The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-07-15

tanning the continuation Of the nara
tive, was met as she drew mp at the
pier by an anxious crowd waiting for
tidings Of the fate Of little Paul. But
we need not 90 across the Atlantic for
examples Of the intense interest that
was taken in the fate Of Paul Dombey.
/ In England coaches were intercepted on
their way from London 70 provincial
towns, and the booksellers parcels ran
sacked for the green-coyered monthly
number, while passengers from town
We're eagerly questioned, What about
little PaulsN One recalls. too, story
of a book Of the past The inhabitants
Of an English village set the church
bells ahnging when, having read with
/ breathlcss interest some eight or nine
volumes Of Richardson's "Clarissa Har-
lowe" they found that in the teuth Or
eleventh the heroine was about TO be
happily married
And not infrequently the popularity
Of some books has been so great that
the free lending Libraries have been be-
sieged by those anxious to read them but
who could not afford to purchase copies.
Mrs. Burnett's delightful Little Lord
FauntleroyH was a case in point. People
almost went crazy over It, and even
stern old maids would unbend and digni-
fed young ladies would lose an sense
Of deeorum when they were wanting il.
They would wait for hours outside the
libraries for the borrowers who were
returning the copies, and watch them
lsafely buck. 20 that they could be among
the first TO take them out again Their
vigilance exercised III "spottingr their
return was worthy 0f a better cause,
and there were often serions thoughts
Of calling ID the police, for II seemed
sometimes as though the elamoring
claimants would not stop at physical
force if thereby they might obtain the
books "A somewhat similar state Of
things occurred 10 many places when
Hall Gaines "Manxmans was published
In Edinburgh the most extraordinary
demand sprang up for it at the Libraries.
A lady on asking for the book in one
Of these was delighted when told she
could have ii if willing to he the eigh-
tecnth in turn. for. she said: 1--WE
tried three libraries before and the lows
est turn I could get anywhere is the
ninetieth"
There are, however. few phases Of the
romance Of books so interesting as the
origins of famous works as will be APP
parent from couple Of Illustrations
Soon after Treasure Island had ap.
peared and attracted public attention to
Robert Louis Stevenson, two gentlemen
were travelling up TO London from Nor.
folk One Of them was reading Treas
ure Island" Presently, having finished
the book, be dropped 1t into his travel
ing bag remarkng: We'll, I think
could myself write a better chiid's story
than that The other, who. by the
way, was his brother, urged him to try,
Six weeks afterward, the former handed
to the latter a complete tale In manu-
script. Ii was king Solomon's Mines,
the first novel that made a reputation
for Mr. Rider Haggard. It was Mr.,
Henry James who suggested to the late
George du Maurier that he should write
novels The artist-novelist once described
the episode which was TO make him as
famous with the pen as be was with
the brush. st was one day while we
were walking on Hampstead heath. We
were talking about story writing and
said to himi If ! were to try, It seems
to me that / should have no difficulty
about plots | have In my head now
plots for fifty stories. I'm always work
ing them out for my own amusement.
WELL he said, 'it seems to me that you
are very fortunate person; / wish
you'd tell me one OF those plots. Then
d told him the story Of 'Trilby'
don Globe.