The San Francisco call., 1904-08-19
The English authors.
Special correspondence-

E HENRIETTA STREET, CONENT /
GkRDEN. LONDON, Aug. 6.-Au-
: thors are scarce IN London at present,
most OF them having elected TO spend
the holiday season either in the coun-
+. try or on the Continent. H G. Wells
who has not been feeling particularly
dt OF late. has taken his family to
Switzerland Just before going he
passed the proofs OF his new romance.
The Food Of the Gods" which is
coming out in volume form in the
fall. Miss Mary Cholmondeley re-
rnained in London until the end Of the
season. but she now has taken Lady
TuRard's house. near DorlOing, where
she hopes to complete her present lit
erarv task, the first long novel she
has undertaken since the publication
of Red Pottage." Miss ColmOnde-
lev is SO conscientious a worker. how
ever. that il may be eight or ten
months before she surrenders her
manuscript. William lie Queux, whose
"Funchback Of Westminster" made
its appearance only a few days ago,
is al Castor. his country house near
Peterborough. Frank T. Bullen has
been spending some time in the West
Indies. but is now on his way back.
Joseph Conrad has been busy for some
weeks making the final revision of his
new story, .NOstromo. but he left
town few days ago for the shores of
she Mediterranean. BY and on its blue
waters he intends to combine pleasure
with business. for the story which he
nil
scene laid thereabouts. G. X. Ches-
terton I met one brOiling day last
week. putting along through Charing
Cross road. his arms full Of books and
bundles. He was headed for rail-
way station We r.. down in the
country" he gasped- living at a lit
tie place near another little place.
Won't be back until October" He is
working on the last of the series of
:short stories which are appearing here
in the Idler and at home in Harper's
Weekly
r: ". Hornung. author of The
Amateur Craftsman" is with his
family at his country home. East Rus
ton. near Stalham. Norfolk. He is at
work on a series of stories to be called
Hawkes. Of Jermyn Street" Of which
the hero is 10 be a young English
man whose wits have been polished up
IN Park row. New York. The stories
are TO begin publication in the United
States and England next January
II viii be interesting to hear If II.
> j. .Marriou-WatsOn has guessed right
about The O'Ruddy" This, of course,
is the Irish novel OF adventure which
Stephen Crane left unfinished and
which was completed by Robert Barr.
AIarriott-Watson divides his time be
tween writing novels and doing crit
1cism for a London newspaper, and in
commenting on the Crane-Barr story
recently he remarked that IT was not
q matter OF great difficulty to tell
where the first writer ended and the
second began. Promptly Mr.. Barr
challenged him 10 do this and Mar
riOtt-WatsOn has now come up to the
scratch by making a definite guess
he says: Barr must take I'D the
story about chapter 81, and for pref
erence I should say on page 252.'
Which may interest American readers
assuming that the English and Amer
scan editions are PACED similarly. Al
this writing Mr.. Barr has not stated
whether his brother novelist's guess
Is right or wrong.
Marmaduke Pickthall has MOI
scored as heavily with his new story
Enid" as he did with Said the
Fisherman" and in his next romance
he. viii return TO the scenes of the
earlier story. With this idea he Ii
planning to set on for the East before
long and viii spend the winter ir
Syria
Dramatized versions of two recen
English novels are promised for the
fall. One OF these is Madame Al
banesis "Susannah and One Other
originally called "Susannah and On,
Elder"-the other Frances Harrodi
Tanning Of the Brute" which hai
been running as a serial in the Pal
Mall Magazine. The latter dramatic
alton will be used By Forbes Robert
son and Gertrude Elliott. Then. o
course, there is the stage version o
Justus Miles FOrman's Garden o
Lies" which George Alexander is {,
produce.
AprOpOs OF the Pail Mall Magazine
evidently William Waldorf Astor /
not satisfied with the results Of his at
tempt 10 give London a high clas
monthly magazine. sUnder the editor
ship of George r. sHalkett the Pal
Mall has been almost, if not quite, a
good As the leading American maya
zines. Too good, apparently, for on
understands that the price is about 4
be reduced from one shilling to six
pence-the ordinary magazine pric
here-which probably means that tn
periodical is 10 be ''popuIsrized."
since her arrival in this countr
some time ago Kate Douglas Wiggi
has mixed a good deal with wome
writers here and work in partnershi
has been one of the results. I ar
told that her new book, The Affair a
the Inn,' IS the outcome Of a collabo
ration between Mrs. Riggs Miss Jan
Flndlater (author of The Gree
Graves OF Balgowrie"), her sister
Mary Findlater. and Miss Charlott
Stewart, who has published severs