Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-07-30
Books and Authors.

Il MANY foreign houses are engaged
i'm exporting Japanese silk. In years
gone by their profits have been ex-
ceedingly fair to look upon. Japan is
: pleasant for residence. The houses
did well and their representatives were
happy. But the japanese Government
desires to nave this agreeable business
for the Japanese. So it drew bill
providing for government inspection
tat the exporters cost of all silk in
tended for export. The exact opera
tons of this bill are too intricate to
explain here, but in general way it
would receal to the government in
spectorS the secret of the foreign ex-
porters' business. Some features Of
the bill seemed to bear harshly upon
the small producers. An adverse
agitation was begun and SO managed
| that it secured the bills defeat in the
House. But no well-informed person
seems to doubt that in some form it
will come up again and will pass"
F. HOpkinson Smiths novel, 1.-THE
Tides of Barnegat," will shortly be
| published in book form by Charles
| Scribner's Sons. The last instalment
of the story as a serial will be printed
| in the August number Of 'Scribner's
Magazine" and will be followed by a
new serial by John Fox. Jr, author of
The Little Shepherd of Kingdom
Come" which will begin in the Sep
| TENDER number.
new novel by Sir Gilbert Parker,
to be entitled THE Weavers." will be-
OH iaI
Magazine" for October The scenes
of the story are laid chiefly in Egypt
and England, and the hero is a young
English Quaker who. by an odd freak
of fate, becomes an overload in the
Nile country.
A young lady entered a Toronto re-
tail book store a short time since and
inquired from the gentlemanly clerk
Ga married man. by the way) if they
had a book suitable for an old gentle
man who has been married fifty years.
Without moments hesitation the
clerk reached for a copy of Parkman's
"A Half Century of Conflict"
A correspondent of NJ A. p. sends
that paper an anecdote vouched for as
authenties showing how unpopular liv-
ing author evolved purely from his
imagination moving tragedy the de-
tails of which correspondent in the
most remarkable manner with an in
oident in real life. In the early days
of the Idler Ito which, by the way, Mr.
w. l.. Alden constantly contributed),
Mr.. Jerome X. Jerome wrote a striking
and pathetic story of young and
happily married pair who were
cir, toy, e-t,ia
attack of fever. They were in adjoin-
ing rooms, and the loving husband was
kept in heart by the indications he
saw and heard that his wife was pro-
gressnig satisfactorily. But the wife
gradually grew worse and died. and to
save the poor husband from the shock
of the evil news it was planned that
the nurse should take nourishment as
usual through the mans room to that
of the wife, SO as to reassure him that
all was well. this being done even
when she was dead. The man. how
ever. grew suspicious. he felt the
GOODNESS of DEATH" and during the
temporary absence of his nurse he
managed to crawl out of bed and into
his wife's room, where he was found
dead. These, of course, are but the
bald outlines of an impressive tale
The pathetic story by Mr.. Jerome was
read and wept over, in South of Ire
land city by young married lady
who was so impressed by it that, she
asked her friends to be sure and read
the tale. When she repeated heskt6ry
10 one friend, that lady exclaimed:
why. that all happened to people i "A
knew Well in this very city," Ard she -
went on to describe how the couple lin
reala life. who were neighborS- bfl her "a
own, were struck down with the same "a
fever, and how almost identical SUBJ e
terfuges were employed to Keep the "
knowledge of the wife's death rom herr
husband. The real life ftraRedys
differed in no essential detGs from j
that narrated by Mr.. Jerome, excenE !
That the husband In real lie lost his
reason. but survived. A gentleman
VINO heard of this very emarkabe
coincidence between fictio, and fact
communicated with Mr. Jfome, who
courteously replied to the effect that
the story as told by him vas imagina-
i've In its entirety. Sure no greater
compliment could be reeived by an
author than to find thai the unusual
circumstances he had cpceved In his
imagination had been lived through
and suffered by human teings.
The annual midsumnr novel issued
ny doubleday, Page Co, this year
VIII be Anthony overman." by
Miriam Nicholson, a,hor Of in the
Bishops Carriage."1t is in an
entirely different -in~ from that
popular story. and twill be published
on Aug. LIST in a voine Illustrated by
John Cecil Clay +. F. E.
Millions for, musements.
The earnest way (which the American
vast sums of none spent in providing
means and method has caused much