The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-12-21
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that she was only in her eighteenth year
when she died, but for the effect which
her death had on Irving all the rest of
his life. 1t was months before he was
able to take up his work again, he never
mentioned her name afterwards as long
as he lived 1t is said that nearly thirty
years after her death he was at her
fathers house when a niece of Matildas
having been requested TO play for Mr..
Irving, in taking sheet of music from
a drawer. accidentally drew forth with
it a piece of embroidery. Washington, :"
said Mr.. Hoffman picking up the faded
relic, this is piece of poor Matildas
workmanship" 1.-THE effect says
Irvings biographer, was electric. He
had been conversing in the sprightliest
mood before, and he sunk at once into
utter silence, and in few moments got
up and left the house"
Not long ago one of the literary sup
plements hit upon plan of loading fifty
or more of the most popular authors on
the good ship Literature" which sailed
along the coast of Fiction and was
wrecked on the island of Reproduction.
The Novel Trust had paid the expenses
OF the voyage, but no books were taken
along, save vest pocket editions of the
Bible and of Shakespeare. AS soon as
the wrecked party had established their
camp they set up wireless telegraph COM
munication with New York and by Mar
conigean reply each one learned that
any two books he might choose would
be sent him. John Tabb sent for the
driest book SO that he might make
raft; Hamlin Garland wanted diction-
airy; Kirk Munro asked for Robinson
Crusoe and Stevenson's Treasure Island,
because of their local color; Henry Van
Dyke desired only a cook book and
Boys Handy Book. Perhaps. the happiest
request was that of Ernest Seton, who
asked for "A Woman Tenderfoot," be-
cause she was his wife.
A beacon biography of Importance is
that of John James Audubon, by John
Burroughs, recently published. Audubon
was not only great wanderer, great
ornithologist, but he was also in sense,
one of our first deluxe publishers. He
was nine years bringing out his master
piece, Birds of North America" No
publishing house would undertake the
task, So undaunted, Audubon took UP the
matter himself. More than one hundred
thousand dollars We're expended in the
enterprise and when he began, the au-
thor had scarcely a dollar OF his own.
With infinite patience, Audubon worked
at his drawings and writing. He sought
rhe subscribers and it was not easy sew
cnty years ago TO find enough men to
pledge 81 900 each for set of pictures
of birds. AS John Burroughs says. few
enterprises involving such labor and ex-
pense have ever been carried through
against such odds.
One of the amusing incidents of the
task, writes Mr.. Burroughs, is Audubon's
and his sons interview with the Baron
Rothschild, to whom he had letter of in
PRODUCTION from a distinguished Ameri-
can banking house. The Baron was not
present when they entered his private
office but "soon a corpulent man ap-
peared, hitching up his trousers, and a
face red with the exertion of walking, and
without noticing anyone present, dropped
his fat body into a comfortable chair, as
if caring for no one else in this wide
world but himself. While the Baron
sat, we stood, with our hats held re-
spectfully in our hands I stepped for
ward, and with bow rendered my Gre
dentials. Pray SIR said the man of gol-
den consequences, is this a letter of bust
ness, or is it mere letter of introduce
tiona' This / could not well answer, for
l had not read the contents of it, and
was forced to answer rather awkwardly,
that l could not tell. The banker then
opened the letter, read it with the man
ner of one who was looking only at the
temporal side of things, and after read
ing it said This is only letter of intro
duction, and 1 expect from it's contents
that You are the publisher of some book
or other and need my subscription
Had a man the size of mountain