The Washington times., 1934-09-10

- due to ap-
pear this fall Helen Essary
.. in four vOlumes!
The Richmond gentleman
laughed.
wouldn't you know Doug
Freeman would write a big book
while he was about it. And he
could make it twice as long.
Hes q gluttOn for research.
I remember how he fought the
World War right around Rich
mOnd. He transferred every
fight to the battle fields near
the city. Placed the troops in
approximate positions.
Where else in the country
but Richmond is James Branch
Cabell called Jimmy. Or my
cousin, Jimmy Cabell.' Perhaps
you've heard of Cabell. He use1
to come to the Little Theater
League and sit and listen. Or
give a quiet bit o. advice.
"ThiS talk reminds me that
once returning from Europe 1
met a delightful English woman
on her way to the United
States for her first visit. You've
never heard of my little town.
/ told her and she replied,
What! Never heard Of Rich
mOnd, Va. Why everyone on
this ship is reading a book by
your Mary Johnston.
"YOu knew Mary Johnston
had been living at her old
home, Three Hills in the Warm
Springs valley about five miles
from the Hot for some years,
didn't you? Miss Johnston in
stituted there the first eight
hour domestic labor experiment
in the State. She and her two
sisters take paying guests. The
pages of her guest book would
make interesting reading.
Colonel Waite, who used to
be with the Public Works Ad-
miniStratiOn The is now in Gin
cinnati conducting a survey for
the Spelman FOundation-One
of Mr.. Rockefeller's gratuities)
and his most attractive wife
were recently at Three Hills.
The Misses the
pretty ones, Eleanor and Anna
were there, too, not so long
ago. Mrs. Waite, did 1 tell you,
is a sister Of Gen. Preston
Brown"
The Richmonder continued:
"Strange that so many South
Crn women prefer writing to
talking-and you know their
reputation for talking.
There's one woman in our city
who does mighty we'll at both.
I mean Cally Ryland, the hest
woman cOlumnist I know Of
in the State. 1 beg your par
don! How CalIy goes in for
things. If the council wants
to cut down trees in the name
of modern improvement, watch
out for Miss CalIy'S column.
She's won many a battle with
it.
"She came back from New
England one year and wrote
about how they marked every
historic spot up there, and
why didn't we? Well, look at
our countryside now. A sign
to every yard of road, nearly!
emma Speed Sampson writes
humorous tales of the cOlOred
sisters and brethren.
"HeIena LEROY CapertOn,
whose amazingly talented
daughters are a second Lang
horne family'-hOw Richmond
rang with the exploits of Nan.
ME, Phyllis, Irene, Lizzie, and
Nora LanghOrne in my youth
has collected the ghost stories
of the old Colonial homes,
Castle Hill, Shirley, Brandon.
They've all got ghosts.
"Sure, / could keep on. You've
Just got me started, but after
one more I'll stop. 1 do want to
say q word about the late Henry
Sydnor Harrison, one of the
most magnetic and brilliant
personalities of the past gener.
alton in Richmond. Who will
ever forget his daily poems in
the Times Dispatch when his
good friend, Stewart Bryan,
and his family owned it?
"My, but I have lived a long
time. Monday Germans before
the World War. Henry Harrison
over the champagne at supper
firing brOadside after brOadSide
of wit as easily as 1 drank the
ch a m pagne. And then, his
brother killed fighting, his
gentle scholarly brother, and
Henry'S last book, a beautiful
! tribute to Jack. Jacks life writ
ten with a subtle understand
ing. And now Henry is gone"
The gentleman from Rich
mond turned to me, fiercely:
"Why in the dickens do we
SOutherners have to let a streak
of sentiment creep in every