Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-11-14

give the middle Of the table twirl and
swing around next TO himself the tidhit
he wanted. We are not told whether
this unique table was Miss Alices in
Ventlon or not.
The pleasantest picture IN Alice He
CAMS life Is that cabin in the Kentucky
woods. The girl had the happy child
hood which Is the just heritage OF all
but which, alas falls to so few. Where
one does have 1t 1t gllds the whole after
life with Joy.
Friends and acqualntances e Mrs.
Hogan Rice In Louisville have 1urnish-
ed some pleasant new Information In
regard to her and her only original Mrs.
Wigs. 1t is known, Of course, that the
louisville cabbage patch is a real
locality; that Mrs. Wigs herself is a
real parsonage whose actual name Is
something else. The real Mrs. Wigs
used to send her little girl to the He
gans and to one OF their nelghbors for
the left over food Of the families. one
day the actual Mrs. Wigs said to Miss
Aice's friend;
Miss Blank, | would rather have
your coffee grounds than any coftee
would buy for yours Is fine to start
with, and mine starts poor"
With such constant foundation of
originality TO draw from, no wonder the
exquisite art of Miss Hogan could work
out book that sells by the hundred
thousand. II Is to be recorded In pass
ing that the delicate and unique com-
pllment TO Miss Blanks coffee grounds
bore timely fruit in the addition oc-
casionally OF a handful OF freshly
ground coffee TO the dregs Of the
Blanks breakfast drink.
Miss Hogan and her friends became
more and more lnterestd In the cab
bdge patch folk, In their homely phi-
losophy. their quaint sayings, At last
one of these friends suggested that Miss
Alice make the cabbage patch and it's
people into a story. The young lady
had been writing for publication to
some extent historical and other
sketches, so she was not altogether
novice. The cabbage patch itself Is,
strangely enough, less than half mile
| distant from the fashionable quarter
| OF Louisville. The suggestion to write
book about II and the Wiggses
struck Miss Hogan favorably. She
wrote her little tale bubblng over with
| good natured humor and sent II to a
| magazine. II Is rare indeed that first
| story is accepted by the first publisher
! TO whom IL IL sent. Miss Hogan had
| this rare good fortune,
The book appeared and the reading
world was delighted. There was, how
ever. Just one family not pleased. and
that was the now immortal Wiggses
themselves Their nelghbors recognized
them: they recognized themselves in
the rolllclIing story. Tourists In Louis
VILE and I,ouisvilians themselves who
knew not the cabbage patch, thronged
thlther in droyes to identify and stare
at the house with two front doors and
roof made of old tin cans, like klon-
dixie stovepipe. Mrs. Wigs herself was
often to be seen on the veranda as she
gazed across the railroad tracks or at
the great freight trains
Mrs. Wigs became an object OF espe-
cal interest, and she did not like It.
Ry the time the merry little book be-
came generally known some of Mrs
Wigs children were nearly grown
and no more did they like 1t. one OF
two of the family became so belligerent
that the threat was even made of shoot
Ing into some of the crowds of people
who came to stare at the Wlggses and
their house They objected strenuously
TO being put into a book" The gener-
osIty OF Mrs. Hogan Rice has, however
compensated Mrs. Wigs herself in q
substantial way for the fame which has
been thrust unwelcome upon that good
dame,
'rho day after the first theatrical
production OF Mrs. Wigs In Louis
vile the actors in the play-two car
rlage loads OF them-drove to the He
gan home and begged the author tC
take them I'm a body to see the cabbage
patch, but she dared not brave the
wrath OF the real Wiggses by so doing
And Mrs. Rices own mother declares
she wishes Alice had never written &
book. She has scarcely seen her daugh
ter for year. for the public will no
let that daughter alone a minute. Blu
this Ia fame.
ALICE w. MORTIMER.