The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-25
THE BIRTH OF THE WEST.
Emerson Hough and His story of the
Famous John Law.

Literary Bulletin.
Assuming ii to be true that we are all
interested in success, every man his own
first and after that his neighbours, then
any word about Emerson Hough and his
popular novel. THE Mississippi Bubble"
must be of the widest interest. For sue
cess is certainly Mr. Hough's
Ten years ago he began work on his
story of John Law. Last September he
sent the completed manuscript to his
publishers and the following April. under
the title of The Mississippi Bubble" the
book offered to the public Its recogni-
ton was prompt. the reviewers praised it
with enthusiasm that carried the con-
viction of sincerity TO the reading public
The book was bought. read. enjoyed and
recommended. In the June Bookman it
stood third in the list of the six best-selling
books in the United States In July it was
second and now the August issue of that
magazine has 1t at the head of the list
During the ten years in which THE Mis-
sissippi Bubble" was taking shape. Mr.
Hough spent eight hours day at his desk
earning the salaries paid him by the At
lantic Monthly and Forest and Stream
Outside office hours he write 1.-The Girl at
the Halfway House, THE Story of the
Cowboy THE Singing Mouse and in
Vulnerable articles on ell manner of sub
jects. All this time John Law was ever in
his thoughts and the romance to be built
around him was his chiefest interest and
concern OF course, Mr. Hough is pleased
that readers have found his story as fas-
cinating he found the raw material out
OF which he constructed il. Speaking of it
a few days ago he said: THE book is not
history but fiction. Many years ago Will
liam Harrison Ainsworth wrote a novel
called John Law but it not fiction, it
was history. Yet in my romance l have
mad at heart one great idea-the tremen-
dous impression the Mississippi valley must
have made on the early venturers: especial
~ the impression on John Law. the man
VINO was later to be much concerned with
It l have been asked why l brought him
to this country. Not to have brought him
here would have been TO kill the story
to tell simply what the encyclopedias
tell. As a matter of fact l can quite
America as any one can prove that he
did not. He stood in the virgin valley of
the Mississippi. he realized its greatness
and with prophetic eye he saw the promise
or the future. Then he returned To France
and told the Regent that here in his pos
sessions in the New World was the basis
have come TO this country II he did not
he certainly ought TO have come. How |
covet the experiences of those men who
saw the west at its BIRTH The West. that
Is the main thing. My effort was simply
10 arrange the essential facts of that
carry day In such way as TO offer the
most vivid and convincing picture of a
new world as 1t might have been at the
time in question. The failure TO chronicle
dates and duly marshal facts is not in nv
opinion fault but a virtue. The book has
a hundred faults, but this is not one of
them.
Mr. Hough Is a great lover of the West
as readers OF The Mississippi Bubble
must have guessed and a short cut 10 his
anectionate regard is 10 ask him. adroitly
where TO go for moose, what kind of
snow-shoes he wore the winter he took
the census OF the buffalo in the National
Park. Mr. Hough is loyal TO Chicago but
should his pen earn him a fortune il is
not likely that he could Withstand the allur-
ing voice OF the wilderness