Year: 1879




A few weeks ago Houghton & Osgood pub
lished an anonymous novel called San Earnest
Trifler.' 1t was an immediate success. and
active inquiry for the author arose. 1t was by
various critics and wisacres attributed TO va
rious literary lights. 1t turns out, however,
to be the first work of a young girl living at
Newark, o. The Cleveland Leader gaining
clue, set its interviewing fend at work and
tracked the lady down. She is the youngest
daughter of H. D. Sprague, lawyer. Her
name is Mary A., and her intimates call her
by the weak diminutive Minnie. Her sister
Fanny has been a newspaper correspondent,
and is now short hand writer in New York.
The age of the budding authoress is not given
but the correspondent declares that she is mot
a student, not o woman noted for her blue
stocking tendencies, not even teacher but
fresh young girl" and he proceeds to describe
her thus minutely


"Miss Minnie Sprague is beautiful girl.
She is q little above the average height of wo-
men, and has slender, wilowy form which
she manages with grace and dignity. She has
a fair and slightly rosy complexion, light
brown hair and dreamy blue eyes, which
sparkle with intelligence and animation
hen she is talking. During my call this af-
ternoon she was dressed in neat fitting black
silk. trimmed with velvet, buttoned close up
to the throat and supplemented by a white
linen collar. There was nothing of q slouchy,
blue-stocking order about her."


She talked freely about her book, but begged
the interviewer "to make her come into his
article as little as possible" modestly saying
that she did not wish to appear at all in the
first person. The writing of the story had
bpnn kent close Spprpt hnfwpnD hprenIf and
her publishers. Her family knew she had
been writing something, but did not know
what it was or what had become of it. She
began it two years ago, intending it for
short magazine story, but it unconSciously
grew into novel. 1t was written by snatches.
Sometimes she would write at it every day for
a week, and then she would not touch it for
months. She completed it last March, and
mailed it to the Atlantic Monthly, hoping to
have it published as SERIAL but as the Attain
tic was already supplied with serials, Hough-
ton, Osgood & Co. decided to publish it in
book form. During three months Miss Sprague
heard nothing OF her novel. She received no
answer and her manuscript was not returned.
She thought her attempt had been failure,
and she had determined to say nothing about
it. In answer to question as to the success OF
the book, she replied that she did not yet know
that the novel was q success. She only knew
that she had received complimentary notices
from the principal papers, congratulatory let
terS from prominent literary men, and offers
from principal publishing houses asking for
new stories. She was especially pleased that
her work had been universally considered "the
"work of man and not of feeble young wo-
man." She says she expects, of course, to con-
tinue to write. The work is hard, but it is
fascinating to her. Her ambition is to write
well rather than to write much. 1t is to be
hoped the promise of the young lady's first eff
fort may be sustained in her future works, and
the new light shine permanently in the Amer
ican armament. 1t is seldom indeed that an
authoress in full panoply thus springs upon,
the public as Minerva sprang from the head OF
Jove. 1t is real literary event.