The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-26
WRITES HER NOVEL
IN SPITE OF FATE
Mary Johnston's Sir Mortimer
Is Completed in Defiance
of Her Illness.

Miss Mary Johnston's romance, "Sir
Mortimer which, after a long post
ponement, begins in Harper's Magazine
for November, has been written I'M
der unusual circumstances. The story
was to have commenced publication in
May, 1902, and the first instruments
had been placed in the hands of the
artist, Mr.. F. c. Yohn, for illustration.
Just at this time Miss Johnston fell
Ill, and was unable to continue the
work. MeSsers. Harper & Brothers
then announced the necessary post
ponement of the novel. Meanwhile
Miss Johnston had been ordered to
Bermuda by her physician and, as
soon as she was permitted to write for
an hour each day, pluckily resumed
her work, expending, as is her custom,
the most minute care upon her writing,
until every paragraph received its due
polish. Not content with the usual
work of revision, however, it is re-
markable under the circumstances
that Miss Johnston has completely re-
written many pages of the revised
proofs, so anxious has she been TO
make "Sir Mortimer" her greatest nov
el. Evidence of this careful work is
quite apparent in the November in
stalment which is not only exquisite in
diction, but has more of the natural
spirit of the language of Queen Eliza
ian language-than almost any modern
work that comes to mind. The heroine
is a lady-inwaiting upon Elizabeth;
the hero, Sir Mortimer, an officer in
her majesty's fleet, commanded by Sir
John Nevil. 1t is interesting to con-
lecture what rows of volumes Miss
Johnston must have read and absorb
ed to enable her so richly to preserve
the very aroma of the romantic times
of which she writes. She is now in
Richmond, recovered and again busily
at work.
Mark Twain so seldom goes out of
his way to commend a current book
that any opinion he expresses is in
evitably Of interest Il wish to thank
you particularly" he writes to Harper
& Brothers, for the volume III. of
Poultney Bigelow's German History.
have not seen the other Volumes but
I find this one thoroughly interesting.
I am not aware that there is another
German history that can be charged
with having that quality" In which
last statement Mr.. Clemens is in ac-
cord with the author, who, referring
Ia his PREDATORY remarks to the wheel
barrow loads of German history he has
had to read, eXclaims: THAT sort of
history is Immediately useful, and i
cannot do without it. But may. merci-
full Providence protect me from having
10 TedQ 1t d SECOND
Hawthorne and His Circle" is the
title of Julian Hawthorne's important
volume of "reminiscences of his father
and his fathers friends, which the
Harpers have just published. The book
relates chiefly to the personal side of
the greatest American writer of ro-
mance-his domestic ways, and his re-
lations to his family and his friends,
who numbered many of his illustrious
compatriots, both American and Eng
lish. For the writing of such a work
none could be so we'll fitted as his son.
In addition to this peculiar fitness,
Julian Hawthorne has himself been
prolific writer; about thirty volumes
of fiction bear his name, and he has
written history of Oregon, a history
of the United States, a manual of
American literature, a biography of his
father and mother, a biograph of Ha-
zen S. Pingree, and volume of Con
feSsions and Criticisms" Besides these,
he has contributed largely to journal
ism, as special commissioner of news
papers and magazines, and as literary
critic of the London Spectator, the
London Examiner, the Pail Mall Ga
zette, and of several American papers.
He is likewise the author of about a
hundred short stories, which have
never been collected in book form AL
together, it would be within the mark
to estimate his total works as equiva-
lent to over sixty octave volumes.
The Senator's Sweetheart-By Rosseter
Willard. The Grafton Press, New York
For sale by st. Paul Book and Station
cry company.
A curious odge-podge of a book is
this with no literary value and inter-
esting only to st. Paul because the first
part of the scene is laid in this city
oh
Anthony. 1t tells the life story of
Malcolm Chester, very beautiful and
innocent country maiden, descended
from Scottish kings, who awakens love
In the heart of a rising young lawyer
in St Anthony. The young lawyer is
unfortunately married, but to a woman
not his equal and one who gives him so
much trouble that he at last divorces
her. The lawyer-Mr. Cushman-is
also addicted to drink and cards, but
after he marries the beautiful, inno-
cent girl she reforms him and inspires
him with noble enthusiasm for the best
and highest in life. Mrs Cushman is
ostracized by ST. Anthony society and
this puzzles her very much. Her
beauty makes the women madly jeal-
Gus of her. Later on when Mrs. Cush-
man returns from Washington as the
wife of the first senator in the land,
the women Of ST. Anthony call and
fawn upon her, but she lets them
know that gulf has been dug between
them which they can never hope to
cross. The life of Mrs. Cushman in
Washington is painted as that of the
most popular woman in the United
States; indeed If we may believe the
book there never was woman quite
the equal of Mrs. Cushman, in beauty.
intelligence, ability, fascination and
brain. She stands quite alone she
made her husband, and his fine position.
was entirely owing to her tremendous
ability. With his dying words he