Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-06-28
THE LIBRARY TABLE
Bv the BOOkiOrpr.

luck stories Is to ne found In Alger
non Rlackwood's autobiogra ply Of
youth. Episodes Before Thirty"
Coming To- Toronto from England at
the age of 20. with an allowance Of
a hundred pounds "A year from his
father. AlgernOn BlackwoOd felt that
the world was his oyster" But sue
cess fingered. He first clicked amps
in the back Office Of the Tempera nee
and General Life Assurance Com
pany." then accepted eagerly job
on the Methodist Magazine at four
dollars a week. His connection with
Methodism ceased not because he was
dismissed or failed to give satisfa c ton,
but because, unfortunately for him,
he at this time received all the CAPT
tai he would ever haVe--twO thousand
pounds. TO his youthful inexperi-
ence this seemed large sum and
he fell an easy victim TO the first
person Offering an investment for his
funds. He went into partnership with
a farmer and started the lslington Jer-
sey Dairy a short distance outside
Toronto. Much capital was invested
In fancy milk carts. with the part
ners names in black lettering on a
yellow background. But the milk per-
sisted in souring and customers de-
serted. so after six months the Arm
of Cooper II Biackwood dissolved
partnership, "Blackwood having got
the experience and Cooper having got
something quite as useful. but more
marketable" After this venture. only
six hundred pounds remained and
with this the young capitalist went
into another partnership. which also
lasted only six months. This time
1t was q hotel company. The chief
income was to be from the bar and
1t took Blackwood some time to make
up his mind to this. as he had been
brought up in the home OF q father
who was 4 temperance reformer. He
finally overcome his scruples but the
sacrifice of principle was in vain. for
the Hub Company failed, as the dairy
company had done. and then there
was no capital left.
Real hard luck began then. There
followed a, period of sordid poverty
and undesirable associations in New
York. Mrs. Bernstein's rooming house
on East 18th street, third floor back,
breakfast included. for eight dollars
week, seemed cheap enough, but
the eight dollars were rarely paid. In
this wretched room. where the fight
against insects had to be continual.
Blackwood and Kay, his partner OF
the hotel enterprise. established their
home. Kay became an actor and
Blackwood reporter. The earnings
Of both were 80 small that their meals
were frequently composed OF oatmeal
and condensed milk. cooked over a
gas burner, and dried apples followed
by copious draughts Of hot water. to
create a sense Of repletion and allay
the pangs Of appetite. Here they
were Joined by another impecunious
Englishman. Arthur Boyde, who
shared their small crowded room for
months, without contributing to ex-
penses. and even swindled his friends
out of clothing. personal belongings
and what scanty cash they acquired.
But the story Of Arthur Boyde, which
ended in the Tombs City Prison and
the Blackwells Island Penitentiary,
covers many chapters of the book
There was also the German doctor
Otto Huebner. who cared for Black
wood through a serious illness and
then, himself an addict, initiated him
into the morphine habit. The New
York phase was terminated by news
Of the discovery Of gold in the Rainy
River district In the northwestern
corner Of Ontario. Blackwood imme
diately set out for the scene. 1T
was spring. the primitive instinct 10
strike camp and move on was in the
blood, a nostalgia for the woods was
in 1t, too. And. truth to tell, 1t
was not so much the lure OF gold that
called me as the lure Of the wilder
ness" OF course. no gold was found
and In a few months Blackwood was
~tvrOr = a
blankets from his bed at intervals
and getting a. large proportion Of his
meals at free lunch counters with 5
cent glasses Of lager. Many of his
nights were passed on a bench in Cen.
trail Park or beneath the trees OF
Bronx Park. An interval Of play.
acting now broke the nonotony Of
his free-lance journalism. An adven'
ture into the perfumery business also
enlivened this period. A position on
the staff of the New York Times at
S35 a week seemed to him afhuence.
He says, ION the Times was happy.
Another stroke of good luck made him
private secretary to the millionaire
banker James Speyer. His fortune
seemed made, but just before he
reached the age Of 80 growing desire
to return to his native England be-
came Irresistible. His troublous dec
ade from 20 to 80 ended as he FIRST
saw the blue rim Of Ireland rise above
the horizon "A shutter dropped. ]
entered a totally new world.
My American episodes were finished"
X X r n
The injurious effect produced upon
the life and happiness of BalZac by
the woman he so long and devotedly
iv1
book. Eve de BalZac." by Charles
Leger. 1t is evident that NJ. Leger
considers 1t would have been far bet
ter for Balzac If the selfish Polish
beauty, Nine de Hanska, had devoted
| herself to her old husband and her
Ave children and had never taken 1t
into her light head in 1882 to write
that first letter of admiration to the
French genius. However, she did
write it. and Balzac. led by some evil
spirit, replied warmly. and their long
love affair began. 1t was understood
from the first that as soon as the old
would marry, but Nine. de Hanska
put Balzac off for nine years after the
death of her husba nd-yearS in which
his struggle with financial obligations,
moor health and hope deferred made
life for him r. rather discouraging af'
fair. During those years Nine. de
Hanska, wealthy and free, pretended
love for him, but did nothing to help
or encourage him. She finally mar
ried him only few months before his
death, and apparently paid little at
tention to him in his last days. M.
I1eger quotes the famous account by
Victor Hugo of his visit to Balzac' $
house on the day Of his death. when
he found him alone with servants.
Nine. de Balzac was absent. M. I,eger
also quotes Octave Mirbeaus story
that while the great novelist was
diving Nine de Balzac was entertain
ing the painter Gigoux in her private
apartment. M. Leger thinks all these
things justify the epithet applied to
Nine. de Balzac by Henri Bordeaux