The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-18
FINE EXPERIENCE
OF WOMAN NOVELIST
L Taught Her HAT Life and Work
Come Easier When Folk Take
the Treuble 10 Praise.
By FRANCES sHAFFER

4
Once. fisuratively speaking. a woman
awoke one fine morning to find herself
grown famous. She had written novel.
and had welded her pen so cIeverly that
the men and women of her fancy rang
with the art Of their creator. and seemed
| to have just stepped out from life.
| As she read all the gracious tributes
from the appreciative press she was sent
right up In the clouds of contentment.
ior the critics praised the intensity of
| ner theme. the exceeding grace OF her
pen, her vivid characterization and doz-
ems Of other things very dear to makers
of books.
And she thought there was no,b,,,
more TO De said. But there was. and ,ba
| found II out when the individnaI Is,t.-.
| came pouring in. letters written bv foIk
who told her all sorts of things
some came from men and women who
SAID That she must have spent years ana
years. close to the throbbins heart ~
humanity, because she seemed To fsel ana
know the wide range of human emotions
TO an extent not learned through books,
and that nothing but life itself could
have taught her 80 well.
Others told her they had SAT nm al,
night to follow her book-folk through
the storm and stress of their lives and
at~last to go with them into the beautiful
haven where the big gates were fiun1
wide open to happiness They had Rad
II once, and they had read It all over
again, again and again.
One She Liked Best.
But there was one that pleased hsr
more than all the rest, for IL told how
her story had reached straight home 10
the faitering hearts Of one man and one
woman and 1t seemed to have been writ
ten Tor them alone, of all the world.
They had had their chance at hapni
ness, the letter said. wonderful chance
not given to many-had had II. but some
now II had taken swift wings, urged
along by many sure winds And vhen
the story fell into their hands they wera
planning to go their separate ways. for
ever and forever. But they had followed
ner novei-folk along paths very much
like their own. had watched their fool
ish tumbles. felt all their sore hurts
their wounded pride. had seen the little
nit within the lutte" at the very begin
ning-had seen and felt II all And Al
the last, when the novelist opened the
eyes OF her make-believe folk TO m.
sorry way they were travelling and
guided them away from the DANGEROUS
shoals TO the port of love and life
n.
tnere. that that port was the only right
place for them
And 1t was she that had made them
see the one side, then turn around and
look at the other, and for them her story
was long. true chapter from life.
Fell a-wonderins. 90
And as the novelist read the letter
and knew that her work had borne real.
human fruit. she was giadder and proud
er OF that one rich testimonial than of
all the other fine things that had been
said And she felt sure that II there
was any more art in her. those words
OF appreciation would be certain TO
bring II out
And then she fell a-wonderine-
Why was IT. she asked herself. that
some men and women had such warm
natures. and why that of her thousands
OF readers, all probably more or less
Pleased, there were some in whom the
JOY In the reading Just dubbed rrp until
II overnowed. and they were not salts
fed unless she caught some of the rare
excess? Others read and enioyed inst
the same, she fattered herself, but n
was not their way to tell il; it never &C.
CURED to them that IL would bring a
song to the heart of the writer to hear
the little intimate words telling how the
happy thoughts had leaped from her TO
her pupnc' ana now they had been the
richer for the reading.
She Was One of the silent.
And then she paused. For all of a sud
den a different question came pounding
home-Why, why should she expect what
she rarely gave? Did 1t ever, at least.
did 1t often occur to her to throw a few
beautiful flowers in the way of the folk
who contributed to her pleasure? She
had written one little story and the men
and women of her fancy had brought
her many welcome rose and there she
was wishing for more, wondering why a
small fraction OF the world was warm
hearted and very responsive, while the
rest was chilly and silent. And she her
self was one of the silent Yet she knew
very Wen that che roses pleased, pleased
author-folk and the humblest kind of
toiler.
And she promised herself. 20 she said.
not to bother so much about the roses
received as those she had reason to scat
ter.
And, as for the rest of us-well, one
reckons 1t Is true that from the maid
in the kitchen to the queen on her throne,
work and life come easier for those two
little words, well done"