The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-06-12
GENIUS MARY MAcLANE
Life Story of Montana's Self
Avowed Wonder.
VALUES HERSELF AT SIX CENTS

Loves Devils and Admits She Is a.
Liar Was Educated In a High
school.
Mary Elizabeth MacLane Of Butte.
Mon. author of 1.-THE Story of Mary
MacLane," is very ordinary young
woman as far as her home life is con
cerned She has a cold face, but she
herself is authority for the statement
that she has a warm heart She lives
with her mother on Excelsior avenue,
on the west side OF Butte. and is about
twenty-one years of age.
She was at work in her mothers
kitchen when the correspondent of the
New York World called on her the 9TH
er day and asked her to talk about her
book and the fame it promised her.
Miss MacLane is a most erratic
young woman. For several years she
has amused her friends in the neigh
borhood in which she lived by per.
formances that have made some PEG
pie call her queer"
Are you a gentleman" she asked
the correspondent. Il hate gentle
man. she added without waiting for
a reply. 81 once knew a newspaper
man who was very nice externally.
but back of his eyes was the devil
Il love devils
To lady present she said. Are the
tails of your boa real?' Being assured
that they were not the real thing, she
said she was so glad, because she hat
ed real things as she hated perfect
ladies'
II am a genius" she said. land be-
sides am delightfully."- original. charm
ingly refreshing and astonishingly
vain"
Miss MacLane said she was a liar,
plunger. philosopher and the most
unhappy and contemptuous person liv-
ing, because she was a genius and peO-
pie could not understand her
What does your mother say about
your the young authoress was asked
during the conversation.
''Oh. she says. Mary. it is time to get
the potatoes.
"As l have said. want fame.
want to write such things as compel
the admiring reclamation of the world
at large, such things as are written but
once in years. things subtle. but dis
tinctly different from the books writ
ten every day. can do this. Let me
but make beginning Let me but
strike the world in a Vulnerable spot.
and 1 can take it by storm Let me
but win my spurs. and then, good peo-
pie, you will see me. of womankind and
young. valiantly astride charger rid
ing down the world, with fame follow
ing at the chargers heels and the null
titudes agape.
"But. oh. more chan this, l want to
be happy! Fame is indeed beautiful
and benign and gentle and satisfying.
but happiness is something at once
tender and brilliant beyond all things.
/ want fame more than can tell, but
more than want fame want happi-
ness"
How like woman the listener ex-
claims.
What do I care for your opinion?
You don't interest me in the least"
says the genius, looking up. immovable
as a sphinx, while the cool, decisive
voice reiterates: ''You don't interest me
in the least don't like you either
You don't understand ne at ALL How
can you, for | am a genius"
Miss MacLane said she had always
valued herself at cents, but now she
ought to be worth at least s cents
Her favorite authors have been Marie
Louise Pool, Victor Hugo, ]. T. Trow-
bridge, Albert Ross and Carlyle
ST value Ross at 2 cents and Hugo at
$2.65," she said.
Eugene Field and Edgar Allan Poe
are her favorite poets.
This is her Town brief story of her
life as she has set down in the por-
ttrayal:
Il was born in 1881 at Winnipeg
Manitoba, and whether Winnipeg will
yet live to be proud of that fact is a
matter of some conjecture. When
was three years old. was taken with
my family to a little town in western
Minnesota, where 1 lived a more or
less vapid and ordinary life until
was ten.
I'VE came then to Montana. where
the aforesaid life was continued. l
am purely Of the MacLane bbUd,
which is highland Scotch These par
dcular MacLanes whose blood is high
land Scotch are just a little different
from every family in Canada. The
family contains and has contained IA
natics of many minds, religious. So
cial and what not, and l am a true
MacLane.
There are great many MacLanes.
but there usually is only one real Mac
Lane in each generation. There is but
one who feels again the passionate
spirit Of the clan. those barbaric dwell
ers of the bleak and well beloved high
lands Of Scotland. I am the real Mac
Lane Of my generation. The real Mac
Lane in these later centuries is always
ruop1an