The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-08-05
!" Mistress of Mystery
Career of Carolyn Wells Be-
gan When She Heard First
Detective StOry-Chess and
Puzzles Her Hobbies
Nv GENE COIN
NEA Sprvicp Writer

a rainy day. A friend dropped in and
suggested that, to pass the time, she
read aloud to my mother and me. The |
hook was one Of Anna Katherine
Green's mystery stories. ] had never
before 50 much as heard Of detcc-
tive story was just girl then
but il got into my blood and has
rever got out
Thus does Carolyn Wells, Ameri-
cas- "mistress of mystery explain
how her career as one Of the worlds
| outstanding writer's Of mystery tales
! began.
This incident was but match tol
touch off well-prepared powder.
| Miss Wells, who off the book covers
! is Mrs. Hadwin Houghton, had liter
! nlly been raised on problems. Her
/ father came under the general mead
ing Of puzzle hound
a Puzzle Fan
j "He taught me to play chess when
was il mere baby" she recalls. And
he always had some sort Of puzzle
or problem about the house. l have
been an incurable puzzle fan.
They're all spawn Of the same
mystery tales. magicians' tricks.
crossword puzzles, chess. charades,
cards. checkers. writing jingles and
hunting down rare books and an
ttaues. Each involves some form Of
problem. One must have a corner in
the brain that works that way.
MY first volume was collection
of chara,es. At that time charades
had quite the same vogue as cross
word puzzles have today
Books Of jingles, antholOgies and
, children's books came in legion from
! her pen.
! A for detective and mystery tales
!. Miss Wells is lOked upon as one Of
the leading authorities. She is an in
defatigable reader. Publishers III
! every part of the world have hel
:, name on their lists and she receives
= every volume in every language If i
i concerns mystery or CRIME. From
!. her wealth Of information she wrot,
: textbook on the writing of detec
;. tive, ghost and mystery stories whicl
has no peer. Her latest work, 9TH
Vanity Case" will appear in Til
!. Bismarck Tribune, beginning Aug.
: Everything Has . Solution
; "And yet nothing is mystery 7
= me- she smiles.
!. "Mystcry is form Of Ignorance q
!; superstition. Everything has =
:, answer and, generally, quite simpl
- one. I've read thousands Of book
- on all the things purported to b
&c mystery, and I've gone straight to tn
bottom. I'm ready to state, from NJ
own viewpoint, that there are =
mysteries. Everything has sol'
ton"
Miss Wells has little patience vii
the mystery stories and crimes
real life. She refuses to follow mu
e der mysteries in newspapers.
"They lack the rounding-out ~
,er lack FORM" she asserts. "They =
t. scattered and jumpy and rarely wo
Ct out right
tor She is bridge addict.
col Il work lot, but ! play brid
ro- more than l work." she admits.
tie course she plays only with expei
and her chess games are with cha
e's pions.
ote Aptly enough, her marriage has
me- romantic link with her love Of pro
on- lens.
ce. She had been creating puzzles
NIX all sorts for various magazines.
old And one of the most avid fOilowt
!. Of her puzzles was Hadwin Hought'
He was one of the fans who follow
any intricate problem presented
magazines. He sent in scores OF pri
winning solutions. Thus kinsl
sprung up between two people
- had never met. One created the p'
d xles, the other solved them. Fina
thew met and romance solved tn
- heart problems.
'ers DOtes On Intficuit tasks
nth Difficult tasks of all sorts intrit
ion this highly interesting personal
,ro- When ordinary. problems lose tn
,uld zest she sets out on self-lmpo
un- quests.
be- Thus two years ago, during a G
The versation among writer friends,
in. suddenly expressed the determinat
ocal to become collector Of rare boo
She suggested collecting Walt WI
man and her friends laughed.
ut can't be DONE" they said.
the rare Whitman's are collec
- You're too late" Today she has
III worlds best Whitman collection.
Gently she secured paper-cOve
ftcr copy Of the 1866 edition of LEA
thin Of Grass" In rarity it ranks v
tion the Gutenberg Bible or the first +
hted Of Shakespeare.
ship "And I've done it all without Il
ough ing this room." she says proudly.
ward worked out the campaign, just q
made mystery plan would be worked
studied to learn where such thi
ition could be found. wrote and lnqui
tn sending requesss to every part Of
e Of nation
The She secured an astounding col
Max ton of early American glasswar
.rary the same fashion.
For, you see, it's all part Of
gar same thing--a problem waiting t
,ated solved.
the Which is why the author OF
de- Vanity Case" is mistress of ]