New-York tribune., 1920-12-05

IA people destined to provide
the worlds literature of the
future, the particular types of char
acter who are to mold the best sell
ers and accumulate a multitude Of
iron dollars from the products of
their writing skill.
The most recent winner of the
Nobel Prize for literature was con-
ductor on Chicago mule car before
electricity came along to give the
Missouri beast of burden q provi-
Dental rest The Nobel Prize win
ner showed no talent as collector
of nickels; was absent minded to the
point Of tragedy and lost his job.
Then he found he had greater and
more profitable stuff in him. He be-
gan to write books.
Her CirIhood Ambition
One Of Americas most prolific and
successful writer's is Mary Roberts
Rinehart, and while she never di-
rected mule car in Chicago, the
writing Of lurld detective stories, ro-
mantle novels, humorous short sto-
ries, plays and motion picture scena-
rios was about the last thing regis
tered in the hope chest of Mary Rob-
erts when she was graduated from a
Pittsburgh high school in 1894.
Nor did her aspirations lead her
to quest for higher knowledge in
the Vassars, the Wellesleys, the
Bryn Mawrs and q host Of other
standard and fashionable schools.
None Of these grand and idealistic
aims had place in the early specu-
Iations of the young woman from
Pittsburgh. Rather, she looked with
hopeful eyes on the great humani-
tartan side Of life and decided to be
a trained nurse that she might de-
vote a measure of her years, at
least, to the care of the sick and
the wounded
A great and noble ambition, too,
and she followed it this far: She
matriculated in the Pittsburgh
Training School for Nurses and fin
ished the course, and three days
after a gracious dean had delivered
unto Mary Roberts, still under
twenty, the coveted steel engraved
diploma, authorizing her to go out
into the world and minister to the
sick, the new nurse up and married.
Married one Of her patients? Hard
iy DR.. Stanley Marshall Rinehart,
chief surgeon in the particular hos
pital where Mary Roberts had fol-
lowed the arduous routine in her
training days, was there to make
sure that nothing of that sort hap
pened. He took her for his own,
and he did so hurriedly. The wise
and cautious doctor believed in safe
ty first.
1t was on q dark, dreary and
rainy day that James Shesgren,
Broadway optimist, who is more or
less concerned in Mrs. Rinehart's
career as successful dramatist,
called US aside and announced in a
throbbing whisper that Mrs. Rine-
hart was over from the old home at
Sewicl-ley, Pa, and was a guest at
the Waldorf and that he thought, If
the urge was sufficient, he could ar
range for an interview
Fifteen Minute. Plus
Mrs. Rinehart, carrying all The
charm that the efYervesccnt Mr..
Shesgren had claimed for her, sat
back comfortably and accepted the
challenge, and in a conversation
that was ceaseless and changing and
that lasted moro than fifteen min
utes, thanks to the delayed arrival
Of en- osteopath who had been or
dered to report and roll the kinks
out Of Mira Rinehart's stranded
nerves, she talked about the things
nc had done. the things she wanted
and advanced her bubblng
'r as 20 how the old world in
general ought to conduct itself, es-
pecially within the next four years
Of Mr.. Harding.
As to her own work, We knew be-
forehand that Mrs. Rinehart soon
was to accept q position on one
Of the most successful Of the ma
tional magazines catering to women
and thst II was rumored that the
salary that is to go with that Office
Is enough TO givs even most sue
cesafui editors a yigtng headache,
and while Mrs. Rinehart admitted
that shs was to take that particu-
lar edftorship, she didn't reveal the
secret Of the salary allowance, and
she ernphatically stated the point
mat she had no intention Of neg
lecting her numerous other works.
which already seem more numerous
and more complicated than the com
p'ned labors of \ half dozen OF