The Washington times., 1903-08-30


published is to be found in The
Reader" which publishes an in
terview with this talented young Cali
fornian. Mr.. London's recent Klondike
book. The Call of the Wild" is likely to
establish itself at the head of the list
of best-selling books" before very long;
for although il is not better than some
other work he has done. it is more strik-
ing. and more likely to hit the popular
fancy. Those who read this book will
undoubtedly hunt up Children of the
Frost" THE Son Of the Wolf" and "a
Daughter of the SHOWS" and read them,
also: ana they will find some of the
best short-story work in American lit
erature in the collection called Chill
dren of the Frost" If Mr.. London
should never write another line OF nc
ton. these stories entitle him to be
counted among the men who have ar
rived.
He is twenty seven. years old, and has
been taking care of himself since he
was working on a California ranch at
the age of nine. He says of his own
life:
almost the first things I realized
we're responsibilities. I was wage
Garner as ranch hand long before l was
nine when nv mother moved to Oak
HOU After
that I went with the oyster pirates ana
salmon fishermen along the Sacramento
piver. Some of these men were Greeks
The life was eventful. but strange ana
hard: the men, some OF them, cut
throats The San Francisco water front
holds many phases of life and romance
and danger.
.After wear or two 1 shipped as
common sailor and went to Japan. When
I came back 1 entered cotton mill.
where l worked from in the morning
untiI II at night. I had been to school,
some and had written compositions
which had been praised-the usual
thing. you know.
zone day the san Francisco Call
offered three prizes for descriptive
writing. Ny mother wanted me TO try
and I did so. sending a Japanese Ty-
nhoon from actual experience, which
took first prize In my nlneteehll
wear I started in at high school, wen'
ono year. then had to leave. Having
no money I couldn't keep on AItel
awhile in three months examining oS
myself took the three years wort
for that time and entered the University
~ California as a freshman. But haC
no one to help me and was forced tC
omit at the end of half year This
was in IS. ] hated TO give up the nope
OF a university education. so uleO
more writing. This was the only time
when really worked because loved IT,
I got up early in the morning ana sal
Io,a al night. Well IN 81
STARTED for the Klondike, prospecting
had no intention OF writing 1 tooh
no notes. But it was there l found
myself. In the Klondike nobody talks
everybody thinks. You do your thirty
miles a day and our thoughts are at
work.
Life there is simple, elemental. You
get your true peTSpSSLlfS- 81 1880
l began to analyze. I had been there
a year. part of the time in Dawson,
although my headquarters camp was on
split-up Island. Stewart River. / was
going in for a second year and was at
Stewart River ten days waiting for the
river TO break up, but scurvy broke out
and the people were not allowed to &c
in.
81 came back to California in the fall.
facing the same old problem. AS have
told you. I was unsuccessful in my
search for work. Then I thought serious
" of trying writing. I didn't know how
to get a hearing. didn't know what an
editor looked like. There was no one
10 give me a tip. but l had at least
learned not TO gush- I knew my chance
lay in the East. I wrote and sent out
the nine stories afterward collected IN
The Son Of the Wolf Eight Of them
came back to me. l wouldn't have
known there were editors; not a personal