The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1900-01-12
DRIFTED INTO STORY
THE BEGINNINGS OF SOME FAMOUS
LITERARY CAREERS.
How Some Of the Noted Men and "o-
men Who Have Conquered II
World Of Letters Came to Invade
the Domain of Fiction.

the Domain Of Fiction.
There is an unfailing fascination ID
the story of the beginnings of brilliant
careers. and especially of the careers
of men and women who have con-
ouered the world of readers. and have
won fame and fortune in the difficult
path of letters.
One of the most successful Of literary
partnerships had its origin is a casual
supper conversation at a Bohemian
club. Walter Hesant aud James Rice.
both young men of literary ambitions,
were discussing one Of Dickens novels,
when Rice said. casually: If | give
you the plot Of a story, Besant. Will
YOU write it, Il don't mind trying
Besant answered: and within a few
weeks the first of a brilliant series
of novels was under way.
Rider Haggard was reading for the
bar in the early eighties with an eye
On the wool>ack. and no dream of the
career in fiction that awaited him,
when it occurred to him, as a recrea.
ton from the dry bones of the law, to
weave a story out of his South African
experiences. To his surprise and de-
light the story flowed tiuently under
his pen, and finally assumed ample
shape as The Witch's Head" That
it was not a success mattered little;
for it had shown him his rue meter,
and paved the way for king Solo
mons Mines" and all the gold they
yielded.
1t was only when briefs resolutely
declined to drift to his chambers that
Anthony Hope Hawkins, a young bar
rister, in all the modified glory of an
untarnished wig. turned his thoughts
to the pen to while away the hours of
waiting for solicitors WHO never came.
1t was thus that he wrote "A Man of
Mark" which was rather suggestive Of
future distinction than productive Of
present profit. But fame came quicker
than briefs after all, and his Prisoner
Of Zenda." four years later, gave him
all the start he desired.
Grant Allen had wooed science to lit
tie pecuniary purpose for many years
before he was tempted to stray into tic-
ton. for which he never had much
respect. Perhaps no one was as sur.
prised as himself to find that he could
write a story quite as cleverly as a sci.
entifc treatise, and while "Physio.
logical Aesthetics brought him repute
as a man Of science, "Philistia" point.
of stress is SO much better. The science
which he designed for a staff became 3
recreation, but his heart was in it rath
er than in his novels.
NJ. lola was tying up parcels in
Hachette's publishing house when be
was tempted to read one of Flaubert's
novels. Much as the young packer wa
impressed with its cleverness, hi
thought he could write a novel quite a
good, and he Immediately set to work
with the results known equally to the
world and his bankers.
1t was the memory Of his long tramps
through the Australian bush that urn
ed Guy Boothby's thought to fiction
He had new material full of interest t
the reading world. Why not present il
in the marketable form of q novel.
The suggestion took shape in ION the
Wallaby," and the world knows what
that led to.
With Morley Roberts it was thu
same. He had for many years led {
life of adventure, which was stranger
than fiction, in every part of the world
and in all characters from cowboy tt
common IN 1t was easy from
such rich material to weave the Yves
ern AyernuS," the first Of his long Sc
ries Of thrilling romances.
Jerome IL. Jerome's Bohemian lif'
and stage experiences suggested t
him the idea Of his first venture in let
tiers, "On the Stage and Off," as a
least a variant from teaching, clerk
work and acting, which had made III
his precariOuS existence for som
years: and when Mr.. Zangwill grew
sick Of teaching the three RS to youn;
Jews, what more natural than, witt
his Skill with the pen, he should weav'
a story Of the ''Children Of tn,
Ghetto" although this was not his frs
venture in literature:
Marie Corelli had no thought of fc
ton when she was training for tn,
career Of a musician and composer
u it was a strange psychical ex
perience that turned her thoughts t,
the pen and inspired her Romance O.
Two Worlds" which took novel read
ers by storm.
!. 1t was loneliness and weird insnira
ton OF the South African veldt tina
impelled Olive Schreiner, a dreamy cir
in her teens, to speak her thoughts OF
paper in ''The Story Of an African
YARN"
Mrs. Hodgson Burnett was only
schoolgirl, busy with her books, whel
q group Of factory girls streamed pas
the window through which she wa
gazing. One Of them, unlike the rest
a tall. striking girl. arrested her at
tention; and it was around this singl
figure, seen for a moment, that sh
wrote her beautiful story, THAT Las
O Lowrie's."
Professor Green, the lovable Oyfor.
tutor and author, was the inspiration
Of Mrs. IIumpilry Wards Robert Els