The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-05-01
ABOUT LAURA JEANS CARPET
AND ABOUT HER HOUSE AND
THE PICTURES THEREIN.

Miss Laura Jean Libbey, wearing a
beautiful sapphire blue gown with allover
Valonoiennes lace, has just finished her
eightieth play, and 80 she celebrated her
first day OF real rest yesterday by reading
aloud TO a few intimate friends that num-
barred some Of Brooklyn's best known
literary persons the first act Of one Of the
plays, IF the Heart IL Truly Mated" IN
the library OF her home at oio President
street, Brooklyn.
The distinguished authoress il known
among her Brooklyn neighbors simply az
Mira Laura Jean Libbey Van Mater 8.
S~tllwell, but she IL best known wherever
pure EnRlish Is read and enjoyed as Laura
Jean Libbey. Mrs. Shllwell's husband,
Mr.. Sdllwell, il a Brooklyn lawyer, as the
literary publications often have recorded.
From HE picture, which in enoased in a
neat frame in the library, he reminds n
both OF Gov. Hughes and John T. Brush,
BOther evidences Of culture and OF treme
wealth are scattered lavishly throughout
the magnificent mansion in President
street, Brooklyn, a. one might expect In
the home Of a disting uished lawyer, whose
wife has had 80 tremendously subtle a
success that Is striking in the extreme in
Ia emphatic potentiahhes.
Row after row Of books covers the walls
81 the library, which also one might expect
In the study Of an authorizes whose work
II " to make books. At a rough guess
there must no more than s5 to 100 running
feet Of books by Miss Libbey alone, and the
manuscripts Of the eighty plays will bring
this total OF feet much higher. Further
more. il may be said that all the copyright
papers made out in Washington for each
u the plays also are In the library,
But Il Is the beautiful richness Of the
vrtu and bric-A-brao and things and stun
everywhere arranged in an elegant and
tasty way that impresses one most Of all
and which makes one wish that one also
had studied law and written novels and a
lot OF plays, Miss Libbey's magnificent
manAion is-to mention but one detail
the only house in the block with a stained
glass door, and there is a large stained glass
window on the second floor, and even the
transoms over some OF the apertures on
the facade Of the magnificent mansion are
Of stained glass.
The rich red velvet carpets are Of the
kind Of which 1t might be written in a story
book that one sank almost TO the waist IN
their fluffy s~oftness. One carpet is Of a rich
green and with a nap 90 long that i~nvolun-
tarily one couldn't help but look about on
it's surface for four leaf clovers. Hardly
\ nook il there that doesn't hold its dainty
Rogers group, those plaster masterpieces
Of Brooklyn's f~avorite sculptor colored like
a beautiful battleship when a var Is on.
Superb plush hangings adon the mag
nifcent walls in splendid profusion, and
there's a gorgeous hand painted portrait
4 Miss ! ibl ey looking on to the left, while
thinking that certainly Is one corker Of q
picture.
Miss Libt ey spoke Of love yesterday. She
had been askec about her work and to tell
the secret Of her marvellously monumental
success, ami she answered prettily that the
secret is love. Just love, One day, as stu
dents Of Libbeyiana will recall, Miss Libbey
coined the phrase Love makes the world
10 round and from that very day until
he time Of going TO press IL has been going,
III the Heart Ia Truly Mated" Is Miss
ibbey's fayOrite. she says, OF all the beau
full plays she has written, just as her first
NNGlg AlU AhNlAlNNVh = 1VNNAt VI |
Their Bridal Tour is her favorite novel,
I'D how many know that Miss Middleton's
bs1r' Ia a novelization OF a play, which
as h first contribution to American litera-
turpreceded the novel; Ask your neigh
bort that be true, and doubtless he will
den il. Ask any professor Of English In
Yahor Harvard or any place else-Arlo
Bat, Adams Sherman Hill. William CBur
de yon Phelps, any OF them-and they
dolllsss will laugh at you: but only because
eaehs trying TO conceal his embarrassment
AMI old his job.
q Miss Ibbey yesterday made many
jorIeys from the library shelves 20 the
oetR table TO place the manuscripts Of
he plays on the table for inspection you
ha'A feeling akin 70 CONSERVATION as you
glazed first at this great mountain made
up : the products OF her brain which the
stahh table upheld and then turned toward
the uthoress and weighed in your minds
eye GER youthful, girlish tractiVeness
thato strangely is blended with mellower
beau Of matronly loneliness. Her hair
is mtsed softly as a summer cloud at the
end Z the springtime. Her eyes are twin
stars hat, in her moments Of shy enthu-
stasmwhile telling Of her work, sparkle
with ilikht that rivals the valuable jewels
worn I the throat. And although Miss
UbbeIherseIf would not claim still to be
in her arly twenties she has a complexion
Ikea Idaware peach.
oh, ow, you stop she say when you
ask ler when she began literature. and her
smih a. she speaks Ia merry withal, but
shylS vistful as a ~debutante's
Il IBt shan't tell you the date, 90 THERE
the athoress went on when she had recov-
cred rom some OF her embarrassment.
But was a mere girl, a little sprite, when
| begin first 10 write. Well say IL was
five va 3 ago. and she laughed heartily
at thdi tie whimsy.
"Ins hool l began 10 write, then. |
w~rotenlce little compositions every Friday
Afternoon for teacher. My teacher liked
them cry much and | had her encourage
ment ! work on and on and on, and now
we'll, hre | am. Now ! have finished eighty
playa,nd l am taking my first rest.
''P1ted on Their Bridal Tour was the
first Ry,and ! took 1t into Col. Cockerilns
ohhcapver In Manhattan one day when
Robef IngerDoll was visiting him. Col.
Cocksill turned TO the last act Immediately
and Sked me incredulously: Miss Laura,
did pu have any helpl' And truthfully
] toldhim had done ital by my own little
sells
Mis- LIbbey was carrying her play manu.
soripb 70 the library table from the
shelv,s while she spoke, and she soorned
aaSiShnoe, She carried four plays at
each load, or twenty trips In all-that Is
II oolrSe twenty round trips or forty trips
one way In the aggregate. By glanolng
Rt thu copyright sheets arranged beside
the manuscripts on the table you could
compelled TO delve into each manuscript
itSeh. :
And in that great pile Of typeWritten I
plays vas all Of human life: The gay I
millionaire clubman and the wistful work.
Ing girl writhing in his cruel grasp; the old '