Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-06
HOW HE GOT KIPLING
ARsPoRTER'S TUs5Le TO INTERVIEW
THE GREAT AUTHOR.
After an Unavailing Exhibition O,
impudent Nerve the Effort Succeed.
ed ny Turning the Conversation to
the Subject of Soldering,

Cnlcago on his way from San Francisco IN
New ork He wasn't quite such a big gun
,hen as he Is now, but he was big enough.
All the way from the coast to Chicago the
reporters ne had met had been hammerinp
MN as a case Of remarkably bright
young man afflicted with elephantiasis of
the skull. l concluded that all of this
anvil chorus music made by the reporters
hipling had met was unjust. had such
an opinion OF my own interviewing skill
that l would have been willing to Law bet.
ter than even money that I'd succeed in
getting corking, redhot talk out of the
young Fast Indian.
He got into Chicago at 4 O'Clock in tho
afternoon, too late for the hotel reporters
Tor the afternoon papers to get in a talk
with him. kipling put up at the Richie
lieu, and l sent my card up to him about
O'Clock in the evening. After about flve
minutes young man wearing a very
baggy suit Of clothes and the bummest
black derby hat l ever saw got off the
elevator and shambled into the hotel lob
by. | knew the young man was kiplinp
he looked about the same then as he does
now-saine bulldog, rock Of Gibraltar
jaw, stubby mustachc, searching eyes and
- He had my card in his hand as he en-
tered the hotel lobby. He seemed to re.
Rard the card as great curiosity. He ex-
amined 1t from all points of view, walked
over to the window front of the hotel and
scrutinized 1t from top to bottom; held it
out ut arms length, and seemed to have
all kinds Of difficulty in arriving mt a de
termination what the deuce the card
meant. / walked over to where he was
fumbling with the card at the window
front
Mr. kipling?' I said
81 He turned upon me sharply. Helooked
me in the eyes Then he lowered his eyes
to my feet end began slow study Of me
from my shoes up. When his eyes finally
reached the point Of my chin, he looked At
my twisted card in his hand and said in a
short choppy voice:
Um-whnt if I am? / don't know
you. Did you send me this card?'
Il admitted the soft impeachment.
. am just after being hurtled down
here by my city editor to find out what
you think about the world, the flesh and
the devil, | said. Go ahead Let's have
it. Cough up. Any old thing you say will
do
"Kipling's rugged countenence was
momchtarily crossed by a very boysh
fetching grin
You're a pretty cheeky sort, aren't
YOU he inquired, not quite so choppily rs
he had spoken before What does you
blasted city editor or anybody else suppose
that know about the devil, the flesh or
the world? I'm only six and twentv-a
kid, kid in England, at any rate, where
precocity, instead Of being at a premium
as it seems to be over here, is social
vico. The world, the flesh and the devil?''
Haven't you got any hoary patriarchs here
to whom you can put that question:
Slews of EN-, | replied. But they
haven't written books about the doings of
Mulvaney, Ortheris and Learoyd That
stuff Of yours is pretty good-that is, it
isn't half bad Your of the improving
sort, think, and you'll probably do some
very decent work later on, when you get
next to yourself
"kipling took off his spectacles, wiped
them with his pocket handkerchief, read
justed them, and looked me through for
fully minute before he spoke.
~ say, he said then, you re con.
founded impertincnt sort of a cove, aren't
you? What the deuce do you mean? It's
solacing to run across a man who's devised
of pure gall-it' s novel, mean. What do
you want me to say?'
How do you like what you We seen Of
this country, anyhow l asked him, to
make q switch in the line of talk.
II like it in spots, he replied. What
difference does it make whether like il
or nots'
Lots, l said. We want to be approx
ed. We strive to please We desire to be
patted on the back Go on and pat us on
the back some moro. I'll take it down in
shorthand
81 wish you'd 90 away and let me
alone, said kipling.
IF | was working for a salary instead
Of writing on space, I'd oblige you, for
this isn't any fun for me, said |. Tell
me some things about American soldiers.
what you've seen of them.
They re a blooming fine lot, your sol
dicrs are, said Kipling, looking interest
ed They are crack men-way up men
the horse outfits especially. I've visited
about dozen posts, and I'd like to have
spent month at each Of 'cm. imagine
it must be fine work soldering down there
in Arizona
Mice work, said l. i often long to
be back at old San Carlos put in three
years as buck private in one of the troops
down there.
We'll, that's how I got Kipling-be
cause had soldercd, and if there's one
thing that interests kipling more than
another it S soldering His homely phiz
lit up when | mentioned that soldering
incident in my tumutuous career, and for
three quarters of an hour he sat there in
the window front of the Hotel Richeieu
and talked over the military end of it in a
clever, luminous, sketchy way that was
full of meat He told me all about tho
American military posts he had visited.
our soldiers with the men who
compose the British outfits, and-well, it
made over two columns of tiptop stuff
When rose to take my leave of kipling
said:
Now, don't forget. Whenever you
write something that you think is really
good jus. send me along batch of adj
vance proofs, and I'll give you a stick or
two of a notice in my paper If approve
of the stuff and consider it up to the
mark.
"Kipling simply glarcd at me amuscdly
out of his shrcwd eyes, said something
that sounded like 'Impudent whelpr and