Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-16
A FEMININE KIPLING
LITERARY CAREER STARTED BY
PUBLICATION OF A LETTER.

special Correspondence Of The Star.
LONDON, England, March 6, 1907.
In leading English magazines of late
there have appeared some remarkably in
teresting and well-told tales of Indian life
They are signed ALEC Holmes They
veal much of that wide knowledge of the
empire Of the east and insight into its
mysteries which characterized the stories
that first made Kipling famous. Hence
the Identity of the author has aroused
much curiosity. This I am now able to
satisfy.
Alec Holmes is only pen name. Behind
the scenes of literary life the writer Is
Mrs Amy Scott, the wife of Col. Arthur
Scott, the assistant adjutant general of
artillery in India Col Scott is one of
the heroes of the Boer war. His wife was
born In India and has practically lived
there all her life. She Is an invalid, and
was unable to walk for some years ex-
cept with crutches.
Mrs. Scott is the heroine OF the dipner-
able bon-mot in which Lord Kitchener had
a part. The story has been widely told and
attributed to various people, including
Americans. Lord Kitchener and Mrs. Scott
were seated next each other at a dinner
party. During dessert K. of h. or X. Of
Chaos. as he has latteriy been nicknamed,
was asked to pass the almonds. AS he
handed the dish he told Mrs. Scott that in
the vernacular giving almonds to woman
was "Kissmess and payable with a kiss.
Mrs. Scott agreed that IL was just debt.
made special agreement that he would
settle all liabilities incurred by her. There
| fore. TO Col. Scott, sitting across the table,
she referred Lord Kitchener.
OF First Importance.
Like good many Anglo-Indians, Mrs.
| Scott is a splendid letter, writer. To a
Britisher in foreign climes. especially in
India, the mails are of the first Importance.
And it was through one of her letters to q
friend in England that Mrs. Scott entered
the literary world.
Her father, crusty old general. soon
after particularly brilliant piece of work.
came home to England on leave. He did
not expect any triumphal professions, but
he had not been home for. seven years and
being the hero of the moment in India,
looked forward to a warm and general wei
come in London. He pictured himself walk
ing along Piccadflly, saluted cordially by
old comrades in arms. He could almost see
himself entering his club and the rush of
men with outstretched hands and congratu-
lations At the war Office he confidently ex-
pected words of praise and summons to
the palace.
When he arrived it was foggy and in
London there was a wet dismal drizzle At
the station, at the hotel, he saw no friend
ly face. At the war Office he was kept
waiting in an ante-room while his name
state his business He went to his club.
Out of a hundred men in the smoking
room, one looked up who said: ''Hullo,
old chap. Been out of town, haven't you!
I haven't run across you lately. Beastly
weather for liver" and then buried HIM
self again in his newspaper.
The old general took the first train to
the Riviera. He was about as detected as
a man can be. But in the south he found
sunshine and made pleasant acquaintance.
He was soon back in India. His daughter
wormed the tale out of him. She wrote
to a friend about it, in vivid sentences,
out of an understanding heart. That friend
had a weather-eye on the pages Of litera-
ture She secured permission to publish
the letter. 1t appeared in the Times with
some names omitted, of course.
Every paper in India copied it. Women
in India today keep the clipping, and
when they want good cry, dig it up and
read it.
And so the new feminine Kipling.' as
literary birth.
AS Alec Holmes she was deluged with
offers from the Indian publications for
matter. OF late, as l have said, her tales
have been appearing in England and now
will be going further afield-to the United
States
Mrs Scott is wintering in Egypt. but
in the spring is coming to London, for
the first time in ten years, to interview her
publishers.
A Forensic Battle.
Two generations of Charles Dickens FAM
lily taking opposite sides in a forensic bat
tie was the novel spectacle witnessed last
week at the Kent assizes, where five men
We're tried for "conspiring to steal large
quantities of lead Henry F. Dickens, X.
c.. a son of the great novelist, appeared
as leading counsel for the prosecution and
Henry's son, H. C. Dickens, conducted the
defense Of one of the accused men. The
monotony of the proceedings was renewed
by some lively arguments between father
and son. 1t was a situation which would
have peculiarly appealed to the wit and
facile fancy Of the famous author. 1t is
singular that one of his sons should have
achieved distinction and prosperity in that
profession which Dickens himself delighted
in poking fun at. His eldest son and name
sake essayed to follow in his fathers foot
steps, but literature brought him few
shekels, and when he died he left large
family in straitened circumstances. They
are all now grown up, but none OF them
has ever STRUCK it rich One of the girls
is a dressmaker, another conducts a type
writing business and third is a teacher
in kindergarten school, At Dickens cele-
brations the prosperous son and his ON.
spring always figure consplcuouSly, put
the poorer branch of the family is ignored.
The world has not changed much since
Dickens exposed so many of its shams
An Inscribed Volume.
will be offered volume of Molieres works,
which was given to the enslaver of Nelson,
Lady Hamilton by Miss Cornelia Knight.
What gives it value is the fact that it con-
tains this inscription written on one of the
blank pages by Lady Hamilton:
- Given to me by Miss Knight whom
thought good and sincere; we succored,
cherished and protected her and her mother,
Lady Knight, and brought them Off from
Naples to Sicily. We gave shelter to Miss
X. for near two years. We brought her free
Of expense to England. What has she done
in return? Ingratitude, God forgive her, for
although she is clever and learned, she Is
dirty, ill-bred, ungrateful, bad-mannered,
false and deceiving. But my heart takes
nobler vengeance. o. forgive her!
EMMA HAMILTON"
One can imagine that the frail but beauti-
full Emma found no little solace for ven
geance forsworn in pennfng those denuncia-
tory lines.