The sun., 1910-05-28

dressed.
He wore a mauvs nightgown with
moons and comets and atars and Whirli-
gigs embroidered upon Il with some sub
stance that gave out the light which
had nearly blinded poor little Guinevere.
She gAspsd when she saw that the
crOcodiles each had a frock coat sadly
WrinkIed by the positions they were
forced 10 assume ss they curved their
bodies IN the funniest shapes 20 a. not
break the fragile milk bottles. Beside
each was a high hat neatly placed on top
Of Camembert cheese
What 40 you mean by sleeping In my
fathers ice plAnt'' asked Guinevere
for she trisd TO appear very brave. He
will be very angry
The old man and the six crocodiles
opsned their eyes simultaneously and
looked at 0uinevere Tor a moment. Then
the handsomest crocodile of all. who
was evidently the spokesman u the party,
got 90 his feet and made her formal
bow. He could get 70 his fee, very eaaily
under the low shelves beoarue a croco-
dies legs aren't 30 very long.
~ your father objects % having NJ
sleep in his ice chest he must he a very
cruel man. said the crocodile.
All. yes. he " a very. very cruel man,
sighed Guinsvere. who liked the easy
manners q the crocodile and didn't mind
having him 500 that she was weeping.
Then YOU must come aUay with us,'
ha went IN. let me intrndure You n
an. R..ti.tg ,f Yoor,t and ha pnintai
,o the Or,V he,r,led IA man. Who made
a nrpttv Attempt al 4 how and upsat a
cream nitche- instaad He n TIE most
wonderfnl man I'M the uorld and We are
his sssi-tants We nausad here nn our
way to tho Castlc ~ Xcorvt. which We
I..ft ten davs ago for tho purp1-e n cut
tina the thrnsts ~ several cruel and
wicked men. You must come with ~
Yes doe echoed tho five other oroco-
dilss.
-By all mems sad tho Zzstistz "
Ncnr,r.
An right. I will said Guinevere
Give vour present. day writer nf fairy
stories a start like that and h. will run
il into half dayeu -Nu1al- and ~ many
reprints that the publi-her- will lose
count All you have - do. in the ouini0n
~ a successful publisher II this tyre n
story. l. % invent a central character and
surround II with q number - bizarre
heinrs and let them carry themselves
through an tho adventures that your
mind can picture
IT, no u-e Tor YOU N try y find
thiz nuhlisher because even II vnu wor'
z.Icr,,zsfil YOU must know that h. went
ahead and qualified bic prescription until
h. had confessed that infinite pains. sli-
prpme art and considerable Tatience
had q ~ added to a sweepinR imagination
before YOU can really become a good
fairy story writer
Il has hsen said many times that it
takes great skill % DO this kind ~ woTN
It's tho fashion to helieve Il, and tha
fashion seems ~ be right Here are some
Of the things that this publisher declares
are requisite.
Most important ~ all YOU must he -o
excited about the story YOU arr t-iling
that you can hardly wait n get Il down
on paper. You can't simulate this in
terest II YOU don't feel II becaise the
small uars0ns for whom Il Il written will
catch you every time. perhana they
won't know that they are catching you.
hut they will show that they are doing
Il by getting bored with what Won have
considered very entertaining tale.
Then you must keep things moving with
a spaed that nlakea a dime novel seem very
much of hgRard Situations and
events and not TOO compleV compli cations
must pile M - that tho story keepz just
ono notch ahead ~ what the child can
imagine; and the last necessary element
must he constant alsnension oi interest
To prodace these three factors writers
are alWavs having their characters as
tonished: they are often trembling and
hen the action once gets under way they
talk quickly IN short sentences that bristle
with hurrying ideas With IL all the
thing must be a. simple a. a primer
r Frank Baum has had al soris %
sucoess IN carrying his groups of charac-
tsrs into fantastic lands where tho most
oommOnplaoa thinRs happen 90 them
under the most remarkable circumstances,
or the mOat curious things under the most
ordinary circumstances A publisher said
the other day that Mr. Baum has Oeen
ready 10 stop writing for q long time but
that he has 70 keep in tho field because
Whenever W. u silent Tor a While ths
letters atari pouring In. His small friends
wont let him stop without a prO8est
Companionable animals make mp q
large part Of HE iist of characters Other
,,.,it.+. ,s,t fha Teddy unnra rfartad and