The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-11-30
al Peminiscence y
of Charles Dickens.

es~'~-0>NON~~ ~>-~~N~~| ~~>N~N~N~R
! Ihe Kansas City Star publishes this interview
with man who knew Dickens
| The world lost a good actor when Charles
/ Dickens turned his attention to literature" said
I Dnele John Thorpe. superintendent Of the re-
cent flower show, in his room at the Baltimore
hotel last week. The successful manager of
/ more than one hundred flower shows was getting
his trunk in order tor his return to Chicago, and
BLEAK House"
I'VE were friends" said Uncle John simply
and when he died ! mourned the same as II he
had been a brother. He had a strong prediction
Tor the stage, and had he engaged in that pro-
tesSion ] believe he would have achieved
great success"
! Uncle John" was bogn in England more than
1 siNty-hve years ago, In 1860 he was interested
1 IN the Paddock nurseries at Stratford.on- Avon,
I Shakespeares birthplace. He knows every foot
I OF the historic ground Of Stratford. and in his
time there was on terms Of close friendship with
men whose names are now know wherever Eng
/ lish is spoken
Dickens often came to Stratford," said Uncle
/ John and he never failed to pass the time Of
/ day with me. He was a creature of impulse. At
times he taeiturn 20 a degree almost uhbear-
able to those who did not know him well, and
then, the spell broken, he was the most com
panionable Of men and fairly dubbed over with
I
was pleasure to hear and when in the humor
for badnage no could cope with his wit
and irony. When / knew him best he was
perhaps, IS years old, He was at the zenith of
his popularity as writer. First one book
and then another delighted his readers, and he
became the literary lion of his day
y = =
Some critic has said that Dickens was spoiled
by the fattery and praise OF his admirers. Well,
that may be, but when ] was with him he was the
same big hearted fellow he was when, as a penny
a-liner, he fought for existence in London. Often,
when engaged on a new book, he would run
! down to Stratford and, as he said commune
| with nature. He loved flowers and that fact
! | think, the tie that bound us so closely to-
gether He saw copy in everything and every
| body. blade of grass was to him an nspira-
ton, beautiful flower poem, Jagged stick by
! the roadside a story. He was one of the most
! observant men l knew. II he saw white
/ feather in a sparrows wing he could, months
after tell one all about it, where he saw it and
under what circumstances. I well remember
walking with him about dusk one evening on the
outskirts OF Stratford, when our attention was
attracted TO a group IN field by a babys wall
| ing. Dickens surveyed the group calmly, the
meanwhile Ticking tuft OF grass with a cane,
which he was rarely without. When the wailing
ceased we resumed our walk and l listened 10
the most beautiful discourse ! have ever heard
| from the lips of man. His subject was Mother
hood and 1t seemed to me finer than anything his
! pen had traced Knowing him so we'll did not
interrupt him, and he gave his fancy free rein.
/ He terminated his talk with sigh, and for the
remainder of walk he silent He was
/ possessed by one of his moods. Some people,
when they him thus preoceupied said he was
a victim of melanchoa, but knew better. His
| great mind was at work planning a novel,
simple incident like the one | have related being
sufficient to set the machinery of his gray matter
| in motion"
when in a merry mood he was in the ncarna-
ton of fun" continued Uncle John" One
night he was the life OF party assembled in the
| Washington Irving room OF the Red Horse Inn
in Stratford. By the fireplace there was the
Washington Irving poker, Irving, during visit
TO Stratford, had occupied the and used the
/ poker to stir the FIRE. Well, no sooner had the
party entered the room than Dickens seized the
poker and using it baton, marked time while
everybody joined in singing He's Jolly Good
/ Fellow. In the party, besides Dickens and my
self, were Blackstone, Barry Sullivan, John Cath
cart, Mark Lemon, all actors Of fame Harrison
| Weir, a noted artist Marie Wilton, one Of the
great English actresses OF her time, and several
others whose names have slipped my memory. II
was after performance of The Merry Wives Of
! Windsor In the original Shakespeare theater, for
| a charitable purpose and which had been attend
ed by social swells from London Lamington,
! Warwick and Birmingham. Lemon was the Fall
! stan and blackstone the TGnlou OF lnC pay
and Dickens had been the proinpter. The task,
it appears, he did not view seriously, and several
times had switched cues 10 the great discontinue
| Of the actors. He enjoyed his work SO thorough
/ " that the actors could not bear malice, and
it was in recognition OF that fact that Dickens
led in singing He's Jolly Good Fellow
my myl" continued Uncle John" after few
moments reflection, what q night that was
! Well, I am not telling tales out of school, but
will venture the opinion that the Washington
! Irving room never before since afforded shelter
| to merrier or a more congenial dinner party.
! Dickens acted as POSTMASTER Every person al
the board had to respond when be gave the COM
mand, When my turn came | begged the in
diligence Of my hearers and proceeded TO tell
little story in which Dickens was the hero. He
disliked to have his personal affairs exploited and
! 7 knew it, so ] was not surprised when he raised
the Washington Irving poker and called for all
! 10 again join in singing He's Jolly Good Eel
/ low
That party lasted until it was time for me
| 10 say good morning 10 my flowers, and when
babe the party good bye Dickens was still singing.
| For almost ten years after that We were friends
! The last time I saw him he wore velvet
| jacket and a flowing tie, There were marks OF
| care on his face and there were many streaks OF
silver in his hair. His eyes too, had lost their
! uster Poor Dickens Like many other great
men, he had his failing But his LIES hook IS
closed and it is not for me TO reopen 1t and
! bid the world read its page of sorrow'
Uncle John" came to the United States IN
/ 1872 For 200 years his forefathers were garden
ers and before he was able to talk he showed bis
1 fondness for plants At 6s he is as rugged as the
English oak he loves so we'll Il was born" said
/ he within the shadow Of historic oak three
/ Il. ,Issa al Mt n d.