The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-01-09
The sleeping Novelist OF Chicago,

The sleeping Novelist OF Chicago.
In Chicago, the home Of all the talents
and the nurse Of all the l~iteratures, a
novelist Of remarkable genius has lately
appeared. A poet Of the press calls
her g a slender girl with big brown eyes,
long brown hair falling over a brow OF
unusual pallor.' The unusual pallor,
the pale cast, Ia due to the fact that she
composes tales, novelties and novels
in her sleep. She is Miss EURETTA D..
METcALF, born in Elgin, ILL.,, and for
merly Of Kansas City, Kan. She went
to school for one year in the latter me-
tropolis. The education OF the h
Is not necessary TO a young woman OF
her accomplishments as a dreamer.
Put her to sleep and she will weave N
unravel plots, quote authors whom she
never heard Of, abound in Greek, Latin,
French, German and Italian, tongues
unknown TO her in Kansas City, Kan,
or her waking hours. A mighty con-
venient way Of acquiring languages.
Some Of this dream-talent must be
wasted, for the demands Of the story
writer in the matter Of quotation from
the ancient and modern languages are
not enormous The story need not be
written in English, but it should be
written in a speech more nearly re-
sembling English than Latin, Greek.
French, German and Italian. We
would undertake TO make Obiter dictum
and point de repere a sufficient quota
ton quota for a three-volume novel,
but other writer's may be less frugal.
Still, the dictionary Of quotations is
open TO all and il seems n waste OF dream
ing 10 dream quotations. But when
Miss METcALF has 10 describe a surgical
case, her gift is desirable. The surgical
lingo is Of the crabbedest. and the medi-
cal dictionaries are heavy. II must be
a comfort for the lay woman to be able
to dream a few hundred surgical and
medical terms when she wants EN-. 1t
is not necessary 10 dream the meaning,
as the reader will skip them in any event.
Still, they add dignity and authority
to the page. They seem to proclaim
the thoroughness Of the authors labors.
To dream Of technical terms Of any
sort must be a satisfaction and a saving
Of labor.
It should be understood that Miss
METCALP actually writes her stories
while she is asleep. She turns out ex-
oellent copy in her dream-state. Her
handwriting is better than when she is
awake. Usually the only erasures and
alterations that have TO be made are
ordered by the COMPOUNDED publishers,
who insist upon happy endings to her
stories, whereas most of her dream
endings are unhappy. Fortunately not
all. We take from the Chicago Neus
this summary, with specimens, Of her
latest story:
BE- Il tells Of . spn,e who has COM. from some
far OF land Of mlstiness TO discover whether woman
Is constant. lie slides down q oob~eb ladder aud
nnds himself on a stenographers dess IN . physi-
clans ornce. The doctor Is making love TO his
stenographer. a beautiful young Jewcss who Is
Abou, 10 accept rim for her husband, despite re-
ugious difference. when the ply sician's sister
brings In the gh 10 whom he had been engaged,
bit toward whom he has lately grown cold The
stenos spher. promising TO aid her nyM to tn
umph. writes o letter OF farewell and TIE sprte
goes back TO tell lis stoD io thr gods, and across
the blue INFINITE space bis voice fell with musical
cAdsno, through sitrD SiSes to distant ,tHN'
- Noman's hear Is the play ground OF pain Soman's
love a crown Of angelic gioU
Thr,s months later Niss BESSts nHsrvys,
reading the Sosisty news 70 hef SISTER Who Va
converting a bare frame into a modl.h Lat, "a
caln.sd Lister. iIIEl MArusd A. 81 Goofrts,
London. IT, FpwAHD A. rHuEs 10 Miss inuaHs
ssusT 18th ~ chicago IsaH poised ne
dainty creation 90 hu head -Io you uts No.
Sue asssa aulsily sno~ins the crimson p'pp.ss
ssnsfouSy leo, thsf ooloI 10 be- enssss'
% daughters 81 dreams and ~
Stories Miss MrTCALf has done
things In her Sleep much harder than
writing stories IT, Rockford last sum
mar she got zap Ia her sl..p and rode a
bicycle fof three mll-s Nov every
body and anybody oan wuts a novel
bat hoo fsv really good hl"yols ndrr.
there are Evidently Mics Mfr'AiF -
A dreamer ~ supat bower