The Washington herald., 1907-07-27

CT genius never strikes twice in the
same family tree, but a notable excep-
ton Is the case Of Mrs. Fannie Caldwell
Maeauley, who became. by accident. the
author of a popular novel Mrs. Mac
auley is an aunt of Mrs. Alice Hogan
Rice author Of Mrs Wiggs of the
Cabbage Patch" Mrs. Macauley was
Miss Frances Caldwell. n wealthy girl
OF good social position in the Blue
grass region OF Kentucky. She mar
ried young Englishman, whose purse
was shorter than his pedigree. and who
had no faculty for saving money. At
ter few years of married life, during
which her fortune dwindled 10 moth
ingness. Mrs. Macauley secured di-
Yorce. Being q young woman of spirit
she took course in kindergarten
work and obtained a position to teach
The heather in Japan. She left Amer
lea about the time her niece published
the first of her books.
Mrs. Macauley is a young woman.
and she and Miss Hogan had been
chums from childhood. When she
found herself among strangers IL a re-
mote part of q foreign country, where
there were few persons who spoke
English, Mrs Macauley poured out her
homesick soul in series OF intimate
personal letters 10 her niece. Al
though they were not written for pub
ication, or Tor any purpose other than
to tell of her loneliness and her strange
experiences, the letters were spiced
with brightness and humor that no
amount OF homesickness served to
blight They were good literature.
A member Of the firm that published
Mrs. Wigs in London visited the au-
thor in Louisville. and. Japan having
been introduced as a topic of discussion.
Mrs Rice spoke of her aunts experiences
there, and showed the publisher some of
the letters she had received. He was SO
much interested that he Immediately Of
fered to publish the letters. Mrs. Rice
decided to make a book of them. OF
course anything with the name of the
author OF 6NIrs. Wigs was assured Of
a good sale, but Mrs. Rice believed that
her aunt's letters were good enough 10
sell upon their own merit. BY editing
out the parts Of the letters too personal
for publication, and by running a con-
ventional love story through them, the
author soon had a book ready for the
publishers No liberties were taken with
the letters other than 10 strike out thai
which was too personal in its CharactEr.
When the book was ready for print ii
was almost wholly the work of the kim
dergarten teacher in Japan. Mrs. Rice
arranged that it should be published
anonymously in London, and under the
pen name Frances Little" in New York,
the royalties to go to Mrs. Macauly.
Then came a trip To Japan to convince
the writer Of the letters that il was her
duty to become an author. and that no
effort was required Of her except to gives
her consent As a result The Lady of
the Decoration" came from the presses
and found ready welcome. After 1--WE
years of hard work in Japan Mrs. Macau-
Icy returned TO America for a holiday
TO find that from her home letters" had
accrued an income which made il un-
necessary for her to return into exile.
The capital arising from the royalties
has made Frances Little" financially
independent the proceeds at present
amounting 20 more than the amount OF
her fortune when she was a belle IN the
bluegrass region.
There is an old bit Of Missouri his
tory, almost forgotten, that Is well worth
the telling. Historians have had very
little to say Of William Muldrow, one of
the most noted men Of the stirring period
when the foundation for the present great
commonwealth was being laid by the
Drawn and daring OF its pioneers. He was
the first great Western promoter, a man
whose dream Of empire was vast enough
10 have done credit TO Cyrus or a Ma
poleon, except that it differed in the one
essential Of not being a conquest Of arms
Instead of the forced march and the es-
tablishment of kingdom by right Of
might, he cherished the vision Of do
minion by the most peaceable procedure
of commercial mastery. He'was going 10
transform the barren plains into a land
teeming with people, traversed by rail-
roads and studded with cities.
AluldrOw was the unlettered son Of a
baCkwOOds father-a salt boiler by trade
yet he possessed such strong person.
aiity, and was endowed with such force
ful powers Of persUasiveness. that he ex-
erted strong influence over all with
whom he came in contact He sought
out men of means and Intellect, who
listened TO his marvellous prOphesios. and
entered at once into his manifold
schemes. His pet project was the exploit
tation OF Marion City. which. like Baby
lon, Of old, rose and fell. He laid his 81
plans for a mythical city. which he con-
fidently expected 10 become the metropc-
lis Of the entire western country. Well |
equipped with numerous maps and plans
he went East 10 raise the wind" He
told the cautious Eastern capitalists that
a railroad would soon he built from his
city to the West. and that il would only
be a short time until its residents could
board the cars at home on Monday morn |
ing and wash their faces in the Pacific |
Ocean the following Saturday nighr
He told his tale so well that he Ioosened /
the purse strings Of his hearers and sold
S1S5,OOO worth Of land in and around his
mythical city. a boat load of spectators !
passed st. Louis from the East in 1895, |
bound for the boom town. The sides Of /
the boat were adorned with streamers
that blazoned the destination Of the /
party. and a brass band stirred the |
echoes and aroused the denizens along |
the way. That same year a railroad en- |
bankment-the iEst one built in the
State-was thrown up for several miles |
west OF the town. 1t was predicted that /
sleepy old St Louis. whose population at
that time was less than 5000 souls, wond /
have TO wake up or Marion City would |
forge to the front. Muldrow was the man
Of the hour.
But all men make mistakes. and THIS /
early promoter made 4 fatal one IN the 1
selection Of the site for HIS town 1t WIS /