The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-05-24

an interesting romance. A famous au-
thor who has written himself, but
whose work is still in great demand,
goes to the office OF the girl of ideas
to write her up" He goes away con-
verified and with an idea for story
which he uses in a tale which proves
to be his most successful. 1t happens
that the girl of ideas has already sold
the same plot to a newspaper editor
out in Arizona, and the famous author
is attacked on all sides for plagiarism.
In her efforts to save the good name
of the famous author, the girl of ideas
falls in love with him, a feeling which
the author has already entertained for
the girl, and the story, naturally, ends
happily.
For at least one reason the publishers
should cultivate Miss Flint. She has
suggested, in the course of her story,
scores of very attractive titles for nov
els. Miss Flint, like her heroine, must
have a capital of imagination which
would be valuable to any publishing
house.
Ralph Henry Barbour, whose novel
THE Land of JOY" promises to be one
of the most popular of the summer
books, although only thirty-two years
man and author. Few know
him as Richard Stillman Powell, but
that is the name which he has been
contributing to the magazines for sew
erai years under. Mr.. Barbour began
writ 1g for a Boston newspaper and
after six months he was discharged for
having allowed himself to be "scooped"
on a story. He drifted to Colorado,
where he was employed on Denver pa
pers, his last task in that city being
that of literary editor and cartoonist.
After that he worked on Chicago and
Philadelphia papers until two years
ago, when he returned to Cambridge
and devoted his entire time to writing.
THE Land of Joy" is Mr.. Barbour's
first grown novel. his four other books
having been long stories for boys. In
the new story, however, Mr.. Barbour
will capture a larger audience. The
scene of most of the story is Leesburg,
Va, very quiet old town whose claim
on future fame rests on the fact that
for forty-eight hours, it was the seat
of the United States government. When
Washington was invaded by the Brit
ish during the War of 1872, the archives
of the government were secretly re-
moved to Leesburg, twenty-five miles
away, and deposited in O. vault there.
A meeting of the cabinet was held i'll
the little town during this time, so that
the place was actually the seat of gov
eminent for short time.
Miss Josephine Dodge Daskam, or
Josephine Daskam, as she now prefers
to be called-evidently a preparation
for a new surname, is one of the most
clever of our younger writers. Not
long ago we thought her field was linn
tied to stories of children, but her re-
cent verse and articles show that she
has ability to hit off the follies and
weaknesses of grown people. A deep
current of good common sense under
lies her work. Her last bit of Omar
for Ladies contains the following:
Myself, when slim, did eagerly fire.
Quent
Delsarte and Ling, and heard great
Argument
OF muscles trained to Hold me up; but
Spent on my Modiste what I'd al
ways spent!
with Walking Clubs I did the best I
could:
With my own Feet tramped my Ten
Miles, good;
And this was All that I got out of it
1 ate much more for Dinner than I
should"
A Berlin newspaper has recently
made an interesting canvass of it's
readers for the purpose of discover
ing their opinions as to the ten great
est of living men. 1t is gratifying to
the profession of writing that liter
allure takes precedence, Tolstoi leading
with SOP votes, followed by Mommsen,
the historian, with 496 votes. Ibsen
comes fourth in the list with AIS votes,
the third place being given to the
young Italian genius in science, Gug-
lielino Marconi Gorky received 100
votes; Mark Twain, but one. The
Germans evidently do not read our
genial prince of humorists.
The following is a "Sketchy Inter-
view" with Mr.. H. G. Wells, by
Punch:
ION our pressing the electric button
the door was opened by well-trained
Marian, who in answer to our ques-
ton hooted politely that Mr.. Wells
was out on his Aeroplane, superin-
tending the. flying drill of the Sand
gate Highlanders. and was, for the
time being, an invisible man, but that
he was expected in any moment.
While he was speaking a whirring
noise was heard overhead, and Mr..
Wells swooped to earth. Divesting
himself of his celluloid cloak, studded
with plasmon buttons, Mr.. Wells, on
demanding and receiving our assur-
ance that we belonged to the middle
classes, ushered us into his sanctuTn.
We experienced considerable difficulty
in keeping our feet, owing to the cur
vature of the floor-Mr. Wells adopts
this system to prevent the collection
of dust-but finally succeeded in
anchoring ourselves to a salenite pa
perweight, while our host settled him
self comfortably in the cushioned seats
of his Time Machine and began to
talk"
The reporter left the house by way
of a moving staircase and came to
practitioner"