Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-01

gifted He was reserved to the point Of
ultra-shyness. even with those whom he
knew to be the kindest OF men. John q.
Whittier. who was supposed to have known
Hawthorne better than most. said not long
before his death:
Hawthorne was a strange puzzle. /
never felt quite sure whether knew him
or not He never seemed to be doing any
thing. and yet he never liked to be dis
turbed at IT.
Hawthorue's closet friend during all the
later years OF his life was Horace Inger-
soil OF Salem. They first met at New
thornes death. IN 1894. were close friends,
and never separated for long
In his old age Mr.. Ingersoll. who lived
to be nearly ninety and died only fifteen
about his old friend Hawthorne. Ingereoll
was subject to frightful fits of temper.
which led to occasional periods of GOODNESS
between them. Their greatest falling out
was over Hawthorne's loss of the pot of
"Evangeline." which Longfeilow used in
his poem Of that name.
ingersoll heard the story from a Mrs
Halliburton OF Boston. Not being a writer
himself, he retold 1t to Hawthorne. who said
hs would write a novel based upon it. Six
years passed. and 1ngersoI. who knew
Longfellow. told the story to him. Long
fellow, either recognising its value more
than Hawthorne had. or being more in
du8trfous. lost no time In enobaimin9 its
details In his haunting verse
In his later years Ingersoll used to show
with pride the presentation autographed
copy which the poet sent to him, recalling
with amusement that he attempted, when
telling the story to Longfellow. to indicate
how 1t should be written. Longfellow did
not follow instructions very closely; still
Ingersoll said he had no cause to complain.
You should have heard Hawthorne rave
after the book came out" said Ingersoll
to q friend. He was 50 mad with himself
and with mo because he had not written
the novel that he did not get over 1t for
some time. do not think he ever fully for
gave me for telling the story to Longfel-
low"
Hawthorne's Personal Romance.
Many Of his friends knew of Hawthornes
personal romance-that though he married
Sophia Peabody, he was engaged to her
older sister Elizabeth before he ever mot
the younger one. A chronicler, writing
after Hawthorne's death. wrote thus of
the change in Hawthornes affections:
He was instantly attracted to Sophia
Peabody. and. though the young people
etrove against their mutual attraction, 1t
came to the knowledge of the elder sister.
who told them once that her heart had
room for them together as well as separate
ly. and she proved 1t by her life and by
her devotion to them"
Sophia Peabody modelled a notable bust
of Laura Bridgman (as famous In the last
century az the first human being born
deaf. dumb and blind who was educated as
Helen Keller, similarly aff1icted and SINH
larry educated. Is today and used the sum
OF money she received for 1t to buy her
wedding outfit with. She was the heroine
Of the half-forgotten poem by Elizabeth
Barrett Browning, Bertha In the Lane"
In this poem, however, the elder and re-
nouncing sister dies Of q broken heart,
whereas in real life she outlived by many
years the sister for whom she "sewed the
wedding gown" as the poem mistakenly
tells It. Here Ii one OF the stanzas:
Had he seen thee when he swore
He would love but me alone;
Thou vert absent-sent before,
To our kin in Sidmouth town.
When he saw the who art best,
Past compare and loyeliest,
He but judged thee as the rest"
Hawthorne's Literary Success.
You can get notion OF the difference be-
tween the compensations of literature in
Hnwthorne's day and the present time
when you remember that he was so hard
up In 1848. when let out Of his 81 200 year
Job in the Salem custom house that his
friends, headed by one George billiard.