The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-03-02

year 1882 found him on shore out of
work. pennifess, and with a wife and
child to support. If the baby was
plump, the parents were well-nigh
starvingS when he obtained a post as
computer Ca sort Of a junior clerk In
the meteorological office and thought
himself a Rothschild. But as the
years rolled by his culver filed, and
his salary of 32 week seemed less
princely than at the first flush. Little
mouths wanted food, little feet reQulr-
ed to be shod, and he was at his wits
end how to supplement his income.
Fer long time it never occurred to
him to write-it seldom does to the
men who have seen life without the
varnish-but the fore ordained came to
pass, and he commenced writing. In
three years he made under 6 40 and
felt himself a CHASTITY failure. Then
he sent an article to the Cornhill, that
was printed, and Mr.. st. Loe Strachey
became his literary father; but it was
not until the Cruise of the Cacha-
lot'' was published In 1899 that he
emerged from the gloomy wood OF pow
erty onto the smiling, sunlit plain Of
success.
The unknown drudge of the meteoro-
logical office suddenly found himself
the object Of the outspoken admiration
of men like Kipling and the most ia
nous critics Of the day. But he had
little heart to enjoy his laurels, for
with him was the gnawing memory OF
the beloved boy-his youngest boy
who had died on the very day that the
"Cachalot' was accepted by Smith, Ell
der & Co.
Since then he has steadily advanced
with the "Idylls of the Sea''-which
someone wittily calls "The Loves OF
the Whales"-"The Log of a Sea Wait"
with Christ at Sea-" and series of
his other books down to his latest,
"A Whaleman's Wife," too long to
comment upon here Let Us see how he
looks in the plentitude of his success
Long years of bitterness, suffering
and p1ivation have not failed to leave
their imprint. He can be as jolly as
sand-boy, but in repose his face is
very sad and careworn. Physically he
is a man of inconsideTable build-al
though 1 should be sorry for the 'hooli-
gam who took him on''-with black
hair and beard, heavily shot with gray,
a prominent nose and particularly fine.
keen brown eyes. On the whole a
trifle Satanic locking, though he comes
of Dorset stock.
From the above there is obviously
no physical resemblance between him
and the red torpedo bearded, truculent
little ruffian of Cutcliffe Hyne's ro-
tai affinity. Bullen lacks Capt. Ket-
ties ferocity and punctillo, but, like
him he is a man of his hands," has
the same strong vein of religious feel
ing-if he does not proselytize with
six shooter-and the same taste for
weird music. Capt. Kettle found So
lace, if his audience did not, in the
cOncertina, and a concertina and a
gramaphOne are amongst Bullen's play
things. One may add that at one time
he was a strenuous open-air preach
er.
Accustomed from carly youth to Sc
we're toll, he gets through a wonderful
amount Of work. Five thousand words
a day written in an exquisitely neat
and legible hand-for he has always
taken a physical joy in the mere act
of writlng-is nothing to him, and for
the last three years he has been very
busy lecturing, with great success. He
is only forty-six, although he has
achieved much in q short time who
shall say what he. may yet do in the
future.-London Correspondence New
York Commercial. ia.