The Washington times., 1901-12-22
vnnehan kestcr,s Home.

About three miles from Mount Vernon.
! in Fairfax county. Virginia, stands a
magnificent old mansion which was built
by George Washington for his stepdaugh-
I ter, pretty Nelly Custis. from designs C:
his own making. 1t will be remembered
that Nelly Custis married Washington S
fayorite nephew. Major Lewis Washing
ton, and after her wedding came to this
beautiful spot TO live. The old edificc is
known as Wood Lawn Mansion and 1t is
said TO be the most perfect specimen Of
Georgian architecture in America. Its
situation Is superb. IL is now the family
home of Vaughan Kes;er. author of "The
Manager Of the B d a." one OF the hest
stories in the arpers American No
vel Series, and Of his brother. Paul Kes-
ter, the playwright Mr.. Vaughan Kester
is another OF the out-of doors literary
men. and is devoted to rural pursuits
Between times, however, he is at work
on new novel
When Mrs. Ward wrote Eleanor" IT
was feared by her numerous appreciatiye
readers that it perhaps represented. in
its great beauty and finish Of treatment,
the best and last book OF fiction she would
produce. The Harpcrs state, on the con-
trary, that her new work, which tbcy
cepticn and workmanship than Eleanor"
and is the crowning effort of Mrs Wards
career As In the former book, the chief
character OF the new story is a woman.
The novel will run serialIy In "Harper's
Magazine" beginning in early spring
Tradition and the newspapers are so
fond OF referring 20 Kentucky as "the
dark and bloody ground, that at the re-
Cf 10 nF
Popular Monthly" Mr.. E. Carl Litsey. a
painstaking and accurate observer of So
cial conditions, made leisurely Journey
through the most notorious districts OF
the State carefully noting what he saw
and heard, and relying solely upon first
band information. The story OF this Jour
ney, together with a very accurate and
dramatic account Of Kentucky feuds and
their causes. is the oBening article In
Frank Leslic's Popular Monthly for
January.
This January number is unusually for
tunate in its fiction. Ian Maclaren breaks
his long silence by contributing one OF his
exquisite little sketches, The Vision Of
the Soul" while Hamlin Garland tells an
Indian tale in his vest vein, story which
has been elaborately illustrated Ia cclors.
In several other stories notably those by
Ralph Henry Barbour, and L. 5. Chamber
layne, the humorous prelominates, while
Miss Marion Hill's story, In Honor OF
the Infant" combines a delicious sense
Of the ludicrous with half unconscious
pathos that comes from a perfect UNDER
standing Of childhood.
According 10 the December Book |
mans" report OF the six books which |
have sold the best in the order Of de- |
mand during the month" from October | |
to November !, 1901, Gilbert T. arker's |
The Right Of Way" stands at tia head |
Of the list. The report fairly covers the |
entire country. The pre-cmlnent success
Of a novel in these days means more than
IL did a decade ago. when there were not |
nearly so many novels published The
editor Of the New York Critic" cxclaims
in despair in the Christmas number:
Never since The Critic was founded |
Iwenty-cne years ago have so many books
been piled upon the editorial desk as
within the past two months