Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-28
NONSENSE LADY TELLS ALL
Carolyn Wells Jinglss as Fast as She
Can Talk.
HOW HER WORK Is ACHIEVED
N'Wha's whO7 and Tive Other Books,
y Pen and nm Ancient Desk
Are Her stock in
Trade.

NEW YORK, Nov. 2. There's my
Who's Who p said Carolyn Wells. jingler
maxims, "and there's my Thesaurus Of
English Words and Phrases and there's
my Vocabulary Of English Rhyme Be
hold my stock In trade! All the essentials
for ceaseless verse production" and she
Emilingly waved her Rand at the valuable
trio.
"Of course" smiled back the visitor,
there's no need for such a mere trif1e
"a talent and brains"
Beg pardon, I'm deaf said the
rhymster-she spurns more serious sound
ing appellat ions-but her, eyes twinkled.
II is noticeable that her vaunted deafness
makes itse.f evident only at convenient
times.
Yes" she continued rapidly. therein
all are contained. And II you choose you
can omit the Who's Who Herein are
odes and rondeaux and ballades and dizains
and hymns and epigrams and chansbns
and pastoure1les and"
"Help!' pleaded the visitor.
ITS really So" went on the versifier-
It Is rather difficult to find a varied as
sortment of/names that will meet with the
approval OF her who will not be a poet.
ITS really so that these hooks contain
all the requisites for versifying-save a
little sense"
Il have a little sense" said the visitor
hopefully. Perhaps 1 can become a
j%ingler. What do 1 do first? What do
Ayoa do?'
thing. II does i~tself-when II doesn't do
me-"
yes. but how do you beg4n7 DO you
think out what you are going to say %
( "Oh. no. I sit down and take my pen
7 IN hand, and then I guide It. That's all
] do. Just physical guidance. We have
a laundress who irons splendidly. She
deserves no particular credit because her
hand has the knack OF guiding the flat.
iron. Now I guide the pen" and she
smiled as II the whole process must be
perfectly clear.
81 used to dictate to a typewriter lady"
she continued, who could write as fast
as I could talk'-certainly a tribute to
the typewriter lady's speed-"but she be-
came i'll and now I write with a pen. And
l can write as fast as she typed"
But the visitor did not yet. despite it's al
legged simplicity, feel quite qualified to
versify.
What inspires you? Surely there must
be an inspiration"
"Oh, yes. My pen inspires me. That's all.
! just take up my pen and then / begin. 1t
is all simple. you see."
The visitor nodded in vaguely disturbed
agreement.
Perhaps" admitted Carolyn Wells, my
desk does inspire me some. It's an old
German desk-over $50 years old. 1t was
$50 years old when 1 bought It,"
But
Did furniture ages very rapidly, you
know. oh, 1 forgot to show you my note
hOOE That raaIIy a. wary pnnorfanf-al
most as much so as The Vocabulary Of
Rhymes Just see this page Of titles.
Aren't they good? and just waiting to be
used. No. you mustn't take any of them
down. They are too good to give away.
And look at this page OF phrases. Poems
every child ought not to know'-isn't that
lovely7 oh, l don't know how 1 got It or
when or how I'll use II, but it's time will
come. And here this violent essence
doesn't mean a thing resting there-but
its time will come. too
The VISITORS eye was peering over to the
next page. Those look like skeleton out
lines. DO you make out skeleton outlines?'
Yes. skeleton outlines come in handy
Vet times, too. The notebook and the Who's
Who,' etc. and the pen-principally the
pen-and there you are, equipped for versi-
flying
And some sense" prompted the visitor,
who then asked Miss Wells II she wouldn't
take her pen in hand and show how the
inspiration works by writing a sonnet.
"A sonnet Nonsense! Why not a ses-
thar replied the jlngler. "Tn write you
a limerick, the true classical form as has
been proved over and over. Sonneti Non
seEkeH' and she seized her pen and more
quickly than can be told the limerick stood
forth-nonsense. delightful nonsense.
TT looks very easy" said the visitor. II
surely ought to be able to do It,"
TRY II. II does itself-ln time. GeIett
! Burgess once told me that no woman could
write the sort OF nonsense he would pub
lish," and she smiled in a way that might
indicate a later change Of mind on the part
Of the purple cows creator
In the fourteen years Carolyn Wells has
been filling the columns OF weeklles and
monthliss with her Jingles and jests she
\ has come to be accepted as an authority
Z ON nonsense. together with her fellow
workers and good friends, Gelett Burgess
and oliver Herford. Her tutor who footed
the flute is world famous. She takes an
honest pride In the nature OF her muse.
She sings:
I'm nae poet, I'm a sense,
But just a rhymer, like, by chance.
An hae TO learning nae pretence.
Yet. what the matter2
Whene'er my muse does on me glance,
l Jingle at herl
But the jingies are not able to keen