New-York tribune., 1900-01-03


books.
Mr.. H. G. Wells bears testimony TO what
other people have not discovered to be the spe-
cial attribute of one Of Mr.. Barrie's early ef-
forts After period of illness and i'll luck
Mr. Wells says, in discussing his literary begin
ntngs, II CHANGED upon When a Mans Single
the best guide TO literary Journalism in the
world. took fits suggestion. and-voila tout!"
Mr.. Kegan Paul notes in his "reminiscences
that large price was paid by the publisher for
the MS. Of the Last Journals of General Cor
dom few days after the journals reached
England, he says Il received note from Sir
Henry asking me to call upon him the next
afternoon at given hour. 1t appears that he
had asked five publishers to call upon him at
different hours during the day. with sufficient
intervals Of time to insure our not meeting.
NOW said Sir Henry when I entered his study,
have sent for you to show you my brothers
journals. and should like you to make offer
for them; only give you a few minutes to
turn them overland he himself hurriedly
turned over the MS, in which he had placed
pieces of paper. giving no sufficient time for
real inspection Of any part of the work. 1t was
not possible to guess the sized book that
might be made of it, the price at which it
would be possible to sell it. In fact the inspec-
ton accorded Of the very slightest kind.
Sir Henry said he wished offer for the book
TO be made by II o'clock the next day. and init
mated that in fact he was prepared to sell the
work to the highest bidder. and would give an
answer Immediately. After consulting with Mr.
french. wrote offering 5000 guineas for this
pig in poke, and ours proved the highest offer
The nearest bid to ours 5000. and, Sir
Henry afterward told me, the irritated nearest
bidder exclaimed that it was those id shil-
nngs that had done it,"
In a Stuttgart newspaper appeared recently
come notes OF a conversation held with the late
Ulrike vop Levetzow, who was believed to be
Goethe's last love" This opinion she declared
to be altogether wrong. Goethe" she said
knew my family in Leipsic. and when, in the
autumn of 1921, he came to Marienbad, he
found us and greeted us as old acquantances
My first meeting with him was by no means
accidental. He was then quite a geheimrath
and very dignif1ed. His features had express
sion of aristocratic pride, and inspired more
reverence than that of a born prince But the
assertion that I fell in love with the dear old
man-for that was the impression Goethe made
upon me-is ridiculous a invention Of
writers fond of sensation to whatever category
they might belong. Goethe treated
little girl, and always called my dear little
daughter He was a beautiful old man. with
wonderful eyes; carefully dressed, and ex-
tren1ely amiable man of society. Even then 1t
struck me that he paid far court and more
persistently, 10 my mother-who fifteen
years older than THAN to me. She was, ac-
cording to Goethe's own assertion. one of the
most beautiful OF He attentive
10 her that If 1 had been engaged to him l should
certainly have been jealous. The poems which
critics think were addressed to far more
probably addressed to my mother.
Goethe corresponded with her very frequently.
and il could never enter my head to be jealous
about that for ] a mere child l only
ceived from him such verses as are often dedi-
Gated TO young girls 1t may be that Goethe
had liking for me which did not understand
because he never expressed IL 10 me. In the
following year he certainly came out with
declaration which, however, my widowed
mother thought regarded herself. At that time
/ had read almost all OF Goethee writings but
7 always thought he unpopular. One day
we were sitting together in garden at Tep-
litz and Goethe asked my mother whom she
preferred him or Schiller She replied that
SchiIlers poems affected her feelings more. and
that she could not always understand Goethe's
works. He smiled and nodded in acquiescence,
and said, Certainly. L shall never can or
will / ever, be popular my Swabian
friend At this time Goethe rather more
confidential TO me. We took walks together.
during which he instructed me- in dgnifed