The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-09-30

' HiSH- Kluchy -muckS
among lltterateurs. At the time she re.
read her novel she ran across state
inent OF one of the few real literary
sehluses OF the nineteenth century
lhat the school in which she had beep
oiousht up was very narrow one.
MISS Swift had accidentally struck n
theme Tor story that appealed very
strongly to her. She determined 70
| throw off the prejudices 70 which she
had been educated, give herself free
ZEN anu Write a Mildred Swift novel
cue soon became engrossed In her work
ana by the time she had half finished
II she seemed to walk upon the winds
WIN hghtness"-not that she was con.
SINUS Oh the value of this moving
without effort. Indeed. she doubted If
she We're producing anything of value
pecause 1t was so easy for her.
II mas been said that on Miss Swift's
nrst meeting with Mr.. Tymerson she
oesired his criticism. Now that thev
were lovers she dared not risk turn
ins us love INTO contempt by submit
ing 70 MIN any of her literary work
IN othcF matters She leaned on him.
TINS she kept within herself
When Mildred finished tho work IN
winch her whole being was absorbed.
she waited week to give her mind a
niue freedom from it, then read il
over. About the middle of the book |
she struck snag. Something went
against her. She became dissatisfied
with her work, tossed it into drawer
ana left 1t there for some time Then
olie gay she read it again 1t occurred
10 her she might remedy the blemish
tii'lt had upset her, and she did so. The
heAt DAY, without giving herself time
: 70 thlhh about It, She started it out on
> voyage among publishers. But. prin
cilaliH on account of fear that it might
! cost her her lover, she concealed tho
, authorship. After her manuscript had
: peel' returned with printed slip by
IS twelve publishers 1t was accepted by
the thirteenth.
= Meanwhile Tymcrson had accepted a
~ position as book reviewer for a maya
~ zine. He found that the stories used
u by publishers who were in the bust
al ness to make money were not the kind
ne ADMIRED himself. He soon learned
90 TO put MS personal opinions aside and
= speak well OF works that sold well. He
sc wrote few stories, but they were con-
~ sldered too thin for the public taste.
One DAY among the new books
w dumped upon his desk FOR him to read
IT. and review was a novel called MAR.
~ cias Problem" by Hester Gwynne
oi' He read it, but hardly knew what tc
tn say about 1t. It was not of the schoo
Ut he considered the acme OF literature
and 1t was not of any other schoo
re with which he was familiar Person
n- ally he had no use for It, He resolved
Y to write the only criticism he had eve
ct written, giving free vent to what h
n preferred to say.
y. THE book has been put together,
~ he said, with no regard whatever t
:, literary laws. 1t cannot be classe
- with dramatic fiction, with imagine
', tive fiction or with realism 1t is
- hodgepodge. Generally speaking, it
~ very bad. Nevertheless there are BIZ
:, here and there that indicate SON
~ ability on the part of the author 81
Is doubtless beginner who, if the
, were literary schools at which 81
y could learn the commonest principle
. underlying the telling of story, mig
- some day produce something of value
, Notwithstanding this criticism Il
;, public did-though very slowly-tal
fancy to "Marcia's Problem"
grew In favor and was read by q
classes. That is to say, it appealed
;, ooth intellectual and simple minde
:. persons. The reasons assigned for til
oy those who were disposed to ask ii
question was that it was human.
: was also unique.
1t was soon after Winslow Tymerso
ana Mildred Swift were married tha
Marc1a's Problem" began to attract tn
, attention OF the public, and this coca
stoned an overhauling Of the criticism
that had been written on It at tb
time of its appearance in print TIL
manager of the magazine with which
Wlnslow 1ymerson was connected wen
into his book reviewers office one da,
with a copy of the story and asked
him what he had said about 1t. Ty
merson got out copy of his review
The manager read it and said that
since 1t had probably been forgotten
which was true-Tymerson had better
write it up again. giving it better
sendoff. The reviewer had no option
on the matter, and. since his name was
not signed TO his reviews, he wrote a
; new criticism, beginning with the
words, This remarkable story, which
shows especial adaptation to construc-
ton on the part OF the gifted au-
thoress''-
One day when Tymcrson went home
after business his Wife showed him a
check for $4,000 she had received from
her publisher sandwiched between his
two criticisms on 'Marcia's Problem"
Il wrote that story. dear"
"You wrote it,
YES. | wrote it
II never heard Of your doing it,"
ITO tell the truth, dearie, when I
first met you | wanted your criticism