The St. Louis Republic., 1900-12-22

ing books Of the day. the experience Of A
recent traveller In Indiana might b. accept
er as another proof of tine old saying that
| -. prophet is without honor III his own
country" III passing through the town
which serves as the scene Of the story the
stranger spoke cordially Of the tale to sew
er;u residents. Alice Of Old Ninccnnes.
said ono bruslue old farmer. whats her
CoLher name? ] never heerd Oh her" IL
was explained that she lived only IN the
pages of a book ''Who writ IT. was tn"
next inquiry. Maurice Thompson. came
tho answer. Maurice ghomesor." unused
the old man. ''Dunno him There's o.
Abe ThompSon's boys living IN the safe,
h;it / never herd as there was :, Maurice
among EN- you doH't read inIch-' in
q,Ih ed the trse.l.r. gently. "i'ead:' sad
the old man. scurufuily: ''youns man. raise
corn
Mr. Eudyard KipIius Is trying hls hand
at PLAY hut "a. sUhirC. ~ present is
''uropt ia mystery" s.N- a London writer.
The t,chniqua OF the stage. however. = 80
different IRON that of thr novel that it dos
not always follow aha; q novelist can rasiiy
become = SlIrC'-SiH! PLAYWRIGHT. SUI. aI,icn@
othrTs. Mr.. Anthony Hone, Mr.. Jon, 3a Hat
ton. My. J. y. Barrie. sir. Jcrome au! Mr
Eden Phillr"tts have done wrI. whereas
Mr.. ZduRwi. aud Mr.. Gilbert Parker. n
T.. have rot been 50 successful. Nr. Barry
Pains play is SIN unfinished NJ. Frank
Tort Moor. has written some Sparkling cur
tain r;.is-rs, bur his comedy Of Nell
Gwynnc." TO be produced shortly In AIreii-
"a. has rot YET seen the light in LONDON.
The approaching anniversary ot the I.oui-
sistEa Purchase lends d pertinent interest 10
HcZcIliah Yutterworth's new historical story
for young readers. which has Just been pub
Iished by u. Appleton & 60. under the tide
I'm the DAYS of Jeasrsou. number OF
striking and romantic events in JcIerson's
early nfc have been utilized by the writer
III n tale of considerable interest aside fror;!
its historical worth.
Devil Tales" by Virginia Frazer Boyle,
which WIS published short time ago By
Harper & Bros. has excited great deal
OF serious interest among American folk
iOrists. As explained by the author, the
stories are perhaps az near the African ~a-
ditions as anything that has yet been writ
ten, for they were told to her "ty her
nanny, who had learned them from her
NANNY" This brings TO mind very in
tcrestiGs coincidence. Tho late David
Dwight Wells once told US that In readiu &
story by Joel Chandler Harris he haH
recognized the Incidents In it as thos- which
made Up Il legend that had been told TO hts
grandfather by an aged West Indian negro
who Was born in Africa There was this eA
cep,ion, however: In the transition from Al
rica TO America the leopard had be-On,
Br'er Rabbit. and the other animals In the
original legend had undergone similar
inetamorphosis. II would be interesting If
some African traveller should lind time TO
tell the public about the originals" OF Mr.
Harris'3 stories.
Miss Ella +. Padon. formerly of Lebanon
Ill. bu. who Is We'll known in this city has
written little story for children which is
soon to come out. 1t is entitled Her Little
Sister Polly" and tells the adventures OF
little girl who had no mother. but numerous
aunts. who were more or less Interested in
her welfare. The Iittls heroine WAS an
heiress. but her choics II possession. to her.
was Il parrot. whom she called her little
sister Polly"
Mr.. Alfred Austin some time ago made an
onslaught on Mr. k.plins's poems, which
he regards as vulgar and brutalizing in their
effect. says d London correspondent. Ii is
a pity that the de iure Poet Laureate should
thus betray his dislike of the man who is
recognized among all English-speaking peo-
pie as the de facto Poet Laureate. Granting,
for the sake of argument. that all that Mr..
Austin says IS true. he Is nevertheless the
last man in England who ought to say IT.
His criticism of kiplinG's poems will be uni
versally ascribed TO jealousy. and 1t Is TO be
feared that In this instance the universal
verdict would be strictly true. At any rate.
what he wrote about the Kipling verses
was I'm extremely bad taste and worthy of
Miss Coreili rather than of MIR. Austin.
II thief were to steal your purse and
leave a valuable diamond ring in your pock
et what Would you DO with the ring? This
H. the situation that confronts the heroine
of "A Comedy Of Conscience" a long story
by Doctor Weir Mitchell. which will be
printed in the January Century. The
authors new novel. "Dr. North and His
Friends" is in Its thirteenth thousand, anu
the new one-voluIne edition Of Hugh
Wynne'' Is in its twentieth: both were issued
in October.
McClure's Magazine for January Will con-
tain the first installment in the memoirs OF
Clara Norris entitled. 'Recollections OF the
Stage and Its People" This chapter de-
scribes the famous actresss first appear
ance before a New York audience and tells
of all the trials and triunphs on that crucial
occasion.
A careful character study OF the Emperor
William will appear IN McClures Magazine
for January.
The second installment of Mr.. Eudyard
kipl;ng's new novel. kim" will be pub
lished In the January number OF McClures
Magazine In Its revelation OF varied life
in India the writer's insight and his entire
mastery OF detail are shown 1t their best.
The charm of the fiction is enhanced By the
page drawings contributed by Mr.. j. Lock-
wood Kipling. the father of the author. and
by Mr.. Edwin Lord Weeks.
The note of warning against Russia which
Kipling struck in his notable poem. The
Truce of the Bear and which he has so
often sounded in his tales. Is prominent IN
The Half-Hearted" a story Of Anglo
Indian life by John Buchan. generally
thought to be the foremost of the youngest
st of English literary men-i set upon
whom apparently. the importance Of I'M
periai unity and world politics seems ~
have descended gravely. though their sense
of its urgency IL generally expressed IN po-
Iitico-romautic novels. Throughout the
COURSE of The Half-Hcartcd.' interwov"n
with its delightful pictures of life in the
Scottish Highlands and Its unusual love
story, moves this thread OF vague unrest
and all TOO certain sense OF discomfort in
the Foreign Office. the yelled anxiety as tn
what Russia may be up 10 on the other side
of the supposedly impassabe mountain har-
rier that guards India tire kashmir
frontier: and IL all forms very pretty read
ing and. for him that hath ears TO hear, a
significant warning. uloughton-Miifin x
Coz
The impression gains grounds that Jack
London is coming aUthor-that 'it is
merely q mater OF a few years when he viii
be recognized as a writer az foTceful aS
Kiplins as finished and discerning as Laf-
cadio Hearn'. and that what Kiplins has
done for India. and Iafcadio Hearn for
japan, Jack London has done for the Arc
tic" So writes Howard V. sutherland in
of San Francisco. I'm taking up |
for the second time London's The Son OF