Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-03-06

most perplexing or the literary mys-
slerles was as to who wrote or was
writing the Waverley Novels The
first OF this series of romantic fiction
was entitled Waverley, and the others
that followed 1t simply bore the name
BY the Author Of i.WaverIey.," in
consequence of this incognitO the
author OF the Waverley Novels was
designated the Great Unknown
was as poet that Scott was
first to make literary reputation. He
took to. this form of literature to re-
trieve his financial misfortunes In 1918.
He had given practically no attention
to fiction until 1895. when he sketched
out the opening chapters Of Waiver
ley" When he needed money badly
he resurrected this old remnant man
uscript and resolved to complete the
story. II was published anonymously,
for which several reasons were given.
One OF these was that he considered
the writing of novels as beneath the
dignity OF clerk of the court of
sessions.
From 1913 1t was not until 1927 that
Scott formally divulged the secret.
Some years before this, however all
of Scott's friends knew that he was
the author of the Waverley series. as
we'll as great many others, but he
seemed to enjoy the novelty of hav-
ing the general public guessing as to
the authorship and no one read the
many articles written on the subject
with keener interest than did Scott.
Besides, he said that it relieved him
from the annoyance of foolish COM
pliments; and it was not improbable
curiosity about the Great Unknown"
keeping alive the interest in his works.
The secret was so we'll kept by
all to whom it was definitely entrust-
ed, and SO many devices were used to
throw conjecture off the scent, that
even SCOTS friends, who were GER
tain of the authorship from internal
evidence. were occasionally puzzled.
To make the secret still more of
mystery Scott kept on producing iR
his own name as great an amount Of
work as 1t would seem that the human
brain was able to produce and 1T Is
no wonder that the most positive in
terpreters Of internal evidence were
mystifled. Aside from all the literary
work that he was publishing under his
own name he wrote this series of
novels and at the same time kept open
house at Abbotsford in the fine old
feudal fashion and was seldom without
visitors. This fact made the author
ship of "Waverley" still more uncer-
tain When did he do the vast amount
of work that such bulky volumes would
require, if it was really Scott who was
writing them? This was the question
Even the few intimates who knew how
early he got up to prepare his packet
for the printer, and had some idea OF
the extraordinary power that he had
acquired of commanding his faculties
for the utilization of odd moments,
must have wondered at times whether
he, had not inherited the arts Of his
ancestral relation. Michael Scott and
kept a goblin in some retired attic or
vault.
From the first publication of WAY
erley'' many eyes have been turned
toward Walter Scott, and each sue
ceeding novel strengthened the belief
that to no other pen than his could
they be justly attributed. The only
question that brought doubt to his
denial of the authorship was the con-
fidence his friends and the public had
IL his veracity.
4 1t is the surmise of Robert Cham
bers, author OF the life of Scott. that
he kept the "Waverley'' secret with
such pertinacious closeness because
unwilling to be consider as an author
writing for fortune, while he must have
thought something degrading to the
baronet of Abbotsford.