The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-19
NOVEL Al 49,:


Fanny Butcher Of the Chicago Trib-
une. who used TO be a pupil Of ID
win Herbert Lewis. author Of Those
About Trench" (Macmillan), recently
undertook I interview her former
teacher. who has published his first
novel at ~ and has astounded MS
friends with "A tale about h Balkans.
Of which hone Of them conceived him
to have any more knowledge h the
next fellow. This Is Miss Butchers
story of the interview:
He was comfortably settled In a big
chair, putting away at a pipe that mad
"sa~tisfaction guaranteed giowinS
from It's shiny brown bowl.
Didn't you tell me one time that
YOU wrote Trench to get II out OF
your system" I asked.
Yes, that was the hrst draft OF
the thing. There were six hundred
pages OF Il, mostly philosophy. doubts'
fears. I showed II TO everybody who
would read Il. They mostly said /
| couldn't put il across. They didn't
| do a thing to II. I threw the manu-
| script in the FIRE"
And then you ished It OUT /
limited.
mo. Mrs. Lewis did. II was up
at Encampment, where We nave n
big fireplace. You can't be tragic with
a manuscript in Chicago-cant throw
i, into a register or a radiator. you
know. We had a regular scene-nt
| for the movies. Man scowling. lady
| c!asp!ng charred paper, Great stun
your story must have gone through
something more n
though. It's not six hundred pages
long now. and there's only the slight
es, hint OF philosophy In II. It's d
story. and in the second part a mighty
thrilling one. It's so thrilling that II
doesn't sound real. Id never have
suspected OF OF George Barr Nc
Cutcheoning."
"Aud OF course I wouldn't, my
child. When a man gets into his
torty-ninth year before he writes his
frs, novel ne doesn't write stun that
he doesn't believe
I You don't mean TO say that You
| knew about the conspiracy to assas-
| s:nate the Archduke Ferdinand ]
| said. with a real feeling OF awe N
n heart.
Not knew. but know. When ! de-
! cided on my story I set about getting
the truth about II. I have right now
| up In my study thirty letters or more
! from every one from Ambassadors
I. down 10 boys who were around AT the
| time. have a boyhood friend. the
court, painter at Berlin, whom I met
when WAS rs. We have cor
| responded for twenty years. and NJ
! last I was able to use his friendship.
sent him down 20 Vienna. The Ger
man Ambassador TO Austria ana the
Austrian Ambassador TO Germany got
together and gave out the information
which I have put into Trench I nave
| that letter. signed by the Teaser h!m-
self"
II thought all OF that was pure Nc
| ton" gasped, Surely no one in
Chicago knew about the plot; there
! never was IA Saadl"''
AN. there is the fiction. wanted
some one to exemplify my contention
that the mechanical theory of III"
breaks down under the sweetening in
fiuences OF life" he smiled.
There's another thing" ! said.
VIVA, about the Balkans When
were you there last?'
Never he answered.
81 couldn't have written Trench II
II hadn', been for my friends, books
AS we as people he concluded, Il
| d,C', st,ppos any man can write a
book nowadays without his friends.
what with the many faced modern life
| and the demands az the public that a
hook renect all of life and ~ lust n
| corner OF H."