Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-05-26

good stead when / finally took up lit
erature as the work OF my life.
BABYLoNIAN MARRIAGE MAR
KET,
~ had exhibited several times at
that much mallgncd institution, the
ROYAL academy, encouraged as | was
I'm those days by my dear old friend,
Edwin Long. r. A.. the creator ot that
wonderfully popular picture, me
Babyionlau Marriage Market spent
many happy days in his studio watch
ing him paint and sitting 10 him for
some Of his most popular pictures he
disllked professional models intensely
and in his Christ Preaching From the
Waters, his ZouXis at Crotona' ana
many other pictures there are several
very faithful portraits OF me, WHIST
there Ia no doubt that his brllilHnt
pictures Of ancient Egypt first soWed
those seeds I'm my mind which brought
forth BY the Gods Beloved.
HER FUTURE HUSBAND.
Whilst studying art / met my hus-
band, Mr. MOntagu Barstow already
then a we'll known black and white ana
water color artist--for q few years after
my marriage ] Joined him IN doing
numborless illustrations for books ana
magazines.
ct is less than six years ago that
FIRST dlscOvered-quite Oy accident-that
I mad any talent for writing. The story
OF how this happened Is so common
place, that u becomes quaint from It's
very simplicity. My husband and my
self were house hunting a. that time,
a., La lpt etNtsIuW 4
paying guests with a family whose
chief recreation consisted tn writing
short stories. which they would read
out aloud 10 one another or 20 such Of
their guests as would care 10 hear. one
evening. having heard one Of these not
very brilliant stories read, ! suddenly
said to my husband. Now look al the
people who have never been outside
their own little narrow circle, they
write stories. and presumably some
times get them published, so why
shouldn't l. who have been all over
Europe and nave known so many peo-
pie that are worth knowing. why
shouldn't / write stories t1OY Why
shouldn't your was my husbands sim
pie comment. And that was the be-
ginning OF my literary career Less
than six years ago I had never taken
up "a pen for any other purpose than
10 write my letters Fired by the ex-
ample of some simple-minded strang-
ers. / began 10 write short stories. The
first few ever wrote were at once ac-
cepted by Parsons Magazine, This
was encouraging.
DETECTIVE STORIES.
"Then one day travelling on the top
OF an omnibus just beyond Westbourne
T. ..f o l. y1i "A
bridges that cross the canal at than
miserable corner Of London. looked
down one of the most desolate streets |
know the one that skirts the canal at
that point; dark, wretche1. lonely ana
II struck me what a number OF mysteri-
Gus and forgotten crimes must have
been perpetraied down the lll-lit. squat
Id portions OF mighty London That
brief thought--it was a mere fash, led
me to conceive and evolve those detec.
tive stories told by The old Man in the
Corner
MY first novel was the 'Emperor's
Candlestcks. but published during the
anxious time OF the Boer war. It failed
10 make Roadway against the mass of
military and political literature OF that
season. Since the great success OF The
Scarlet Plmpernel It has been reprints
tu 0ilu nus llitl WIN uhIudlllltu ouN-
cess
1.-The Scarlet Plmpernel' was first
written as play by my husband and
myself IN collaboration. Unlike the ha.
bitual outcry Of the unknown dramat-
list. we are bound to confess that we
had no difficulty In getting our play
read and accepted by the very first
management 10 whom we submitted It.
We had no connection with the stage
IN any capacity my husband was an
artist. and ! was then only a writer OF
short magazine stories ana with the
exception Of an extremely able and kind
critic knew not a soul connected with
the stage.
LIKES BRET HARTE BEST,
at would be difficult for me TO name
my favorlte authors. think on the
whole. though, that the author who
most appeals 20 me Is Bret Harte.
Against that--and ! say this IN all hui
mlity-the author who has most in
nuenced my work is certainly Victor
Hugo. Ny critics have been kind
enough TO praise my style apart from
the mere plot of my books what merit
my style has | owe In "a great measure
to constant loving perusal Of that great