Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-04-13
MR.. KIPLING's NEWSPAPER LIFE
Recalled by One Who Worked With
Him on the Lahore Gazette.


kipling's life during his incumbency
on the Civil and Military Gazette of
Lahore has been pleasantly described
in McClure's magazine by Z. Kay
Robinson, who was brought by the
proprietor of that journal to put some
sparkle into the paper, which, it
seems, he considered that Kipling had
failed to do. Mr. Robinson says:
With Kipling l was disappointed at
first. At the time of which am writ
ing, early in 1886, his face had not ac-
quired the character of manhood,
and contrasted somewhat unpleasant
ly with his stoon acquired through
much bending over an office tablet,
his heavy eyebrows, his spectacles,
and his sallow Anglo-Indian complex
ion; while his jerky speech and
abrupt movements added to the unfa-
yorable impression. But his CONVEX
sation was brilliant, and his sterling
character cleaned through the humor-
Gus light which shone behind his
into his place as the most striking
member of remarkably clever and
charming family 1t was a domestic
quartet. They had combined in the
previous year to produce The Quar-
tette, Christmas publication of I'M
had attained to almost as much lit
erary fame as can be won IN India.
When Mr.. Robinson came to the
paper that Kipling had failed to
aerate, he showed his assistant the let
ter from the proprietor, mentioning
the lack of sparkle" in the journal: 81
read the letter to him, and we agreed
that champagne had more of the de-
sired quality than anything else we
could think of; and as the Sind and
Punjab hotel happened to be opposite
our Office, | sent over for bottle, and
together by drinking to the successful
sparkle of the rag under it's new man
agement."
Kipling used to waste a good deal
of ink: "In the heat of summer, white
cotton trousers and a thin vest con-
stituted his office attire, and by the
days end he was spotted all over like
a Dalmatian dog. He had habit of
dipping his pen frequently and deep
into the ink-pot, and as all his move
ments were abrupt, almost jerky, the
ink used to fly. When he darted into
my room, as he used to do about one
thing or another, in connection with
the contents of the paper, adozen times
in the morning / had to shout to him
to stond off, otherwise, as | knew by
experience, the abrupt halt he would
make and the flourish with which he
placed the proof in his hand before
me would send the penful of ink-he
always had a full pen in his hand
lying over me. Driving or sometimes
walking home to breakfast in his
light attire plentifully besprnkled
with ink, his specialized face peeping
out from under an enormous mush-
room-shaped pith hat, kipling was
a quaint looking object. lnis was
N the hot weather, when Lahore lay
month after month, under
the sun, and every white woman and
half the white men had fed to cooler
attitudes in the Himalayas, and only
those men were left who like Kipling
and myself, had to stay; SO it matter
ed little in what costume we went to
and from the office
Mr.. Robinson speaks thus of De-
partmental Ditties:" Having, to my
own great delight, discovered Kipling
Though his name was already a house
hold worl throughout Indial in 1886
] thought that the literary world at
home should share my pleasure. He
was just then publishing his first lit
tie book in India; but the Depart
mental Ditties' were good enough, as
/ thought at the time, and as after
ward turned out, to give him q place
among English writer's of the day.
So | obtained eight copies, and dis
tributed them. with recommendations
letters, among the editors of English
journals of light and leading. So far
as | could ascertain, not single one
OF those papers condescended to say
word about the unpretentious little
volume"