The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1905-07-11
SOME FAMOUS TALES
HOW THE IDEAS FOR THEM WERE
BORN IN THEIR AUTHORS.

BORN IN THEIR AUTHORS.
The Man Who Gave Stevenson tn,
Inspiration For "JekylI and HYDE
How Dickens Discovered '1OIivel
Twist" and "NichOIas NickIeby."
Among weird fiction there are few
novels to compete with 1.-THE Strange
Story Of DR.. Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde
and the story of its inception is almost
as strange as the work itself, says the
st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Stevenson, it appears, had dealings
with man named Samuel Creggar
and did not like him. He's a mar
who trades on the Samuel" averred
the novelist He receives you witt
SamuePs smile on his face, but every
now and then you catch a glimpse OF
the Creggan peeping out like a white
ferret. Creggan's the real man; Sam.
uers only superficial"
This was what gave Stevenson the
first idea for the dual personality OF
Jekyll and Hyde, but he did not begin
to write
One night, however, Mrs. Stevenson
awakened by cries of horror from her
husband, and thinking that he had a
nightmare, aroused him. He was quite
angry.
why did you wake mel" he asked
Il was dreaming a fine bogy tale.''
He got up at once and began writing
In sort of fever His biographer, Mr..
Osbourne, says that it Is doubtful
whether the first draft took him as
long as three days.
Treasure Island" by the same au-
thor, had beginning almost equally
strange.
One day Robert Louis Stevenson was
playing with a box of water colors
belonging to his stepson, and idly drew
and colored a map of an imaginary
island. To quote his own words:
1T was deliberately and, 1 thought
beautifully colored; the shape of ii
took my fancy beyond expression; II
contained harbors that pleased me like
sonnets, and, with the Inconsistencies
Of the predestined, l ticketed it Treas
ure Island The next thing l knew |
had some paper before me and was
writing out a list of chapters"
The upshot was that for the next
fifteen days Stevenson wrote like one
possessed, turning out a chapter day
Then he lost hold, and it was weeks
before the inspiration came again. but
when it did Treasure Island" flowed
from him like small talk" and ran
serially in children's paper.
To go back good many years,
stories attach to almost every one of
Charles Dickens novels.
Soon after the "Pickwick Papers,
had made their amazing success,
Dickens happened to visit the studio
of George Cruikshank, and there was
shown some drawings of the career of
London thief.
Among these was a sketch of Fagin's
den and picture of Bill Skies.
Dickens was at the time engaged upon
the idea Of workhouse story, and the
result Of this chance visit was "Oliver
Twist" as it was soon afterward pub
lished.
AS for nicholas Nickleby," there
does not seem much doubt that the
great novelist conceived the idea of
Dotheboys Hall from the advertise
ment Of Mr.. Simpsons academy,
Wooden Croft lodge, Yorkshire, which
he saw in an old copy of the Times.
The famous Captain Kettle, the most
popular creation of Cutcliffe Hyne,
was originally a character in a com
paratively little known story by the
tall Yorkshireman.
Mr.. Hyne, who at the time had hard
ly got his foot on the ladder of fame,
took the story to well known London
editor and publisher. After criticising
the yarn In rather merciless fashion,
the editor said:
"All the same the little sea captain is
your best character, and you ought to
be able to do something with him. Why
not make him the hero of a series Of
short stories p
Fergus Hume has told the story Of
how he came to write 1.-THE Mystery Of
a Hanson Cab" He was In Melbourne
at the time, and in financial straits, for
he had entirely failed to dispose Of a
play to which he had given much time
He thought he might do better with
a book, but the question was, What
sort of book| After some considera-
ton he went to the leading Melbourne
librarian and asked this question,
what books do you find sell bestT"
Detective STORIES" was the prompt
reply, especially those Of Gaboriau.n
Mr. Hume had not then read any Ca
boriau, but he wasted no time in re-
pairing the omission and bought a com
plete edition Of his works.
The result was the story which made
his reputation and the seventy novels
which succeeded 1t. Fergus Hume, it
may be mentioned, is credited with
having turned out a 10000 word book
in a week.