Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-07
When Allen Was u Boy.


Allen comes from virginian ancestry with
Scotch Irish antecedents. His grandfathers
on both sides were soldiers, and he is re-
lated to many of the most distinguished
families of the south.
His father was Richard Allen and his
mother Helen Foster. Both had consider
able fortunes, but the reckleasness of the
father resulted in a gradual shrinkage of
estate. James Lane Allen was born in a
| handsome two-story brick country home on
| the Versailles pike, seven miles from Lex
ington, in the ar-famed blue grass lands.
| 1t is most beautiful country, with rolling
| lands and picturesque woods. Here the boy
spent his early childhood, alone often with
nature. When he was years old the fam
lily estate passed out of their hands, and his
mother moved to a small area OF land, which
came to her in the division of her fathers
estate. The new home where Allen was to
complete hie youth and begin his early man
hood was only two miles and half from
| Lexington.
His mother was woman of rare charms
and gracious manner. From his earliest
childhood Lane Allen was much in her COM
pany. She was his first teacher The en-
forced solitude when a child directed the
| whole course Of Aliens life. In 1865 Allen
matricuIated at Transylvania university at
Lexington. He entered under a serious
financial handicap. His father had just
failed in business, and he was forced to
walk to Lexington every day and return.
Often he was nsuffCiently clothed, and one
winter he was without underwear lie suf-
fered much from exposure, and his health
in later years showed the results Aliens
first college distinction was the fact that
he was the tallest man in his class He is
| taIa Hnfg ghnl pl a
scholar, and was the best student in Greek
in the history of the institution. He de-
tested mathematics, but was careful and
painstaking in his studies.
1t was while at college, when he was q
years of age that his father died. The
absolute care of his family deyoved upor
him. and it was to remain many years. II
1872 he graduated with honors.
For the next twelve years he was either
school teacher, a private tutor or col
lege professor.
In student days at Pennsylvania he hat
written considerable verse, and had trans
lated some of schillers poems into English
From his earliest manhood he had enter
tained profound dislike for fiction. II
detested a novel, and looked even wit
disdain upon the modern standard romano
ers. Upon his return to Lexington he fel
an irresistible impulse to write.
His First Writing.
= In 1884 Allen had yet to read his frs
= novel. During that year some one place
in his hands a copy of Henry James "Por
n trait of a Lady" Allen read it with tn
: critical mind of a pedagogue. To him tn
a work fairly bristled with incongruiuos. II
IS criticism took the form of paper entitled
,, THE First Page of the Portrait OF
a Lady," his first prose production.
ot He sent the paper to the Critic and
e his inexpressible delight it was accepte
l. He received a check for $S In the fullne
le OF his JOY he resolved to devote his fir
" literary earnings TO art. He took the FIR
train to Cincinnati and heard the productiC
DR. of "The Messiah" Thrilled by the mus
IN Of the great Handel oratorio his fancy toe
as wing in verse. On the train home he wro