The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-28
MISS MIMIC GREENE TALKS
 ABOUT THE PUBLIC LIBRAR Y
Her Own Interesting PersonayHer New Book Unto the Night Be Published In the Fall -Snteres From the Community Needed to Perfect Library Work-Many
 New Volumes to Be Added
By DOLLY DALRYMPLE.

, with her and when she finished the last chapter she still had her tooth brush in her mouth," I said If I were to tell | you what the book was, I know you would laugh as heartily as I did. It wasn't even in the class with Bertha
 M. Clay or Laura Jeah Libbey-and yet
 the library with all these splendid books goes a-begging''
 T suppose the serious side of literature
 does not appeal to many-in fact, if our
 friend Dr. Johnson were alive now, he would probably be voted great bore
 with his ponderous brain and mighty in-
 tellect," laughingly replied Miss Greene.
 while you are engaged in the library work, l continued, "are you doing any
 literary work yoursef?" I asked Miss Greene.
 Now, don't make me talk about my
 self" modestly said she
 "I am compelled to do so,' I laughing ly answered. People want to know about
 other people, and unless I find Something
 interesting to tell them they won't read
 my interviews. Cut and dried stuff does
 not appeal to the average newspaper
 reader, and I would be voted an insuffer-
 able bore if I didn't write something breezy and newsy."
 T feel sure that is true.' said Miss
 Greene. T filled Marie Bankhead Owen's
 
 newspaper just before I came here last
 fall, and it was no easy matter to make the work interesting assure you'
 Then do be good and tell me what you are writing I pleaded. 'I think every | body enjoyed your charming stories of chivalry, King Arthur and His Court and With Spurs of Gold They are
 among the best childrens stories I have | ever read"
 | 'I enjoyed writing those stores" said Miss Greene. ''The latter, you know, was written in collaboration with Miss Dolly Kirke of Mobile, and we have l many pleasant "reminiscences of the days l in which we were busy over our manu- | script. mean to do some additional work | of that kind in the future. My first book of fiction will be published in the early | fall"
 And what will its title be?' NI in- | quired.
 'I had difficult time deciding on it," said Miss Greene. q wanted to call it | The Quality of Mercy but MT. William | Deans Towels had that; and. thought
 of The Cup of Trembling but my pub
 fishers said somebody else had that So
 I finally decided upon Into the Nightly | "How pretty" I said. "I sounds like poem of Brownng's of Swinburne's-or
 sornething yelled in mystery and occult | ism" I suggested "The story is one of mystery" said she
 land I was greatly interested in the theme"
 1 q have always thought that person | who could get together enough words to
 make book and carry the thread of the l story through as many different pages | was a truly wonderful creature. In fact. l I have an immense amount of respect | for anybody who can write a book. And
 have you done any magazine work?' I | inquired.
 l fxro 1, l,ox tfay,
 any number of short stories for various magazines. and I shall do many more. | I hope. The stories of southern life find are very interesting to people"
 "The most interesting of all" I re- | marked 'I found that out when I was
 in New York last winter. Particularly | are northern people interested in our dia- | feet stories-those of the oldtfme negro
 and his traditions and ideas" | It was growing late and while I could l have fingered for hours talking about books and authors and all those things 1 that are so interesting, had barely time l to make the rounds of the various H. 1 brary rooms with Miss Greene and ob- serve the classification of the books and l the splendid arrangements of them which | she has accomplished.
 1 Personally, I could find no better or | more entertaining place in which to spend | an afternoon than in the public library. | and while there were many sitting around | in the big comfortable chairs in the
 reading rooms enjoying the advantages l afforded, the thought came to me that If l Birmingham appreciated and valued the
 collection of 15.OOO volumes amassed in the public library as 1t should. we would have not only one of the best and most | comprehensive libraries in the south, but | one of the best patronized as well-even
 before MT. Andrew Carnegie comes to our
 assistance.