Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-04-01
|NlIS Ohm sion
snse fsstf skstclli ofl this South.
s s's Author y n
ehs Declines to 30 I'M eryiawed and Quoted
Why so Little is 4 known OF Her Per-
;Ess hhe 8 = naber q . Noted
EasAtly So


m Is recent issue Of the New York
s Times Annie Kendrick Walker writes
2hus nfsfes tingly OF Miss Merry John-
\ Etons Of BirrntnE ham. and q native of
II a3otefourt county. Virginia, the author
d Have and to HI old. 8
re IN ary j ohnston declines to be inter-
stvIewss and quoted by those clever per-
3 sons who write for the papers. Her
nhony "a maid. with her hairs tucked
& under her white cap, took my card and
4 showed me to FL drawing room. and told
me that Miss Johnston would be down
4 dn ia minute. And presently she came
down the stairway and through the IL
i brary beyond into the apartment where
50 awaited herr Instead however of
3ettYng her graceful self sink into a deep
81 chair. she said, In her rich, cordial
voice tina the library was, perhaps,
more comfortab and she led the way
q INTO this apartment, where the Goals
J were glowing warmly in the great
i chimney corner.
Tt Is never difficult for two women
& 10 hekginR conversations. We chatted
B of the unusual fall OF snow, Of the late
winter. Of other commonplace things
{ and y finally, I asked her to talk of her
n literary success, She shook her Ma
y
very firmly. as Lady Jocelyn might
g have done In her sweetest mood: L
am glad to speak OF my work. am
of course. gratifed atits success, and
appreciatc all that is said;s but
3 have made 1t a rule not to talk for pub
u 1icatlon.
With Miss Johnstons instantaneous
Z success as an author, she Is paying the
a penal tyS of being famous. The natural
" sl on the part of the public to
] know thing of its idol is, however
I. "a phase of popularity that imagine
Miss Johnston would eliminate The
public may discuss her ability as
sSlpYrlter ABOUT once brilliant period
& The: door of which she has opened sud
III denly. as II an old forgotten spring had
& q pee beens touched, thereby disclosing Sc
SaScret passage. She cannot expect to
q stem the tide Of public criticism of her
\ rpInanceS that have made her one OF
I the women of the hour But any per-
IS sonal gossip that may find its way into
s S q leesneWspapeEs5 does not emanate from
s 4 n Ns. On the contrary, when It comes
4 TO ar any d iscusslon Of her work. She is
3aE extremely reticent.
~ AL ss Johnston,s reticence in th,s
, anhtterS has probably resulted in tho
q Notable fact that, although the Ameri-
& can can and Eng hsh reviewers have ex-
\ Itausted columns inspraise OF her books.
comparatively little has been writton
1 s OF " the personality of the woman of
Snert charming home in Birmingham. of
zherE ideal life In sunny Alabama The
4 Z word KNOWS of her as a Virginia girl.
a an q y the =. phQtog SpTis that have been
ls.syislsf &c oS2ied m zeal a. wonderfully
.younAl I woman, the graceful
ne features recalling some
s famous miniatures on ivory by the old
n masters: ie AZ ~ - ~
MISS JOHNSTON HERSELF.
4ssr. ,.Eat i .
She is very tall and her figure is
slender and fragile. She carries herself
+ wei, and has That high brad air that
4 gives her a dis tinctive charm in anv
y y ssembly.s Her eyes are large and
with little necks of gold. Her
5Siight-broWns hair is soft and wavy. and
y she wears 4 1t simply. Her tastes ore
i ttpose,of a charming woman, who. al-
"a n unconventional respects every
4 proprlety.s She has Travelled extensive
Z ~ In this country and abroad
~ M SIS Johnstons life is that OF any
n nf,iglh l arts tocratlc girl OF the
+ 2 outh. As the Oldest daughter of n
n family of six, she has had since tba
& de az OF her otfer, ten years ago. the
ss SO, and RESPONSIBILITIES of her IN III
sS sIy 8; household n Her father. Major John
w. Johns tom was formerly nresi6ont
I o 81, the George Pacific railroad, now :
3 p i re Of the Sou thern system. He Is n
Il civil sen gineer by profession, and In G
~ z. peenA pro1Intn ent y in Birmingham since
& ne rived from Virgin la In 1878 ,Tbey
entertain during the season, ana tbeir
3si o,i &c 11 Seven tn Avenue is frequently
IS TED ed, & desssyt from other States.
StisIl ss - ton "a sister who is
E ssradua tie OF the TTaining school for
y " urses of the Old Dominion Hospital IN
sTichmond Il 85,,i - ~
Miss y ohnston is devotedly fond n,
sXirginia, many illustrious names OF
In ataState being those OF her ancestors
& eat-great7 grandfather, Peter
Is Johnstoni came 10 Virginia from Hol-
I'll M = e wa man of wealth
s. and Influence in the colony. and was
it he donor OF the lands on which stands
he Coll ege of Hampden- Sidney. His
IS three sons Peter, Andrew and Charles
II became, respectively, the ancestors Of
B many prominent families now widely
s scat tered, NE eldest, Peter a hero of
ight Horse ~ AIRY Lees Legion, was
he "a tier of General Joseph r. John
tton, thus making the latter Miss John ]
u tons third cousin. The SECOND son.
Z ndrsW;S was her great-crantlf a thor
s. IN 2 married NINA Nash and thro,,rh
S her MI So Johi.ston is iineally deseen1ef
rom Colonel John Mash. an officer iri
3jjst ne SF'rench and Indian troubles OF 1758
4. ssnaa curlng the Revolution member FOR
~ "a nee EDWARD county OF the Virginia
rs ~ ouss OF delegates; and from Johr
81 n ash. o I Eempleton Manor. Justice nj
~ denrico county in 1913. she is also ~.
great-great- grand- niece of Abner Nash
ESGoverror of North Carolina and mem.
81 peTSso OF the tinental Congress: and
"a 81 s. g nera Francis Nash. who fell nj
t.Slsrn1an town. vs. On the mothers side SHE
IS iss Scot Irish. Ia lineal descendant o.
~ one OF he g13 apprentices who closed thu
ISL Est O SO Lond onderry in the siege OF
~ oSuf "a y