The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-11-15

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
Somewhere, som time. a critic said:
Miss Julia Magruder is too good a talker
to be a first-rate writer"
This tribute. certainly ~left-handed, and
Vpossibly bittersweet to Miss Magruder,
9s brought wildly to the recollection as
one sits IN hat lady's drawing-room and
listens TO her running fire of comment on
men and manners. for the colIoquial charm
Of Miss Magruder is u~ndeniable.
Opinion may be divided as to her claims,
thus far. as a novelist of distinction,
though 20 high an authority as the Lon
don Saturday Review declares her right
TO be included In the scanty handful Of
competent American noveIists," but there
can be no controversy as to her being pre-
eminently an entertaining taIker and a
ready raconteuf.
The author of Princess Sonia and a
half score other novels toasts her slip
pered feet before an open wood fire.
She sits in a quaint, old brown leather
chair tina once belonged to Thomas JEFF
ferson, n in which, It's present owner
declares, ehe likes to believe he wrote the
first draft Of the Declaration Of Independ-
ence.
The mantel shelf IL covered with the
[ photos Of literary friends. English and
American, and ensconced in the place Of
honor in the chimney corner is a tiny
etching Of Charlotte Bronte's head VISA
Wis with that Of N. Heser. said to be the
only man whom she ever loved. and lying
etween h two dim faces. framed un-
der me glass, . soft brown curl Of Char.
lotte Bronte's hair.
Through the windows OF the drawing.
room, looking out upon Columbia road in
the sunshine OF real Presidents weather.
flashes q pageant Of ~broughams and open
victorias. laden with smartiy dressed folk
on their way to . wedding at Chevy Chase.
Indeed. It seemed that all fashionable
Washington wss rolling past Miss Ma
gruder's handsome little house, with Its
white stucco facade and its red tile roof
all that fashionable Washington that Miss
Magruder has 50 wildly portrayed in its
innumerahIe Kaleidoscope phases of man
ners and customs and social prejudices.
PASSING PAGEANT SUGGESTED
SOME OF HER SKETCHES.
The passing pageant particularly sug-
gested in an indefinAble way some of the
incidents sketched by Miss Magruder in
her very first book n warranted my re-
mark that social n sectional prejudices
between the North n the South had been
gradually obliterating themselves since
the appearance Of Across the Chasm."
Yes, I think so," Miss Magruder replied
slowly, casing into thu blazing logs. "A,
least 1 hope 90"
"You are not 30 confident about the mat.
ter as most people,"
NO. perhaps not. but I try to be more
certain" she said, looking UP n smiling
THE bridge has been building for some
chasm is still there.
perhaps not 20 deep q chasm, but still
a chasm."
please explain"
Miss Magruder laughed and shook back
a fringed sleeve that disclosed q graceful
wrist and beautiful hand.
Certainly anything but q bluestockine
looked this young Southern woman of tn,
merry gray eyes in her long black princes
gown.
There 10 80 much to explain-so man,
things. II the FIRST place. the people them
selves are 30 essentially different.
They look at things In such different
lights and from 20 widely divergent points
of view"
Julia Magruder shrugged her shoulders
I and dropped q very determined chin Int
her shapely hands.
In voice, manners, anne ~parentage ant
birthplace she Is distinctly q soutnerner
Daughter Of the late Allan Bowie Ma
gruder OF Charlottesville. Va: niece o
that dashing ofacer Of iamented memory
John Bankhead Nagruder, OF the Unitet
States and Confederate armies. well known
in England and America under the nam,
of Prince John; closely allied by blood an,
by the i~ntricacass Of friendly relationehil
with half the r. =. VS. in the socia
register. one would naturally expect to nns
the author Of ACROSS the Chasm' no
only steeped ana dyed with every pc
preJudice Of the South. but proud ant
rlorifying In those prejudices.
PROUD OF HER
SOUTHERN ANCESTRY.
yes. 1 am Q southerner." she said
slowly. and I am very proud that I am
Goutherner. But I am also a free and in
dependent American citizen"
You think the southerner is usually
southernee first and An American after
4 wards; that he puts section and patriot
Ism bsfors the nAtionsl feeling?'
Miss lfasruder hesitated n looked un
certainly into the 6re.
No. / would hardly say that" she re
turned. ut is too strong . way Of put
ttngs'-she looked ~appealingly at Char
Set4e jnrsntss picture. a IL the author 9
'spas esss. sasAs suggest : Diplomatic