The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-05
TORIES
OF THE
T Q w N

girl with the black eyes and the pompadour
hair, speaking with slight Southern ac-
cent. She addressed the man across the
table, who had argued the point with her.
The company of Indianapolis people who
had sat down for a o'clock Sunday dinner
were discussing the books that people are
reading these autumn days. The girl with
the black eyes and the pompadour hair
is business woman, and when she reads
she does it in the most practical way. She
is as cold-blooded about the book she reads
she is about the millinery she sells every
day. The man opposite her was lawyer
sentimental young fellow whose face has
not yet taken on the lines OF cynicism.
They were talking about THE One
Woman Thomas Dixons latest story.
which might be called problem tale"
One of the men said il was absolutely i'm
moral and one of the women defended it,
Il think the character of Ruth Gordon is
"a glorious one," said the sentimental young
lawyer, addressing the black-eyed business
woman. Its too bad there are not more
women in the world just like her." The
business woman had read 1.-The One
Woman and she had her cold-blooded
views. Il think she was fool" she de-
clared, land that sort or creature is only
found in novels. You don't find them in
waiting five years for man to grow tired
of somebody else and come back to me. 1
guess not
Have any of you read James Lane AL
lens latest story?' timidiy inquired the
plump little bionde girl with the baby stare,
who was at the end of the table. She
teaches school but she does not measure
thlngS In the practical buSineSS-like way of
other women. No one at the table had read
Aliens story, but the mention of his name
turned the conversation to The Choir In
visible. One of the men told pretty lit
tie story of how James Lane Allen first
wrote John Gray but people were too
stupid To discover that Gray was in love
with the majors WIFE, and that after the
death OF the major she had u secret affec-
ton for young Gray. People would not
could not Understand these fine sentiments
and Allen, determined to make the public
know, wrote The Choir Invisible" In
tins he made his meaning plain. Il didn't
ike tnat woman, said the little blond girl,
because L always felt that if L had been
In her place L would probably have acted
the same way. My view of story writing is
mat the men and women ought to do some
thing a little different from the average
run or people. L see enough of everyday
people and the commonplace in life-in the
schoolroom for instance. When 1 read a
book L like to read about people who do
things Inherently from the way l would
do them.
well, you ought to be very fond of
Becky Sharp, said young man, a COM
mercial traveller, somewhat fiippantly, in
tending compliment for the girl. The
mention of this extraordinary character of
classic fiction started hot argument. The
women all hated her and when one man
told the story of how the New York Sun
sized up Miss Sharp's popularity, there were
shrugs of disgust and contemptous and
cutting comments that must have made
little Becky's ears burn had she lived i'm
this day and heard what was said. The
story of the New York papers scheme was
interesting. a few years ago the Sun de-
string TO ind out what sort of fiction the
New York men were reading and at the
same time ascertain who their popular
heroine might be, put this sort of a prop
osition: Had you the opportunity of taking
out to dinner a feminine character i'm
American and English fiction who would
you choose? In week the Sun had re-
ceived Il load of replies to the query, and
two-thirds OF those who answered said,
Becky Sharp
Isn't that man all over" snapped an
unmarried woman of uncertain age VINO had
been listening. and all the women agreed
that the conduct of those who had replied
to the inquiry of the New York paper was
decidedly mannish
One young woman i'm the party who is
employed at the city library, said that In
dianapolis people are getting more exclu-
Siye in their literary tastes every year, and
that now the reading people of this city are
asking for the best there is i'm fiction. 1--WE
been in the library good many years."
she declared, land 1 can see a great differ
ence. When i first went there used to
get requests every day for something that
Laura Jean Libby wrote, and others i'm
that line. Since 4 can remember none of
this authors stories has ever occupied a
place on the shelves of Indianapolis pub
lie library" man at the table backed-u
the library girl in her statement that In
dianapoliS people reading the best class
of literature. Recently he made a trip
through the Statehouse and had occasion to
visit number of state offices. In one office
he found three or four girls with novels be-
fore them. Curious to know what they
were reading he asked the titles of the
stories. One was reading Lady Roses
Daughter" another Under the Rose and
third was perusing one of the higher class
magazines. THE young lady who has just
gone out has been reading her Bible" ex-
planned the chief clerk. another office
the young man found stenographer read
ing knights in Fustian, and she was
trying TO borrow 1.-The Main Chance"
The after-dinner talk at length resolved
itself into argument as TO whether novel
reading is the thing for the public. and one
of the guests quoted Professor Dana, who
addressed the Library Association the other
night and put himself on record as favoring
plenty of fiction This is the way ii
strikes me- said the library girl. I'VE
people at the library feel that every gooG
novelist these days has a message for the
stories YOU gain something by it. Before |
slightest intelligent notion regarding stocks.
| read the story. and while l didn't feel
that | could go on the market and deal in
rubber consols. l knew a lot more than /
did before. And there's The Pit for the
people who have no idea of the Chicago
wheat exchange" The company adjourned
with the blacK-eyed girl and the man op-
posite her still fussing about The Only
Woman.