The Washington herald., 1912-05-05
PERSONAL NOTES.

PERSONAL NOTES.
Less than two weeks after the publ
cation OF Miss Emma c. Dowdfs story.
Polly Of the Hospital staff.r the sales
had neeessitated the printing OF E.ooo
eopies-an unusual record for = first
novel.
Ars. Kate Douglas wigsfn. the popular
author OF Mother carey's Chickens and
''Rebeeca, &C. sailed from New York
on the caronia last week. A spring visit
70 the British Isles has become regu-
lar part OF her life. and this year she
Is going arst 70 Irelano.
Miss VILLAS. Gather. whose first novel.
"Alexander's Bridge" has Just been pub
lIshed by HougEton- -Mlfiin Coarpkny. was
born IN Virginia and reared IN Nebraska,
but has spent most Of her Life IN Pitts
burg and New York. Her book Is IN no
way competitor OF ..Elwelrs Bridge" I"
as some Of the booksellers seem to have
imagined, for It's hero is a great en-
gineer, a builder Of bridges. q man Of
power and various charms whose life
Is greatly Influenced by two women. The
story had q very successful run IN one
OF the magazines under the title OF
"AIexander's Masquerade."
Archibald colquhoun. author Of ~china
IN Transformation. had some long and
intimate conversations with DR.. Sun Vat
Sen Just before the latter sailed for China
DR.. Sen explained to Mr.. Colquhoun the
plans which the reform party intended 10
put into action. and empowered him 10
make them public. He also said that he
was seldom without q copy Of China In
Transformation" having In his wander
ings purchased as many as fifteen for
himself and his friends That work came
from the Harper press last week in q
new edition. is really new book with
several additional chapters and the older
matter carefully revised and brought up
to date.
There has been much speculation AZ to
the author OF The Autobiography Of
an Elderly Woman" which was publish
ed anonymously by Houghton Mifiin
Company last autumn, and. for some rea-
son or other. the book was very generally
credited to Mrs. Margaret Deland. The
publishers have just announced that the
author OF this videly-read and mueh-dis-
cussed book Is Mrs Mary Heaton Worse.
whose other books The Very Little Per-
mans Wife," as well a. her frequent
magazine stories. have made her name
well known to the reading public.
Frederick Remington was once stranded
IN a small Western town with only a
quarter toward his passage East. says J.
Henry Harper. who writes much of Rem
ington In his recently published book.
Tho House OF Harper" On entering
the baroom Of the Inn. Remington mo-
ticed that two professional gamblers
were plucking at poker q man who was
apparently an Eastern drummer. REM
ington suggested . the stranger that he
had better stop and 90 to bed. and antici-
pated trouble by whipping out his gun
and making the sharpers hold up their
hands. Barricading the door Of the bed
room he shared with the tenderfoot. he
sat up all night with his gun. and gave
rustlers tried to get in The stranger
was so grateful that he invited Reming-
ton to accompany him TO New York.
Miss Edna Ferber. author Of Dawn
o'Hara." is 9 resident Of Chicago
where she has been for some time con-
nected with the newspapers. One of the
most popular Of her short stories. THE
Man Who Came Back" was written"
says Miss Jeannette Glider. who, by the
way, Is an enthusiastic admirer OF Miss
FerbeTs work. under most unpropitious
circumstances The family was moving.
and the house was In a state Of confu-
sion. Things were being sold on that
were not going into the new house. and
everything was hurry and hustle. Up
stairs the mother was busy packing. and
downstairs the daughter sat In the bare
parior pounding out The Man Who
would scarcely get q sentence written
before she was interrupted by a neighbor
who wanted to buy q portiere. or re-
frigerator. or q hreless cooker, then back
she would ny to the machine, and In this
way one Of the little classics OF American
fiction was written"
The autobiography of Mary Antin, q
young Russian immigrant. Is published
this week by Houghton-Miffiin Company
under the title Of The Promised Land"
Chapters from this book which have ap-
peared serially In the Atlantic Monthly
have aroused unusual interest. and the
complete story win be without question
one Of the important books Of the year.
The author says Of her narrative: IT am
one whose life has spanned the eddies
of historic transitions. / can testify to
things beyond memory. Born in q Jew
ish pale in the midieval atmosphere Of
dark corner Of Russia. early ned from
the scourge Of despotism and took shell
ter under the American nag. I brought
nothing with me but my memories OF an
old order Of things and great hunger for
the bread OF freedom. How I was fed
and taught and helped TIL the scars Of
my early martyrdom were effaced. how
the democratic institutions of America
carried me In a decade through as many
centuries CT progress-that Is the story