The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-26
NOTES AND GOSSIP.

General Lew Wallace, author of Ben
Hur," has been making one of his infre-
quent visits TO New York. Although a
veteran, not only of the Civil War, but of
the Mexican War, the General is stiIl hale
and in working trim, and performs a
stated amount of labor at his desk each
day. Besides the perennial success of
Ben Hur," of which the Harpers have
now printed Ito editions, General Wallace
has lived to enjoy the triumph Of the
drama made from his novel, which has
proved a shining example of the financial
possibilities of dramatic success.
His man-servant entered the studio.
''well?" said Whistler. Lady Somebody.
sir" said the servant (she was one of the
great ladies OF the British peerage).
Where is she?" 'Tn her carriage at the
door, SIR" Whistler took no further notice
Of his servitor, but resumed the reading
of his proof sheets to me, and the puzzled
footman, who was standing behind his
masters back and facing me, shook his
head slowly up and down, and-like Long
fellows Enthusiastically stole away
Thus the reading went on for quite ten
minutes longer, and the readers sole
auditor fidgeted more and more, till, real
izing how deadly cold it was on that
March day, I called out to him, II beg
your pardon, Mr.. Whistler. but I think I
overheard your servant telling you that a
lady was waiting to see you" "Oh, said
he, '1et her wait, let her wait-Tm rnobbed
with these peopler' Then he went on
reading for fully fifteen minutes more.
tfprr
I daresay) he condescended to go down
sairs and receive her shivering la6iyship
Frederick Keppler in the Reader Maya
zine for January.
Mark Twain is quoted. in Punch, as
| having said he fed to Italy to escape one
Of Punch's contributors, Mr.. II. w. Lucy,
Toby. n. P.,'' who has been in America
| recently. Mr.. Lucy thus explains the
cause Of Mark Twain's ALLEGED fight to
Europe: He and Twain once decided to
| collaborate in magazine to be called
1.-THE Obituary" Each was Ito write
obituaries of any OF his personal friends
who CHANGED TO be famous making all
| sorts OF accusations against them. They
| were then to submit proofs to the victims.
| intimating that unless large sums were
| published after the death Of the subjects.
So Mr.. Lucy. when he arranged to visit
America, wrote Mark Twain. complaining
that he had never received any proofs
from 1.-The Obituary" TO which his friend
replied that in its earning capacity 81 The
| Obituary is better for Twain than for
two.' and that he intended 10 escape his
dissatisfied partner by a trip to Italy.
Robert Dunn, who accompanied the re-
cent expedition up Mount Mckinley.
comes home with some very interesting
anecdotes OF the human side of expiora-
| ton. Mr.. Dunn is popular young Har-
ward graduate, who has done some ssril1-
ing magazine articles on outdoor life. He
is embodying his recent thrilling expert
erccs in a series of papers which viii APP
pear in Outing during the coming year
The first of tho series announced for the
January Outing will be a stirring narra-
tive of his thrilling experiences recorded
in the stress Of the moment. portyaying
the thing as 1t was. Its passions. hopes
and fears The series should be a notable
one.
The President Is an oTnnivorons reader.
At one turn of conversation he is reminded
OF passage in Homer" the next he is
expatiating on the history of 'sTittiebat
Titmouse." Contemporaneously with the
announcement of the rebellion in Panama.
deSterously exploited by the President and
his Secretary of State. John Hay, per-
sonalisy rs popular IN London as in wash.
ington. there was published in the States