The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-27
THE WRITING FRATERNITY.

1t is stated that the price recently paid
to Mr.. Kipling for a short story of some
5000 words by an American firm for Amer
lean rights was no less than $500. This,
we should say. constituted a record. Times
have indeed changed since the days when
Longmans bought "Endymion" for el5,N
il that was the precise sum. That was con-
| sidered amazing at the time, but it Is moth
ing nowadays. Mr.. Barrie's price must be
almost as high as Mr.. Kipling's, and Sir
A. Conan Doyle is not far behind.
Elinor Glyn, author Of 1.-THE Visits of
Elizabeth" whose new book. THE Refec-
lions of Ambrosine,' has just been pub
lished, is Mrs. Clayton Glyn. a sister of
Lady Duff Gordon. Lady Gordon is one of
| the ~well-known titled English women who
have gone into trade. She conducts the
most successful d~ressmaking establishment
in London under the name of "Lucette."
Her sister, Mrs. Glyn, lives in Harlow, Es-
sex.
Miss Mary Johnston, author of ITO Have
and To Hold" has written a new romance,
entitled ''Sir Mortimer" which will begin
publication In Harper's Magazine next
May, following Mrs. Wards Lady Roses's
| Daughter The new story is a romance Of
the period of Queen Elizabeth. at whose
| court the heroine is a lady in waiting.
/ /
Besides giving orders as announced in
this column last week that his remains are
10 be buried in Russian soil, Count Leo
| Tolstoi has Just decided that his latest
novel shall not be published until after
his death. Tolstoi's original intention was
that his new book, which is named Chad
chi Murat.' should first see the light in a
popular edition. and has vouchsafed no rea-
son for his change of plans.
I
At a dinner given by the late Harold
Frederics in London some years ago. an
incident occurred that has never found its
way into print, says a literary bulletin.
| The guests, ~twenty-four in number, were
all prominent authors, and 1t was suggested
by one of them that each man write down
the name of his favorite novel, and that
the votes be read aloud to determine what
promised to be an interesting result. 1t
| proved both interesting and remarkable. for
Of the twenty-four ballots cast twenty-five
were found to be in favor Of Charles
Reade's 'The Cloister and the Hearth.
I
The London Mail says: 1T is possible that
| the account of London in the eighteenth
century, which Sir Walter Besant had COM
pleted before he died, is the last book Of
his which We shall have. Sir Walter had
been for years at work on his great scheme
of a survey of London. which was to do
for modern London what Stow did for
-@~ -..-,v
hands employed on the work. and indefatig-
able laborers tramped the town street by
street.; for it was Besant's idea to go over
every foot carefully and individually. and
not trust to maps. Thus when he died a
vast amount of material had been collected.
What is to become Of it? We assume that
the promised book is what Besant had COM
| pleted himself. But is the labor to be
| thrown away? Or will some one step into
the breach and finish the work? We hope
So"
Robert Barr. author of 1.-The victors.''
has decided to combine once more the work
of an editor with that of a novelist. and
has bought a magazine. This is none other
than the Idler, made famous by Mr.. Barr
and Jerome X. Jerome years ago when
the first work of authors like Anthony
Hope and Jerome himself made the pages
OF the magazine sparkling and welcome.
AS some one has said. first Mr.. Barr left
1t. and then Mr.. Jerome left it-and then
a public left 1t TO a considerable extent .
but there can be little doubt OF the return
OF the public after the return of Mr.. Barr.
!
Emerson Hough pays his compliments to
the historical novelist after this fashion:
Its a phrase l resent" he says, "and the
much-abused term was unknown when i
began The Mississippi Bubble Besides,
my book is history. not the jingle jangle
of twenty-four hours sword play, the his
! tory Of an epoch which passes up the great