New-York tribune., 1922-12-10

Of a daughter and ! did not recognize her
in the hotel lobby until Guy Holt called me
over Like most Southern women, she refers
always to her husband as Mr. Cabell, never
calling him James or Jim or Jimmy; indeed,
don't think any one in the world would
ever think Of calling him Jimmy and nobody
in the world except Sinclair (~Red") Lewis
would ever think OF calling him Jim. and
nobody in the world except Joseph (''Joe)
Hergesheimer would ever think OF calling
him James. And I'll bet they don't call him
either one Of those names TO his face.
Maybe "Red' would; he's such soeiabe sort
that it would be just like him TO address the
Archbishop Of Canterbury as Archie and
AnatoIe France as Nat and get away with il.
Joe, in one Of his expansive moods. might
look at Cabell with a confidential air
and say: Remember now. James. there
are only few OF US" and. talking
about Cabell to Carl Van Yechten and Err
nest Boyd. be might 20 50 far as to refer to
him a. Jim. But. somehow there is something
about the man-not an austerity or . for
bidding exterior; for he hasn't thoA: on
the contrary he is amiable, full OF jests and
smiling ironies. rather humble and shy and
unaggressiye-h he has a capacity for self
isolation in the midst Of a crowd or in con-
vcrsation with only one person, a certain re-
serve and inner dignity which tells you at
once that he doesn't wear his notions or his
emotions on his sleeve. You simply call him
Cabell, II you are friendly with or closely
acquainted with him, and Mr. Cabell IL you
are not, and II you are Mrs. Cabell you call
Ill III -.
compliment Of nomenclature and all is we'll.
don't know but what | like Il, probably for
the reason that never had a nickname my
self that stuck. I have been called "Rass"
and Burt and Bourbon" and once recently
even Birdie" but usually only by one person
and for very short time; they always come
back to Burton or to Rascoe, and confess
J am more comfortable when they do It's
probably because the two names are not easy
10 shorten and have no traditional variants
like Hal or Harry for Henry. Take II. L.
Meneken: Joe Hergesheimer calls him Harry,
George Jean Nathan calls him Menck. T. X.
Smith calls him Henry and his pastor and
ealal him Henie and each name seems 70 fit
him equally we'll. And there's DIR. Henry
Seidel Candy. You might call him Candy 4
but you would never call him Seidel or sidey
nor very likely Henry-he's somehow either
Candy or DR.. Candy and mostly the lat
ter. Carl Van Nechten Is readily
enough Carl or Carlo, but under no eireum-
stances Van or veeh; and Ernest Boyd is
simply Ernest Boyd or Mr. Boyd or Boyd
and not, no, not never. Ernie.
Mrs. Cabell told 1e that Cabel was "stil
fussing" about her choice OF place to take
a vacation this year. There wasn't any one
going where we've always gone this sum
mer. the place where Mr.. cabell wrote most
Of Jurgen and some OF his other books. so
] decided 10 90 10 the mountains instead.
He made awful fuss about IL. aud said he
couldn't work there, and after we came back
be said he hadn't been able 20 do a lick Of
work al SUMNER, his whole sumner had
gone t6 waste. and for me 70 tell Mr.. Holt
that his book wasn't even started yet. But
I'm not going 10 tell Mr.. Holt any lie about
IL; his book is most finished. On the porch
At the beach he had a certain little table
he liked 70 write on, and he complained that
the table We got for him in the mountains
had one leg that was short and the table
wobbled and he couldn't write. We fixed
It up By sticking something under the short
leg Of the table and made him as comfort
able as We could have to see to him just
like baby; he's the most helpless human
you ever saw in your life-and be wrote all
right bot grumbling all the time. Now that
he's back he pretends he hasn't written any
thing and that I'm 10 blame for il. for TAX
ing him to the mountains when he wanted
to 20 TO the beach, but know better. lie
just likes TO be stubborn. But I don't pay
any attention to him, just ignore him and
see that he has everything he wants. and