The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-27

though, that 10000 words was altogether
too long, and further, that he wasn't very
hopeful that story of the sort / had
desciibed to him, particularly If written
by young woman, would please the pub
lie at all.
"The reports of the readers were ia
vorable in the main, but the publisher
would not regard them as conclusive.
Now he said, you cut out $1,000 words
and then get Rossiter Johnson to read ii.
If che reports favorably We'll bring out
your book Ii had been hard enough work
to write the story in the first place. but
IL was haider st to cut out one-third OF
what had cost me so much time ana Ell
fort, but shut my eyes, so to sfeak, and
after several days of hard work the excis-
ions were performed.
Mr.. Johnson, as 1t CHANGED, was
friend of our family, and, though a very
busy man, he was willing to pass on the
story He came to our house in Brooklyn
for that purpose, and in view CT the con-
dition of the copy l volunteered to read it
to him. So he settled himself comfortably
in his chair and / began. He said that if
ii were very bad | needn't read ii all,
and, though he said II more as a joke
than anything else, this filled me with
terror that can be more easily understood
than described After l had read Two or
three chapters ] noticed with ala m that
his eyes we're closed, and. thinking that
possibly he might have fallen asleep
through sheer lack of interest, / stopped
There was pause of perhaps half a min
ute-then, without opening his eyes, he
said the one word, Mere! So l went on
till midnight or later when the aiding
was susPier ded till next day. After 1t was
all re ad Mr.. johnson was good enough to
give the story his approval. In due time
the book came out, and that is how
made my stert as story writer
MRS. RobIfs at Home.
All the manuscript Mrs. Rohfs writes
now is read aloud, as was that of "The
Leavenworth Case" but the author is
rarely the reader when she is produce
ing story she devotes the major part
of the day 10 the work, writing rapidly
for several hours, after which she deVotes
some time to correction. In the evening,
when the lamps have been lighted, she
and her husband and the governess OF
their children gather about the table in
her writing room, Mr.. Rohlfs reads and
the others listen. until one OF the three
has criticism to make. In the nature
OF things the criticisms are oftenest made
by the author herself, and she Is con-
stantly making notes of the way the
story strikes her as the reading pro-
crosses At the same time she plans the
work OF the coming day, and in the
pauses Mr. Rohlfs goes over the nnishod
copy and crosses the is and dots the is.
Mrs Rohlfs Is essentially a home wo-
man, despite her calling, which In a
sense is a subordinate consideration with
her When she is writing, however, she
devotes herself very closely TO the work,
beginning at o'clock in the morning and
sometimes writing or recasting well into
the night, after the regular evenings
reading has been accomplished. 1t takes
days TO adjust herself to new piece OF
work, but once she has begun, nothing
can drive II out Of her mind. This does
not mean that everything else must give
way 10 the story; indeed. she often acts
as hostess or as guest and goes out TO
entertainments and social functions while
she IS writing piece Of fiction, the same