The Washington herald., 1921-01-07

E=i=5=1'==74+=======;i=!fsIeN NHl HH"
"All the world loves a lover" are
the truest words ever written, ac-
cording to Miss Laura Jean Libbey,
seen at the New Willard yesterday.
HE is poor, indeed, who has never
had a romance in his life," she said.
From 16 to so the interest in the
! grand passion never dies, says the
woman who has written more love
stories than any other living writer,
and who receives daily at her
Brooklyn home from 200 to 800 let
ters from lads and lasses, bachelors
and spinsters, young and old, wed
and unwed. They read her books,
see a reflection Of their own heart
| problem, and sit down and pour out
their very hearts to Miss Libbey.
They are sure that she must have
an infallible knowledge of all ques-
tions of the heart.
And the odd thing about it ALL
said Miss Libbey, sis the sameness
of many of them. Only the other
day a young girl in Texas wrote
me the sad story of her sweetheart's
| detection in favor of another girl.
The same day came a letter from
Baltimore with an almost Identical
story"
Can't Resist EN-.
There is no age limit. she says.
| l. III a.
receive a pitiful message in the
| punctilious style of generation
ago. asking me what is the best
means to regain the affections of a
husband of so, who danced four
dances the night before with one
of the buds and would hardly look
at his wife all evening" she said
with a laugh.
And, oh the girls who are going
to elope-or do something else that
they think is desperate" she ex-
| claimed, Il haven't the heart to re-
sist these appeals, even though /
long since resigned myself to the
utter futility of attempting to an
swer all the letters receive. 1 oten
have to send the poor dears a tele-
gram
"A young reporter came to inter-
view me once when l was in Phila-
delphia," she said. After asking
me all the conventional questions he
confided his own love affair to me.
Do you know, Miss Libbey' he said.
that you have had a greater in
fuence in my life than any other
human being?' And then he told me
he and his sweetheart had used one
of my books in corresponding. He
would mark -
book, send the volume to her, and
she would return it with his nota-
tions erased, after underlining 9TH
ers in reply"
Miss Libbey makes her home in
Brooklyn at the present time. She
has not written for four years Il
am just having a glorious vacation"
! she said, with a twinkle in her blue
eyes. She was handsomely gowned
In brown and wore a large picture
hat in the same shade.
Paper Shortage stopped Pen.
Il stopped writing during the
war" she explained. when the
shortage of print paper made it nee
essary to reduce writing to only the
bare essentials. And l haven't vet
felt in the mood to resume writing"
she added. In winter l think, oh,
l shall start a book next SPRING
but then May comes and outdoors is
so attractive that cannot bring my
self to sit down at 10Y desk from
until noon and l untN l."
Miss Libbey does not really re-
member how many books she has
written. Il believe that | have writ
Ten four times more than any other
living writer, though she said.
Her first notable literary effort
was when she wrote composition
on "A Day in the Country" as A
grammar school girl of IA. The
teacher found it SO remarkable
that she asked her to try her hand
at another subject, Her School
mates" Her work soon reached the
ears of John Bonner, of the New
York Ledger.
Il will take this composition. lit
tie girl" he said. You shall have
IS for it, but I don't want YOU to
write another thing or see me again
for four years"
Bonner pointed out the need for
education, despite her ability. \
year passed, and, although she and
her friends scanned the paper faith
fully every day in the hope of see
ing the storp in print, it never ap-
peared.
At last she went to Bonner, but
he still held to his original stipu-
lation that she wait four years be
fore bringing him other work. She
Followed his instructions and when.
at 1S. her stories saw the light of
day with her own name in black
and white, her future was made.
From that time success came TO
her and she turned out book after
book until her name became A
household word.
No Plot to Begin With,
Il couldn't tell you where my
plots come from" she declared. Il
could sit down right here in Pea
COCK Alley" she said with a laugh.
and write you a thrilling story on
any theme you might select. i
couldn't tell you at the start what
would follow my first sentence
the rest would just come to me"
she added
Public affairs, the suffrage. the
possibility of women in the Cabinet,
many questions in which her sex
is interested-these matters do NOT
trouble Miss Libbey. There are
women who enjoy those things" she
said, but as for me, I prefer to lust
nWN aWrsw