The Utah County Democrat. [volume] (Provo City, Utah) 1898-1909, 1899-03-04
Interview with Kipling.


~ hear that Rudyard Kipling's man
nor, have Improved a good deal since
ne came TO this country, nearly ten
wears ago, and that he has cut that
short. sharp and decisive pose that he
clung 10 so ~tenaciously,' said the cor
respondent of u Chicago paper who
nsed to be a hotel reporter In the town
If wind. Il was sent down TO Kip
linp's hotel to pick "A bit OF talk out of
him when he nrst struck Chicago, on
his way from San Francisco To New
York. He wasn't quite such "A big gun
then as he is now, but he was big
enough. All the way from the coast
10 Chicago the reporters he had met
had been hamlnering him as "a case of
a remarkably bright young man ats let
ed witt. elcphantiasis Of the skull. |
concluded that all OF this anvil chorus
music made by The reporters Kipllng
had net was unjust: | had such an
opinion of my own interviewing skill
that | would have been willing to lay
better than even money hat ! would
succeed in getting a corking; red-hot
talk out Of the young East Indian.
Gle got into Chicago at A o'clock in
the afternoon. too late for the hotel re-
poriers for the afternoon papers to get
IN a talk with him. Klpling put up at
I. he Richelieu, and | Sent up my card
to him about Z o'clock In the evening.
After about five minutes a young man
wearing II very baggy suit Of clothes
and the FUNNIEST black Derby hat |
ever saw, got OIL the elevator aud
4 shambled into the hotel lobby. | knew
The young man was Kipllng. He
looked about the same then rs he does
now--same bulldog. Rock-of.G Gibraltar
4 Jaw, same m~ouslache. searching eyes
and general look of slouchiness.
'He had nv card In his hand as he
entered the hotel Lobby. He seemed
TO regard the card as a great curiosity.
He examined il from all points OF view.
walked over to the window front OF The
hotel aud scrutinlzed II from top to
bottom; held it N at arms length,
and seemed to have all kinds of diff
Guilty in arriving at a determination
what the deuce the card meant. !
walked over to where he Mas fumbiing
with the card at the window front.
"'Mr, Kiplingg' ] said.
'He turned upon me sharply. He
looked me in the eyes Then he low
cred his eyes to my feet and began a
slow study Of me from m. shoes up.
when his eyes lnally reached the
point of my chin he looked AT my
twisted card in his hand and said ina
short, choppy voice:
"Um-what if | am? don't know
you Did you send me this card?'
Il admitted the soft Impeachment.
~ am just after being hurtled down
mere by my city editor to find out what
you think about the world. the flesh
and the devil / SAID. Go ahead. Let's
have 1t. Cough up. Any old thing
you say will do
"hiplinh's rugged conntenance was
momentarily crossed by a very boyish,
fetching grin.
You're 2 very cheeky sort, aren't
your he inquired, not quite so chip
ply as he had spoken before. What
poes your blasted city editor or any.
uody else suppose that ! know about
we devil, the hosh or the world? Tn
o"iy six-and-twenty-a kid; a kid IL
england at any rate, whore %precocity
INSTEAD OF being at Il premium. as II
'eems to be over here, is a social wee
Inc world, the flesh and the devil?'
haven't you got any hoary patriarch
hereto whom you can put the question:
slews Of 'om', ] replied. But theI
haven't wrltlen books about the doinl
~ hulyaney Orlheris aud Learoyed
mat stun Of yours is pretty k~ood--tha
II ISN'T half bad. You're Of the i'm
proving sort. ! think, aud youll pro
s''iy 90 some very decent work late
when you get next 10 YOURSELF
Aipllng took of his speclaclcs
wiped them win his pocket handker
oA'ei, reAaiustcd them and looked mi