The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-07-05
STORIES OF THE DAY.
The Reverential Position Mrs. Stowe
Held Toward Her Great Work.

Late in life, when Mrs. Stowe was
nearing her end, she was accosted one
evening while walking in her garden by
a retired sea captain. when l was
younger" said he, holding his hat in
his hand, 81 read Uncle Toms Cabin
The story impressed me and l am
happy to shake hands with you, Mrs.
Stowe, who wrote it," 81 did not write
it, answered the white haired old lady
shaking the captains hand. You
didn't" exclaimed the old man. "Why,
who did, then?" God wrote It," she
replied. 'I merely wrote as He dis
tated." "Amen!" responded the cap
tain, walking reverently away. This
anecdote, quoted in Mrs. Fields Life
and Letters of Mrs. stowe" illustrates
the mental and spiritual position to-
ward her great work which the gifted
author always maintained, says
Youths Companion.
Years before she told n friend, while
they were dlsrobing for the night, that
she did not write the book.
What" exclaimed the amazed
friend. you did not write Uncle
Tom'?"
mo; 1 only put down what I saw"
answered Mrs. Stowe.
But you have never been at the
South, have you? asked the lady.
mo: but it all came before me in vis-
ions, one after another, and l put them
down in Words
But" insisted the skeptical friend,
you must have arranged the events"
mo; your daughter reproached me
for letting Eva die. Why, I could not
help it! felt as badly as anyone could!
1t was like a death In my own family,
and it affected me so deeply that I
could not write word for two weeks
after her DEATH"
"And did you know asked the
friend, "that Uncle Tom would die?"
"Oh, yes; l knew he must die from
the first, but I did not know how"
said Mrs. Stowe. when l got to that
part of the story | saw no more for
some time. I was physically exhausted,
too. One day. after dinner" she contin-
ued. "Mr. Stowe ana went to our
room to rest. He threw himself upon
the bed. l was to use the lounge. Sud
denly there arose before me the death
of Uncle Tom, with what led to it
] sat down at the table and wrote nine
pages of foolscap paper without paus-
ing.
Just as I had finished Mr.. Stowe
awoke. Wife said he, have you not
| lain down yet?'
NO l answered, 4 have been writ
ing, and l wish you would listen to this
and see If it will do
II read it aloud to him, with the
tears flowing fast. He wept, too, and
before I had finished, his sobs shook the
| bed upon which he was lying. He
sprang up, saying, Dol ] should think
| it would do!' and folding the sheets, he
| directed and sent them to the publish
| er. have often thought if anything
| happened to that package in going II
would not have been possible for me
| to have reproduced it,"
Long after this conversation Mrs.
| Stowe, in a preface to a new edition of
| Uncle Tom" said that many years be-
| fore she thought of writing the book
| she had written a sketch of the death
| Of an old slave, and read II to her
| children, who were much affected by it,
| This, in part, was the original idea of
| Uncle Tom"
The next time the friend before men,
| toned saw Mrs. Stowe she reminded
| her OF the former conversation, and
| suggested that the two accounts were
inconsistent with each other mo" said
| Mrs. stowe. "both are true. I had for
gotten that I had written that sketch
| and 1 suppose I unconsciously wove II
| in with the other"