The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-15
~ WILLIAM =. NICHOLs.

Mary 8. watts is a novelist In whom
The public il much interested. This in
tseost cones from her hooks solely. for
VIZ little Is known about the person.
atty Of the author OF nathan Burke"
ivan Cieve' and THE Rudder." And
persistent inquiry discloses hut few
facts, for Mrs. Watts prefers rather to
~ her books speak for themselves. Yet
she always greets the would be inter-
viewer cordially and gives him the i'm
preston that she is telling him Just what
he wants to know. The result is that he
leaves her presence wholly charmed with
her manner but when he comes to ana
lyse his notes he fnds that instead OF
having the usual material as to birth.
education. special interests and remark
able experiences Of the sir in which
70 many OF our popular writers indulge.
he has instead the record Of an exceed
ingly pleasant conversation on a va
riety Of general topics. a conversation
which Mrs. Watts has led away from
herself as often as possible. but which
- characterized by the wit and brill
fancy which have made her books so
popular.
Not very long 4 a reporter put to
Mr.. Watts the usual question: what
have you done? The public wants to
know. What strange or remarkable ad-
ventures have been yours" Here was
her reply.
II feel very highly complimcnted by
he public interest. but I'm afraid I can't
Justify II. In fact you inquiry for per-
sonal experience Is perhaps itself one of
the most interesting personal experiences
! have had 20 far. The plain truth is
nobody ever had a dullcr time of 1t liv-
ING or q more commonplace life. And
oven II you ave unusual and funny
things to tell. and I haven't. IL is a hard
matter TO talk about oneself. II you
talk about yourself all the time you end
By boring people to death II you don't
talk about yourself at all they look On
you with A certain suspicion. The posi-
! 10 difficult and made more so in the
case Of an author by the fact that pco-
pie absolutely refuse TO believe that one
may write stories and yet be a perfectly
ordinary person. not looking In the least
like Marie Bashkirtscff or Amclie Rivcs.
and not acting hat way. either.
However, ] will say that ! was horn
lat . date which I refuse to divulge) in
that Scioto River country which | have
attempted to describe in some of my
writings. OF course. ! began writing
when I was a youngster and kept IT W
In q desultory way until a few years age
when I went at it in earnest. My OK
poriences were exactly those OF every
beginner. I wasn't like a lady who re-
Gently sale TO me. Did you have a hard
time getting things accepted? Well.
that Just shors. I always have said
that I couldn't possibly he a genius be-
cause they alrdys take everything
write As I have never seen ANYTHING
she wrote I do not now whether thi.
10 an accurate test Of a genius or not.
It's almost too simple. ! might have
told her that ] still have trouble getting
things accepted. which should certainly
0linch the argument about genius. but
It's impossible TO make people believe
THAT. They think all I have to do Is 10
send in a story and get a check by re-
turn mail"
II was at this point that a question
vas put in as to what Mrs. Watts's
Arst literary acceptance was.
Tho first I ever got into print" she
replied, were two or three short stories
Every one enters by that door. | sup.
pose. But the fact is a short story is a
tour de force with me. my style %
deed, they take n higher i--ies 81
study and skill. and much more vigorou,
Inspiration. han a long novel This
wal told by a young lady here, upor
my remarking on the difficulties I hat
with short stories. and as she write.
short stories herself. she ought to II
These first Of mine that appeared natu
rally created some stir here where ! an
known everybody proceeded to thrus
greatness upon me to my infinite dis.
taste. Everybody except one person