The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-05

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The scene is not avowedly anywhere, any
more than in the Zenda stories; but as
in the Zenda stories, you have a sense
that it is somewhere on the continent of
Europe, most probably within the confines
of Germany. Having got it thus far 10
Gated, you entertain no farther geographic
cal concern; you feel that il is a very
pleasant country, wherever it may be. and
yield yourself to the fun enjoyment of all
that goes on there. And again as in the
Zenda stories, the things that go on are
extremely engaging. The central charac-
ter. Col. Dleppe, a protested adventurcr,
with apparently the easiest conscience in
ordinary affairs, discovers at various crises
a fundamental rectitude that is only less
attractive than his GOODNESS, skill and
bravery in defeating those who have no
conscience at all. There can be but one
judgment on him. namely, that he is "a
fine cid fellow'-"old" being for endear-
ment only since, in point of fact, the
co.onels age is not advanced, simply I'M
certain. The ladies of the story-of whom
there are two, TO mentiou-have in full
skirt the charm without which it seems
to be principle in Anthony Hope never
to let his ladies go abroad. They always
have your liking in their conversation;
and as for their behavior, while it may
provoke doubts in you for the moment,
il leaves you N the end altogether their
friend.
1 think it is not fully decided yet where
Colonel Dieppe" will have its first publ
In !,
is that it Will appear simultaneously in a
number of the leading newspapers. 1t is
not long novel, only about $4,000 words,
or about half the length of Rupert of
Hentzau."
"Penlope's Progress" continues TO enjoy
a large sale, apparently, and is giving new
interest sto the personality of the author.
In private life Mrs. Kate Douglas Wiggin
is Mrs. George c. Riggs, and she is quite
as much Identified with Kindergarten work
as with authorship. She has her home in
this city on the borders of Central Park,
but she is almost as much at home in Lon
don as she is in New York She is ma
tive, 1 believe, of Massachusetts. She is
of a very active public spirit, and in ad-
ditfon to'the devotion she has shown in the
improvement and extension of kindergar-
ten instruction, she has a devotion scarce
ly less ready and unwearying to many
another good cause.
There are moments when we seem to
be hearing rather less of Conan Doyle
than we have come (shall l say in our
debauchery0 to feel that we ought 10
hear of a popular author. The fact is
that DR.. Doyle does not drive the muse
anything like as hard as some of the
novelists do. His novels since the "Ad-
ventures of Sherlock Holmes" made the
pubic practically his own, while they
have not been exactly few, still have
not numbered quite up to the years. and
this for a man whose one vocation is
novel writing is nearly abstinence. The
habit of a number of novelists of pledg-
ing themselves to work some years ahead
OF the present time, and then driving away
for all that is in them and putting out
"any old thing in order TO keep their
contracts, is one that DR.. Doyle has scrup-
ulously avoided. He seldom makes a fast
promise to write even so much as a short
story while he still has another piece of
work in hand. He says that he cannot
work with any ease or satisfaction to him
self otherwise; a large promise out he
thinks would paralyze his hand.
Mr. Hamlin Garland has finished his
visit in New York, and returned to Chi
cago. He managed to make some prog
ress with his new novel while here, but
not SO much as he would have liked to
make, / fancy, for certainly his friends
kept him pretty busy. For society and
social functions, Mr.. Garland has, l be-
lieve little use; but for a good lunch or
dinner and a good long talk afterward,
with a genuine friend, he has as mucn
stomach as anybody, and he's not "agin
rAtinpinlnf' either
Capt. Jasper e. Brady is preparing for
publication, as the urgency of his work
at Santiago de Cuba allows him time, a
book of his own experiences as a tele-
graph operator and train dispatcher. He
has already, 1 believe, published some
of these experiences as magazine articles
but he has had no end of them, and, if
there were occasion, he could bring to-
gether enough for several books. AL
though he is still quite young man. he
had a good long term of it in the tele-
graph service before he entered the army
and he has had not a little of the same
service since. His office at Santiago is
that of superintendent of telegraph and
since the close of the war he has directed
the erection of good many miles of wire
there and brought into existence a very
creditable telegraph service. He has been
home for several weeks, now, partly on
sick leave and partly for consultation with
the war department. but started back
few days ago. Capt. Brady began his
military career as a volunteer in the
ranks in time of peace. He soon won
promotion, and when the war with Spain
broke out was a second lieutenant. AL
most Immediately he rose to a captaincy
and throughout the war held the delicate
post of superintendent of telegraph and
censor of press dispatches at Tampa. He
read more war correspondence that no
body else except the writers of it read
than any other man living; and much Of
this was, no doubt, far more interesting
than any that we Of the public at large
ever got to read.
A correspondent asks me what l know
about @the author of Nancy Noon" 1
don't know much, but here are few bits
of information. To begin with, "Benja-
min swift isn't his real name; that is
William Romaine Patterson. He is
scotchman born at Glasgow, and is now
h..ra IL