The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1904-12-02
A DAUGHTERS
SACRIFICE q q
"TE WERE talking one evening
Wv over our cigars and coffee in

WE WE'RE talking one evening
Wv over our cigars and coffee in
Armand G-'s beautiful library,
after dinner that was perfectly
planned to stimulate the minds of men
who live by their brain and pen. We
spoke of wornan's invasion in the field
of contemporary literature.
The name of 'authoress" is legion in
the English language. Out of every
three novels from across the Channel
or the wider ocean two are signed by
feminine name. And the custom is
spreading in France.
sV-, surly protectionist in all
matters Of art, detested the feminine
party.
Not single one of them has shown
talent superior to the least of u.s. he
growled, "and they exceed the biggest
of us in envy and vanity. | keep away
from petticoats as l would a raging
fire.
Upon my word, l must have been
Ilore lucky than you in my meeting OF
the fair writer's" exclaimed our host.
Il have the most cordial relations with
certain literary petticOats. And just
recently | was forced to make COM
parison between one of my brother au-
thors and his opponent which was en-
tirely to the advantage Of Miss Petit
coats
We Immediately demanded the
story:
Willingly" he replied. sit is in
cfr inf
would even say that it was a good con-
tribution to the chronicle of literary
feminism. l will begin at once.
Like all the rest of you, l received
a good many letters from strangers.
Many are mere waste paper, some abu-
sive, and by far the greater number
ask for help in influence or money.
These last / never read without a
twitch at my heartstrings. In the face
of the paper dated from some country
town or eccentric corner of Paris l i'm
agine can read such anxiety and dis
tress as l once felt, a struggling writer
without genius or fortune.
why should have succeeded where
so many fail? l know we'll that GER
tain professional beggars write in turn
to every author l do not care | an
swer each letter as it comes, if only to
say that l am powerless to help.
Toward the end of last year l re-
ceived letter signed by a name l did
not know: Jean Seguin. He had writ
ten a novel; he wished to submit it
to me, and, if 1 was pleased with it,
would | help him to find a paper and
an editor:
81 answered.: Send me your manu-
script For if the reading of strange
manuscripts is one of our most tire
some duties, I hold that it is one of
the most imperious.
81 did not have long to wait. It was
q large manuscript, finely written, in
a feminine hand which did not seem
to me that of professional copyist.
Il opened it without enthusiasm-it
is so rare a surprise to discover any
thing beyond an eager ignorance, or
at the most a certain clever imitation.
/ read the first pages YEARLY; they
were heavy and embarrassed.
Later, a situation was sketched in
a curiously handled environment Evi-
dently it was a woman's own history,
with real letters and incidents that
had happened.
81 became so interested that l fin
ished the entire manuscript at a sin
gle sitting. 1t was at night, remem-
ber, and the clock pointed to ten min
ntes past two when at last I looked
up.
"In the joy of my discovery, I sat
down and wrote Immediately to the
author, congratulating him and beg
ging him to come to see me. 1 told
him he might hope for much.
1.-TWO days later, in the morning, my
faithful Constant handed me card:
"Jean Seguin, 9 rue Renouard."
!" The lady says that she has an en-
ragement with you. SIR
"I had guessed Alright; Jean Seguin
was a woman.
"She was introduced. I saw a lady
of about Is, dressed in black, with ir-
regular features, butA of charming
freshness, her face surrounded by
hands of chestnut hair that waved nat
urally. The mouth, rather large, was
smiling; the nose was characterless,
hut the brown eyes. which looked
straight into mine, were deep and In
telligent.
you are the author of 1.-The Nor
tai Test" mademoisslls?' asked.
YES. SIR