The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-01
'cok review department, it was discovered

book review department, it was discovered that there were very few people who could write just the sort of book reviews the editor cared for. His assistants pre- scented & dozen or more aspiring candi- dates, but only one or two turned out the sort of work MT. Harris wanted. Finally he came into the office one day with a rather triumphant air, and announced that he had discovered a book reviewer who almost suited him.
 She was an old maid, he said, a woman of nearly 60. and she had lived in London. He had known her in Georgia before and during the war, and had always won dered why 1t was that she had never written anything. And he had lost track Of her only to resume an interrupted cor respondence year or two before. She had agreed to do book reviews and for ward the copy fom London. Her name was Anne Mcfarland, and she had a rather sour temper, and he preferred to edit the copy himself
 The office force noticed that Mir Harris had always copied off Miss MacFarland' s reviews on his own typewriter before sending them or bringing them to the office; and they also noticed in the, first installment that she had a style very like that of MT. Harris himself. When the managing editor ran across the word ''pestered'' in Miss MacFarland's "copy' he began to suspect that she was MT. Harris himself.
 Take a Chew of Tobacco
 But he did not tell "Uncle Remus." He waited for further and more conclusive evidence; and finally he got 1t, but even then he did not unmask the villain. He merely formed the habit, as did the rest of the staff, of sneerng at Miss Mac Farland's literary views in Uncle Remus' hearing, just to see how he would take it. He took 1t with chuckle and chew of tobacco to hide the chuckle, as a rule I; but he would be finally driven to a mild defense.
 Well, she's an old woman,' he would say, "and she's soured little on the world. These old women get a little caustic, you know. But I think she can write. Of course her style doesn't have the go to it you young fellows like. I've read better stuff, and I've read worse stun. She's not one of these rapid-fire performers you young fellows admire but maybe she knows what she's talk ing about after all, just as well as they do."
 We never admitted we liked Anne Mac Farland's style, and continued to stick up our collective noses at her work. Well, you know--shes just an old fogySjust an old fogy like me-" he would say. with a chuckle; you can't expect her to please real literary critics like you young fel- lows" And with this shot he would go out chuckllng.
 Gradually Anne Mcfarland assumed a more and more tangible form in MT. liar ris' imagination. She became the heroine of whole serial story which he built up around her. She was "buxoni lass' when he last saw her. he said, and sighed senticentally. Finally we ac- cused him of an early romance with her. and he denied it in such a way as 10 show that the idea pleased him, and thar he would not care If we believed 1t. He did 1t all so naturally and so casually l that in spite of our positive knowladee that Anne never existed, there were times when we believed in her
 We planned denouement for the fit- tie comedy, but it never worked out MT. Harris fell i'll, and the Anne Mac Tarland copy stopped coming in She was the last character he created.