The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-05-02
HOW HE GOT KIPLING
A REPORTERS TussLE TO INTERVIEW
THE GREAT AUTHOR.


ed by Turning the Conversation to
the Subject of Soldering.
"When Rudyard Kipling first visited
this country, he had short, sharp and
decisive pose to which he chung tenacious
IT," said a Chicago newspaper man, land
was sent down to Kipling's hotel to pick
bit Of talk out Of him when he struck
Chicago ON his way from San Francisco to
New York, He wasn't quite such big gun
then as he is now, but he was big enough.
All the way from the coast to Chicago the
reporters he had met had been hammering
him as case Of a remarkably bright
young man afflicted with elephantiasis of
the skull / concluded that all of this
anvil chorus music made by the reporters
Kipling had met was unjust. l had such
an opinion Of my own interviewing skill
that would have been willing to lay bot
ter than even money that I'd succeed in
getting corking, redhot talk out Of the
young East Indian.
"He got into Chicago at 4o'cloek In the
afternoon, too late for the hotel reporters
for the afternoon papers to get in talk
with him. Kipling put up at the Richie
lieu, and sent my card up to him about
2 o'clock In the evening After about five
minutes q young man wearing a very
baggy suit Of clothes and the bummest
black derby hat l ever saw got off the
elevator and shambled into the hotel lob
by. knew the young man was Kipling
He looked about the same then as he does
now-saine bulldog, rock of Gibraltar
general look Of slouchness.
HE had my card In. his hand as he en-
tered the hotel lobby. He seemed to re.
gard the card as q great curiosity. He ex-
amined it from all points Of view, walked
over to the window front Of the hotel and
scrutinized it from top to bottom; held it
out at arms length, and seemed to have
all kinds Of difficulty in arriving at a de-
termination what the deuce the card
meant. walked over to where he was
fumblipg with the card at the window
front.
"'Mr. Kiplingp' said.
HE turned upon me sharply. He looked
me in the eyes Then he lowered his eyes
to my feet and began slow study of me
from my shoes up. When his eyes finally
reached the point of my chin, he looked at
my twisted card in his hand and said in
short, choppy voice:
"'Um-what if am? I don't know
you. Did you send me this card'
II admitted the soft impeachment.
~ am just after being hurtled down
here by my city editor to find out what
you think about the world the flesh and
the DEVIL l said. Go ahead Let's have
l. -, r,ll HI; will
do
"Kipling's rugged countenance was
momentarily crossed by very boyish,
fetching grin.
"'Youre pretty cheeky sort, aren't
your he inquired, not quite so choppily as
he had spoken before. What does you
blasted city editor or anybody else suppose
that know about the devil, the flesh or
the world? I'm only six and twenty-a
kid, kid in England, at any rate, where
precocity, instead Of being at a premium,
as it seems to be over here, is q social
vice 1.-THE world the flesh and the devilS"
Haven't you got any hoary patriarchs here
to whom you can put that question:
"'Slews of EN-, replied. But they
haven't written books about the doings Of
Mulvaney Ortheris and Learoyd. That
stuff of yours is pretty good-that is it
isn't half bad. You're of the improving
Sort think, and you'll probably do some
very decent work later on, when you get
next to yourself.
"Kipling took off his spectacles, wiped
them with his pocket handkerchief, read
justed Them and looked me through for
fully minute before he spoke.
81 say, he said then, you're con.
founded impertinent sort Of cove, aren't
your What the deuce do you mean2 It's
solscing to run across man who's devised
of pure gall-it's novel, mean. What do
you want me to says'
GLOW do you like what you'v seen OF
this country, anyhow l asked him, to
mako q switch in the line of talk.
81 like it in spots, he replied What
difference does it make whether I like 1t
or notp'
"'Lots, I said we want to be approx.
ed We strive to please. We desire to be
patted on the back. Go on and pat lis on
the back some more Ill take it down In
shorthand
~ wish you'd go away and let me
alone, said Kipling.
"'If was working for a salary instead
of writing on space I'd obligo you, fol
| this isn't any fun for me, said l. Tel
me some things about American soldiers
what you've seen of them.
| "'Ihey're blooming fine lot, your sol
diers are said kipling, looking interest
ed They are crack men-way up men-
the horse outfits especially. I've visitet
about dozen posts and I'd like to hav'
spent month at onch of en- imagine
it must be fine work soldering down ther
| in Arizona
J "'Nicc work, said l. I often long t,
be back at old San Carlos. put in thre
years ns a buck private in one of the troop
down there
"Wcll, that's how I got Kipling-be
cause had soldiered, and If there's on
thing that interests kipling more thai
another it's soldering His homely phi
lit up when mentioned that soldierin!
incident In my tumultuous career, and 70
three quarters of an hour he sat there Il
the window front of the Hotel Richclie
and talked over the military end Of it in
clever, luminous, sketchy way that wa
full Of meat. He told me all about tn
American military posts he had visited
comparing our soldiers with the men VIII
compose the British outfits, and-well,
made over two columns of tiptop stuff
When l rose to take my leave Of Kipline
said:
"'Now, don't forget Whenever 70
wrto something that you think is rcall
good just send me along batch Of az
vance proofs, and III give you stick {
two of a notice in my paper If approx
Of the stuff and consider 1t up to tt
mark.
"kipling simply glared at me amused
put of his shrcwd eyes, said somcthin
that sounded like 'Impudcnt whelp! ar
! went away to write my interview, ~
Washington Star.
| Temper.