The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-26
English Novelist Repaying
Elders for Making Liter
ary Life Possible
MISS BRADDON TO
PUBLISH NOVEL
Was IS Years Old Last Week and Is
Having Seventy Fourth Novel
Printed in Celebration of the
Happy Event
BY HAYDEN CHURCH


Cling with poverty in America, think Of
his wonderfully sudden rise to fame and
wealth? Are they surprised at the re-
r-arFable prosperity In which the au-
tnor of '"The Broad Highway" and 9Th,
Money Moon is basking, or is It only
what they expected?
These questions occurred to me the
other day on finding myself. more or
less Unexpectedly, in Lee, the suburban
place southeast of London where Jeffrey
Farnol passed his youth, and where his
father and mother, both virile old people
still reside. Farnoi himself, of course
has acknowledged the heavy debt which
as an author as well as a man, he owes
to both his parents and has told in How
| Began Of the practical assistance
given by both In following his literary
| bent. As the result of my call upon the
elder Farnols, however I am able tc
give some interesting details in connec-
tion with their sons literary beginnings
which have not previously been published
and what is even better worth while, tc
tel how the young author, in a ma
| terial. as well as a sentimental way, is
| repaying the debt of gratitude which he
owes to his progenitors.
/ London Pays $3.50 for 1t
The coming Christmas season, it seems
| has been chosen for the publication, In
| book form, of Farnols Honorable Mr..
Tawnish," which already has been pub
lished serially in an American maga-
zine. Largely responsible for her son
| success, Mrs. Farnol proves to be en-
tirely so for the publication of this early
work of his the story connected with
| which is quite little romance. 1t was,
| THANKS to Mrs. Farnofs encouragement
and support. one should explain, that
he was able in the first place to follow
| his bent of story writing after leaving
school Later on she typed all his work
| for him and became his critic, on whose
sound views he learned to rely.
| When he had already made success
| with other novels the question of re-
publisrin% some of his earlier work arose.
| His mother had always thought hi7hly
of ''The Honorable Mr. Tawnish." Turn
ing to his critic on the hearth, the author
said suddenly:
Look here. mother why not rout out
Mr.. Tawnish? You have been very good
| to me, and | can never properly repay
you. But IL you can do anything with
Mr.. Tawnish you shall have it,
| The book was routed out from an
old drnvErer, II was touched up and added
to and London firm of publisher
! prom 'v offered $3.50 and handsome roy
alties for 1t. Truly generous gift. which
| the delighted mother values lot more
/ for the affectiouate spirit which prompt
ed It than for it's pecuniary result to
herself.
| What do you think OF your sons
! success?' said I to H. j. Farnol as
we sat In their comfortable little draw
| ing room
at is amazing to me-" he replied SIM
| ply. Il knew the boy was clever but
I never dreamed of such immediate sue
cess.
! "In his earlier years. after leaving
school here at Lee, I was rather s'septical
as to the wisdom OF permitting him to
remain at home writing short stor es
which sometimes were published and
| sometimes were not.
II was rather strongly impressed by
| the view of his relatives that T was
encouraging him to grow into an idle
syoung fellow
7 'sFis mother, however. was confident
! of his ability, had firm faith that II
was onlv question of time before he
would do something great; and as |
have the greatest respect for my wife's
literary Judgment gave way"
Later In the interview Mrs. Farnol, the
noveist's mother, and his critic mar
rated many instances of the splendid
| Use TO which her boy had put the riches
! which had come to hinl--stories of friends
| helned on the path of success. famil es
| raised from destitution to comfort, an6
| of generosity to his parents and rela-
tives
The author meanwhile, is not RESTING
| on his laurals. He has four new books
on the stocks now. one of which. a me-
diaeval romance somewhat of The For
est Lovers type, is believed by his peo
pie to be the hest thing he has done
Most of his work, they say, is done al
night. Beginning at 10. when the house
is quiet, he works far on into the morn
ing hours. taking his rest in the later
ones, before noon.
After youth. age; if one really car
call Miss Braddon old. The authoress
lof Lady Audley's Secret" was rs last
week and celebrated her birthday by
publishing her seventy-fourth novel
miranda" is the name of 1t and re-
viewers declare that it moves with a
swing and is full of an originality that
many a younger novelist might envy
Apropos of its appearance friend OF
the venerable authoress has been re-
calling how Lady Audley's Secret
came to be written. A new magazine
had lust been started with good deal
of preliminary advertisement of Its
serial. AT the last moment. however
something happened to the serial and
it could not come out. The predicament
got noised about and Miss Braddon
quite young girl, went boldly to the
editor and asked to be allowed to sup
ply the deficiency But. my dear
young lady, the opening chapters will
have to be in print by tomorrow" "Yot
shall have them" And by the next day
he did have them, and Lady Audley'
was the enormous success that middle
aged readers remember.
''HOwlers" Make Good Reading
The "howlers" perpetrated. or sup.
posedly perpetrated. by school children
make popular reading the world over
Some of the best that one encounters
are pretty obviously made up by per
sons long out of school--Barry Pain Is
supposed to be responsible for a good
ly numher-but the assortment o.
"howlers" that Yellowstone of the mos
entertaining that one remembers read
1, ing--is warranted genuine. They are
recorded in a report just issued on sec
rondary education in Scotland, ane
amply confirm the legend of lack OF
humor north of the River Tweed
Among other things. these school chill
dren were asked to define Job.
comforter" and the following delicious
answers We're given: "a wooden muf-
fler worn around the throat "A thins
to give a baby the patience OF Job,
and something very pleasing, for Jol
4 was placed inside the whales belly
and it was very pleasing for him to ge
out again"