Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-06
Lived Very Much Alone.


one man in 10,0G0 has, to know him.
And anybody would remember less about
| him personally than any other man. He
| lived very much alone, few knew where
| At one time he would have room or an
| apartment in the waist of the town here
| somewhere j have tried to find him at
| such an address, only to discover that he
| had suddenly buried himself on Long Is
land And when ] went after him over
| there / would find that he had moved
| back to Manhattan. 1t was the longest
time before we could get him to come to
| the office at all. and after the ice was
| once broken he came very infrequently.
| "A rather distinguished scholar who
was born in The same town in which O.
| Henry was bOrn--Greensboro. y. C.-and
| grew up with him, came TO New York to
deliver an address some time ago. He
| wanted Porter. to hear him-they We're
old boyhood friends. Porter went over
to his hotel and spent the afternoon with
| him. but nothing would induce him to
attend the lecture, because he would have
| to meet so many people.
| But when you did run him down there
never was cheerier companion. He was
| very lOVable fellow. If he had been
willing to belong TO clubs and to go about
| there would have been no more popular
| man in the community"
| The nearest thing to club in o.
| Henry.s life was little cOterie of init
mates with whom he used to bowl at an
alley near the Hotel Brevoort. Gilman
! Hall managing editor of Everybody
| Magazine and William Griffith editor of
| the Traveller. two of his closest friends
said that only short while ago, after
| he had got through bowling with them.
! he began skipping quarters and half dol
| lars along the alley for the benefit of the
| attendants.
The humorist's first wife died before he
came TO New York, leaving him a little
daughter. This daughters name is Mar
garet Porter She is now eighteen years
old and successful short story writer
herself
A few years ago the writer married
Miss Sarah Coleman of Asheville. n. c.,
| who was in the south, or rather speeding
north. when her husband died. Mrs Por-
ter arrived in the city yesterday.
AS matter of record, he went to
| Texas while still boy and spent nearly
three years on the ranch of Lee Hall,
| the ranger. In 1894, to further an in
born literary ambition, he went to work
on the Houston Post. Two years later
he bought Brann's Iconclast for $3.50.
Later still he gave the title back to
Rolling Stone.
Experience in Central America.
| 1t lived only short time, however.
and then its editor and owner embarked
for Central America with a friend, who
intended to become interested in banana
raising, but did not.
Most of my time there" said O..
Henry. = knocked around among the
refugees and consuls.
Back to Texas he came. and for two
weeks after his arrival he tended a soda
water fountain in drug store.
| After the drug store experience o.
Henry drifted to New Orleans and thence
to New York. His wandering Influenced
his work Texas gives the setting for the
volume of short stories called THE Heart
O the West. Central America is the
scene of "Cabbages and Kings. The
Four Million. The Voice of the city
and THE Trimmed Lamp" are stories OF
New York city. The Gentle CRATER
is volume which has no home. Last
, year he wrote his only novel, Roads OF
gated short story.
Mr.. Hall. who. when editor of Aains-
lees. told o. Henry that If he would
come to New York he would pay hin,
81, 300 for twelve short stories per an
mum. said yesterday that the humorist S
regular price at the time of his death
was ~ cents word. He was careless
about money. though. the editor added
and frequently they would give him a
check for S1.GCO and tell him to write
them a story. This means that O. Henry
was among the four or five highest paid
writer's of his time.
j said Mr.. Hail. into which he used to
. pitch coins for the fun of the game He
would get over on the other side of the
room and see how many coins he could
land in the vessel This gave him so
much enjoyment that the bowl was kept
pretty full. and whenever he felt the ne
oe sni.;s he w,lii il / h.rs"lf from it,