The San Francisco call., 1904-02-21
! ~ ROREgT w RITlCZZE

written several months ago, turss
upon a tragical fire. the result OF the
failure Of builders to follow the hero's
architectural specificatiOns-a failure
winked at by him for commercial rea-
sons. This is striking evidence OF
the truth-teiling and. as it were, pro-
phetic power of fiction.
G6lett Burgess, who has MADE many
literary excursions into romance land.
is about TO take up material residence
there On recent trip abroad he JUS
titled his taste for the unconventional
by purchasing a small fantastic estate
in Southern France near the wonderful
ruined and deserted city of Les Baux.
for which he paid the large sum Of $40.
His estate consists of a pine covered
hill surrounded by olive orchards and
fig trees. Tt contains dOzers Of Roman
sarcOphagi which Mr.. Burgess intends
to excavate this winter. The estate is
to be named II TrOuveloux. Provencal
for treasure trcve.
The Academy. in rounding up the
best novels for 1908. makes this re-
mark: The novel ran like a locust
through Great Britain in 1903 devOur-
ing most Of the leisure which the public
spared from picture puzzles. OF the
vast output about ninety. by some
merit rarer than reliability. deserved
TO stGy the pulper's ineXOr able ma
chine Among the stories selected tor
Wards Lady Roses Daughter" Mr..
James The Ambassadors" Mr.. Ben
sons The Relentless City" Mrs.
Katherine Cecil ThurstOn's THE Cir
cIe, and Mr. Basil Kings In the Gar
den &C Charity.
Joseph c. LincOln's first novel, which
will be published shortly by A. 5.
Barnes & Co. is entitled "Cap'n Fri:
A Story of the Coast" The scene is
laid on Cape Cod. which was the
authors early home. The genuine hu-
NOR which Mr.. Lincoln has shown in
his short stories and the success Of his
verses have aroused a special interest
in his forthcoming book.
Among books OF notable interest
which the Century, Company has in
hand for spring publication are: Roof
and Meadow" by Dallas Lore Sharp.
whose wild Life Near Home is a
popular favOrite; a book on ballOoning.
by SantOs-DumOnt; 'Tillie: A MennOn-
ite Maid a tale OF the Pennsylvania
Dutch. by Helen r. Martin; "a
Daughter Of Dale" story Of life In
an American university town; -Four
Roads to Paradise" by Maud Wilder
Goodwin; and order No II" a novel
and interesting study OF life in the
South before the war;
Condolences abound to the confusion
OF the rigid mathematician's law Of
chances. Here is one which involved
two well-knOwn writers. The editor
of a magazine was publishing sertally
a tale OF adventure by A when he be-
gan to receive the manuscript OF an
other tale by B which he had com
missioned Just as AS last chapters
were being printed BIS last chapters
arrived. and IL was discovered that
the situations involved in the cHmaxes
of the two stories were Identical This
case seems very hard on the editor.
The authors. however, did not ny at
each others thrOats.
George Moore, the novelist. has
been having an encounter with two
Italians of the organ grinding fratern-
ity who persisted in playing" in front
OF his residence and refusing to go
away when requested to do so. The un-
happy man said he could not write and
the whistling of one Of the offenders
that accOmpa MED the organ was intOl-
erable The defense said the Italians
did not understand MOore's distracted
gestures, and imagined he was express
ing pleasure at the lovely sounds they
evoked from the instrument. and fur
thermOre, they wished to finish the
tune. But the novelist was Oodurate.
declaring the time lost to him by their
abominable persecution could not be
made up: therefore. the magistrate or
dered the Italians to give security OF
s25 for good behavior and to refrain
from visiting Mr. MOOre's neighbOr-
hood in the future What do you I'M
agine the author of Sister Theresa
can be writing to be made so nervous?
Austin Dobson's recent Life OF
Fanny Burney'' brings out the fact that
of six children in the family she alone
was not sent to school or placed under
a governess. She was not brilliant. but
shy, backward and retiring" Still she
was interested in the world. The alpha
bet interested her and she learned 1t
herself; then she learned to read with
out waiting to be sent to school. After
that she continued to be interested in
an increasing number of things until
she became what Austin DObsOn thinks
her-a genius.
Writ Gerrare, author Of Greater
Russia" published a few months ago
by the Macmillan Company, has been
offered an engagement for long term
bv a manufacturing firm in Germany,
who make a condition that he shall
not contribute to any periodical or
write books. The whole OF the in
formation obtained by Mr.. Gerrare
while on his travels will be purchased
by his employers for their own private
use as traders in the markets OF the
world. This appears to indicate new
career for observant writers who do
not crave publicity and are content
to forego frame if they can gain a live
hhOOd by their pen.
Mark Twain is at work on new
novel which was begun many years
ago and laid aside. Now that he Is IN
Italy. with move leisure and less la
bility to interruption, he has gone TO
work systematically to complete 1t. He
has Just finished a new short story.
which viii appear in an early number
of Harper's Magazine. Mr.. Clemens
writes his stories to suit himself. and
then hands them over TO his wife. as
he saws, ''to edit the hell-fre out OF
them" After Mrs. Clemens completes
her important share Of the work. their
daughter copies them on the type
writer. for which her father pays her
at the regular market rates
Richard Whiteing is known as a
novelist through The Island" Num-
her 5 John Street" and The Yellow
Van" An admirer of those books has
been looking up the history OF their
author and reveals to the world that
in 1875, writing over the name OF
'Whyte Thorne.' he published a