The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-06-15
The Lite rary Outlook.

George douglass IellS OF HIS Lille anu
Work-Authors Gathering in Indiana
polis-Indiana' Pride in Her Writer'S
James Whitcomb Riley's Fear of Los
ing His Popularity-Clara Morris Dis
courages Stage Ambitions
(By Herbert Brewster.)
OF George Douglass (Brown), author
of "The House With the Green Shut
ters," it is literally true that he not only
awoke one morning to find himself ia
NOUS. but he also came suddenly to have
his desk piled high with letters from all
kinds of people in all parts of the Eng
lsh speaking world. 1t is said that wo-
men especially write long screeds to him
about what he must have been thinking
when he wrote his first book; ministers
of the gospel have demonstrated with him
for the pessimism in his view of Scotch
life, and men in various occupations have
praised or blamed him for his work. 1t
may be little satisfaction to these I'M
solicited correspondents to learn that
Mr.. Brown pays little attention to their
letters. The particular Indifference OF
the author is given to newspaper re-
quests for information about himself. He
prefers to be let alone. IT happened,
however, that the editor of Saint An
drews,'' the official publication of the
Scotch. Established sGhurch was an old
friend of the author, and when the editor
insisted upon a sketch of the author S
life, the following reply was given:
''You ask for some details of my life.
IT'S clean sheet, sir; 1 have absolutely
no past. / am clothed with mine own
innocence as with garments Of exceed
ing brightness.
Il was born on the 26th January, 1869
/ have only the vaguest recollection of
that happy morn. But tradition hath it
that | gave a particularly vigorous
squawk when first l set eyes upon the
beauteous world.
II was cherubic child, and thereby
hangs a tale. Returning to my native
village afte 2 long absence. l was met
by an aged croGe, who remembered,
when
Trailing clouds of glory did come
From my celestial home
Mercy upon u.s. she cried with the
engaging familiarity of the Scots peas
ant; can this be Geordie?' l grinned an
assent with my usual modesty.
Eth, me- she said in sad reminis-
oence; feh me. you were a Draw wee
boy. but Gade kens you're anything but
thot now
That's not the only gag that has been
worked off at my personal appearance.
happened to meet Froude, the historian,
once in the house of an Oxford Don. It's
astonishing. he said to me, it's aston
ishing! You're the living image of my
dear friend. the late John Conington.'
II said l was glad to hear l was so
like the great authority on Virgil. For
moment the old mans thoughts seem
ed busy with the sacred past. Coming
ton he said dreamily, was the uglies
man l ever clapped an eye on
Il was pious child. l remember being
bribed with shilling to read Baxter's
Saints Everlasting Rest l often wish
ed the book in everlasting rest with it's
author. but l won the shilling.
The first thing l ever read on my
own account, however, was death and
DR.. Hornbook,' spelling it out by the
light of a great kitchen fire. l blunder-
ed at the word 'scythe, pronouncing it
SIXTH and wondering what on earth it
was. Ca it heuk and gang on, said a
grinning plowman. AS to reading in
general can read anything / ever came
across except Algebra, Elements of Logic
and the speeches of the late Mr. Glad
stone. For the rest. be they 'pome, tome
or rome Gas a friend of mine calls
, poetry, history and romance they are
equally acceptable to me. AS Charles
Lam says. Bless my stars for taste
so catholic, so unexcluding.
What other details can / give you?
In my green, unknowing youth l had al
ready injured my eyesight for examining
too closely with a lighted match the
properties of gun powder. 1t went off,
and I went up. both of us rather sud
denly. How long 1 pirouetted on the
summer of explosive flame Qike a berry
bestuck with pins at the end of pipe
stem when a boy blows through the
bowD, | can scarce remember. 1t SEEM
ed to me that 1 was projected consid-
cradle distance into the empyrean. What
/ do remember with most painful and dis
tinct recollection is that l came down
with tremendous bump on one end of
my body and very little skin on the other.
The powder had been stolen. and good
folks said it was judgment. / shall