The sun., 1916-11-12

y ~ u oitoiN
The Woman and Her Bonds and
Mr.. Maurice tells for the first time
the story OF this story.
Readers will remember that the ale
deals with the efforts OF Colwell, the
politest man in Wall Street, to aid the
widow OF a business friend, and at
the price Of 96 nc buys for her GER
tain bonds. Before long they drop to
80. and in spite of Colwell's assurances
the widow. Mrs. Hunt. is seriously
worried by this paper loss.
To save her anxiety Colwell hugs
back from her at 96 the bonds which
he then could have purchased i'm the
open market al 90. thereby experience
ing al actual loss to himself of 5000.
But when the market shows these
securities to have risen again TO %.
Mrs. Colwcll decides that she would
like to buy them back at 90. Colwell
tries to explain. but finds his efforts
useless.
Are not these the same bonds? 2" she
inquiries. Then why are they not my
bonds?" And through the rest Of her
life Mrs. Hunt is convinced that her
late husbands friend deliberately
robbed her.
The original OF ColwelL Mr.. Maurice
says, was Elverton Il. Chapman and
the scenes OF the story were laid in
the brokerage house of Moore & Schley
at so Broadway. in which Mr.. Chap
man was a partner: but lie Fevre had
no particular woman i'm mind when he
wrote OF the mythical Mrs. Hunt-hc
merely kept the sex as a whole before
him, and did his best. Yet when his
sister read the story she told him it
was a shame to poke fun at his own
mother; and his brother-in-la a
banker. told lie Fevre proudly that he
had at once recognized in Mrs. Hunt
a portrait Of his wife.
The story appeared in. hectares
MdOdsinc, OF which John S. Phillips
then was editor. MIR. Phillips read the
story to his wife. and when he had
finished Mrs. Phillips asked: Well.
why didn't Colwell give her back the
bonds?" Whereupon Phillips was con-
WINGED that II was q remarkable tale.
1t is also related that Booth Tark-
ington read the story aloud to his
mother and his sister. and that for a
long time afterward they did not care
to speak to him. Mr.. Maurice caps the
incident by stating that when he read
The Woman and Her Bonds Ia his
own mother sister the only CON-
ment was as follows: Wasn't IL
dreadful the way he robbed that poor
woman"
This little masterpiece was written
by lie Fevre at a single sitting. before
breakfast. Later many brokers de-
clared that they had told him all about
Mrs. Hunt. but they had not: she was
an imaginary composite OF the woman
investor as lie Fevre saw her.
David Graham Phillips laid some Of
the scenes Of his novel. odd Wives for
New" in the house belonging to Mrs
Osborn. facing Rutherfurd square. a
few doors below Seventeenth street. a
building which Phillips knew we'll
both inside and out a modern resi-
ienCe III far more than merely respcc
table appearance. and a decided con-
trast to the pie houses" O: Greenwich
Village. where Arthur Train obtained
a curious splash OF local color fol
The Man Hunt"
Situated just whore Barrow stree
joins Commerce. these form "A cluster
Of sinister looking buildings which Mr.
Train found years ago during some al
his wandorings about the city. In de.
sCribing them he writes: "Strangcls
enough. when the street turned the
house turned too. so hat half it's from
faced east and half north. The natlra
inference was that the inside OF the
house was shaped like a piece OF pie
with its partially bitten end abut,inl
on the corner"
4 third definite structure. OF n st!l
different type and neiChborhood. wa
discovered by Richard Harding Davis
in Thirty-ffth street. opposite the OLE
.Garrick Theatre. How or when h,
first came upon this building is no
known: but come upon It he did, an,
here laid scene Of his story Vera tn
Medium" describing details with hi
well known fidelity. and bringing l.
his readers the authentic atmospher
of thN!cinage.
When one attempts to recall novel
dealing with New York. certain local.
tics at once pop into the foreground q
remembrance: first of all, Washington
Square. as 1t was known 10 Hcnr
James, Brander Matthews. Henry ,
Gunner, l.. Marion Crawford; later Il
i has hcen pictured by Phillips, Ste
phen Whitman and many others. Tho
come into view the great. rambling
endless East Side, and lastly Polio
Headquarters.
~ course. there are others. hun
dreds of them, which have been chose
as the setting OF this book or that, an
poss. ,ly one OF the most familiar /
that mysterious region yclcpt Bohcmia
which may or may not ever have cx