jurist and legal author known through
'out the state. Since her marriage she
has remained a student of literature
and art. She reads Blackstone and is
"a pupil of Mr.. M. Chase at his Shine
cock Summer Art School. These va
ried experiences explain the genius of
"a book which has puzzled the critics
;as much as it has pleased its readers,
for it contains such a wealth of Incl
dent, character, philosophy, poetry and
'humor that few people are able to treat
it as a whole. 1t suggests more than
it tells. 1t points out multitude Of
avenues besides those through which
it leads the reader, and after all that
is the office Of works of the magma
ton, not to state, but to stimulate.
Each author puts into his books, if
they have any value, not only what
he has seen and suffered, but what, by
the fine nysterinns nowar Of thu ;.,aa