Evening star., 1934-07-01
MRS. E. d. E. N. sOUTHwORTH.

paving for. They sent back the
manuscript and / submitted it TO
Godey's Lady's Book. Its editors
doubted the originality of my tale and
so to convince them I Immediately
sat down and wrote another story.
For the two / got s25. BY these pub
locations my vocation in life was fixed
and I have been writing from that
day to this"
What is the history Of That Lass
o. Lowries?'" I asked.
1T dates back far into my remem-
brance," Mrs. Burnett replied. "The
character was taken from strong,
handsome woman among the miners
in the village where / lived with my
parents before I came to America. I
was a very little girl. not more than
or years old, but I can remem-
ber her perfectly-she was such
contrast to the others with whom she
was associated. They were all ordi-
nary miners and she seemed like
queen among them. was at the
time too young to appreciate that she
was beautiful. My idea of beauty
then was of the china doll order,
/ pink cheeks and delicate features. I
had not yet conceived the nobler kind
of beauty, but as I grew older after
leaving this place and as I thought
again and again about this woman,
perceived that she had real beauty.
AS a child I used to watch her with
great interest. When she did not pass
our gate for some days used almost
to long to see her. 1t was about her
that I wove the tale, That Lass o.
Lowries.'
Abigail Dodge.
Gail Hamilton" or Abigail Dodge,
which is her real name. is one of the
| strongest and most caustic political
writer's in the United States She is
a cousin of Mrs. Senator Blaine, and
not her sister. as is generally sup
| posed. She was a school teacher
until she made a name for herself in
| the literary world. Miss Gail is short
! in stature and inclined to stoutness.
| She is by no means a Venus in either
face or figure, but she is as fond OF
dress as though she was beauty per-
sonifed. She keeps up with the fash
| ions and dresses in the most ad-
vanced styles, though these are in
many cases not suited to her rapidly
advancing years She Is fond of flow
ing ribbons, big flowers and snowy
clothes. and her taste in the selection
| of colors is not of the best.
Gail is proud OF her literary repu-
tation-proud of her position in So
ciety and proud of her relationship
with the Senator. She goes every
where with Mrs. Blaine and, in short,
| lives with Mrs. Blaine. Gail Hamil-
ton is fond of society, and she espe-
cially dotes on small dinner parties.
Here she can talk, and she loves TO
talk. No woman in Washington has
a keener tongue than she. and no one
uses this weapon more mercilessly
The same caustic sarcasm that comes
out in her essays spices her converse
ton. She wields a masculine rather
than a feminine pen. Her criticisms
of politics and politicians are well
paid for by the magazines and the
leading newspapers, and she has,
suppose, fair income therefrom.
Mrs. Southworth.
Mrs. Southworth, however, the
writer whom I shall next mention. is
one whose writings have not improved
with her advancing years. She writes
the same wishy-washy tales now that
she old when with fear and trem-
bling she indited her first story. She
was at this time a school teacher in
Washington, some IS years ago. Now
she has made herself independent by
her pen and she still finds a ready
market for her wares. Mrs. South
worth lives on the Georgetown Heights
in quiet comfort, and here she still
works continuously. She is not like
some writers, subject to fits of genius
She can write at any time, and she
makes books as other men make ma
chinery. 1t seems to cost her no ef-
fort to compose. She forms her plot
lets her pen flow on. page after page
until she has enough manuscript for
a book. Then she bundles 1t up and
with hardly an erasure. sends it of
to her publisher Mrs. Southworth Is
now over 60. She is short and stout
and looks more a housewife than an
authoress. In her Georgetown house,
which bears the name Prospect Cot
tage and which is well furnished, she
occasionally entertains her friends in
a quiet way.
Mrs. Mary Clemmer Ames.
Mrs Mary Clemmer Ames is per-
haps more quoted than any other lady
correspondent in Washington. She
writes letters on politics, society and
general gossip to the Independent
and she gets q good price for them
She lives in fine old house on Penn
sylvania avenue, east of the Capitol
Her mother lives with her and her
father did also up to the time of his
death, short while ago. Mary Glenn
mer's house is delightfully."- furnished
and is full of relics, mementoes and
curiosities which her friends have
gathered for her from all parts of
the world. Mrs. Clemmer reads and
writes and does all her literary work
in the morning. She devotes her aft
ernoons and evenings to society. HeI
house almost always contains one OF
more guests from New England. Some
of them are literary, some are not
She gives pleasant receptions. which
are always crowded with the elite of
Washington society. She has also a
great many callers with whom she
has no prior acquaintance-curiosity
seekers, people who have read her
poems or her letters and who visit her
as one of the sights of the Capital
She receives all pleasantly, her man.
ner engaging. and she generally makes
good impression. Her face is a
pleasant one. strong and full OF
thought.
Mrs. Ames Is fond of society and
her home: her life In these two
spheres predominates, though she
probably makes more money out OF
her literary labors than any Other
woman of the Capital. An accident
occurred to her about five years age
which came very near killing her
She was out making calls with the
editor of the New York Graphic. and
while driving from the residence Of
one cabinet minister to another. the
horses ran off. They started down
Thirteenth street and galloped toward
Georgetown. When they got tt