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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 1899)
OMAHA ILLUSTRATED BEE. December 21 , The Noted Novelist , S. R. Crockett \Vhllo S. H. Crockctl'a adventurous Scotc ] and Ainorlca.il story , "Tho lalo of tin WlmlB , " la securing him a now hold on nl of hlo old reader B a ml winning him nut i few nuw onoa by Ua successful serial pub llcatlon , hu hlmaolt has returned , as It wen- to his Ural paaslon , and la busy writing i series of ohort stories of tbo kind that com posed "Tho Stlchlt Minister , " the book tlm gave him his fame. Llko many another Mr. Crockett began the literary llfo as i poet , contributing occasional poems to varl < OUB Scottish nowsiiapera during that tcnla. tlvo period botwcon his graduation fron Edinburgh university In 1880 and his cal to the ministry In 1880. In the latter yea ; thcso wore collected and published as t book under the title , "Dulco Cor , " but ovei In thla tnoro Impressive form they did no make Mr. Crockott'a anything npproachlni a housuhold namo. For the world at larg < ho remained about ao non-existent aa hi had been boforc. Hut Immediately on enter. Ing the ministry he lock charge of the Free Church at 1'enlculk , a town of nbaui 11,000 Inhnbltants , lying some twenty mile : Bonth of Edinburgh. There the editor ot ; religious weekly chanced to I\nd \ him oui unil requested trom him an article on thi life of u minister. This was In ISfll , whui. . Mr. Crockett was 30 or 31 ycara old. "Samo- how , " sayo ho , referring to this request , "I had no time to think It out , and the Id or caino Into my head to wcrlbblo a kind ol story of u day In the llfo of a lazy minis ter. " The Idea was can led out ; but the sturj that resulted , Mr. Crockett sent off with thi gtcutest misgiving. It pleased the editor , however , pleased him HO much , Indeed , thai ho Immediately called on the author by tele graph for more llko It. Thereafter , for u 1 ng while , Mr. Crockett supplied him r story unfailingly every week , and It was from these weekly storlco that the book , "Tho Stlcklt Minister , " was made up. Ii appeared In 1893 , and what the preceding book of pccms had distinctly failed to ilc for the author , It did doubly. Within a year It had run through six or moro edi tions , and Mr. Crockett's name was known thrcuRhcut England and America. Smorn of Scotch Soil. M. ' . Ciookotl's llrst stories , and Indeeil meet that have followed them , savor strongl > of his natlvo soli. Ho was born ( Septem ber 21. 18GO ) lit Uuchrno , a village In thai bouthwcstorn pclnt of Scotland that formui ! the hlttorlc earldom of Galloway , and lit caino ot a sturdy line of fnrmera. In 1803 when ho was 7 or 8 years old , the famllj moved to Cnstlo Douglas , and there ho gill most of the schooling that preceded his on- trnnco at Edinburgh university In 187C. This Bconm to luivo been a fair amount , notwith standing the humbleness ot the family anil u certain truancy ot disposition In tin scholar. Ilo pursued some studies that wort not In the proscribed courso. The elders 01 the household wore rigorous and It wan onlj aa ho could hldo under hayricks and bchlm stone fences that the moro Inmglimtlvo boj could gratify a dcalro to read Shakespeare Following Slmhcspeaio In the line of his lltoiary passions came Scott and Longfellow and later Cailylo and Stevenson. Ho lint Bald that on Stevenson nnd Scott ho looks us hla masters , nnd Indeed their dccp.lnilu- enco on him la easy'enough to sen In his writings. Ciockutt spent four faithful yearn at tin university , taking his degieo In 1880 , am with , true Scottish thrift ho lived alt tlu time ho was ( hero on leas than 10 shilling ! ( $2.10) ) a week. For aomo years after hi : graduation ho traveled over Europe and ovei Into Aslu and Africa as tutor to ono am another of thodo fortunate young English , men who uro permitted to learn their les nlsD mudo a brie wnia ns thov roam. Ho trial of journalism In London. Hut flnallj hu settled htmsolf In the ministry nnd began gan that residence at 1'enlculk , In the COUIHI of which fame wna won. To the outsider Mr. Crockett's situation : i 1'cnluulk beoined ideal for a man of letters Ilia mlnlsteilal charge Insured llm | a llvln ; small , no duubt , but < iulto sutllclcnt to : n man of wlmplo tastes ; and It loft him i uirlnln amount of time f .r study nnd writ Ing. Ho dwelt In a cheerful , comfortabli IIOUBO , furnished with a library of 7,00i volumes that ho had collected himself ac cunllng to his own dcslrfS nnd tastes Ii pleasant weather ho wrote out of doors , fo ho had about him , Insuring hla pihacy Ilvo acres of land. Though rather out o the world hero , ho still remained sulllckntl : of It ; for Edinburgh wn always near by London became available now and thei and , bi'fcldcs , ho made a practice of roadln : "overy Ltndon paper , morning and evening weekly nnd monthly. " Heglnnlng at i o'clock , ho Joyously drove hla pen or hi typewriter for ho Is ono of the few nu thors who compose ns easily with the on as with the other until V.30 , when ho tool breakfast , How much of the day that fol lowed ho was free to apply to his favorlt pursuits I don't Just know ; but usually aa I understand It , a fair portion : So. 01 the whole , one would have Inclined to , ta that Mr , Crockett could di-slro nothing hot ter and would abldo at 1'eulculk the re mnlnder of his days. Hut evidently ho regarded garded Ills situation a little differently , fo ho has lately removed from there and Is no\ \ exclusively nu author and submits to bo shu of his tlmo between the wall a good part and up fog of London. Thla la what ho ha chosen to do now , that the enduring popular Ity of his writings has set him free , at 39 years of age , to do whatever ho may please. A I'rollllc Writer. In 1891 Mr. Crockett followed "Tho Stlcklt Minister" with "Tho Haiders. " Then came , in the order named , "Tho Lilac Sunbonnet - bonnet , " "Mad Sir Uchtred. " "The Play Ae- treta , " "Hog Myrtle and Peat , " "The Men ot the Moss Unga" nnd six or seven other novels , down to "Tho Isle of the Winds , " the ono which Is Just now appearing serially Ho Is nblo to produce so abundantly because ho produces llko his master , Scott , from an accumulated fund of goad material. Hla romances accord with the theory enunciated by himself when ho said , a year or two ago : "What pcoplo want nowadays Is some thing objective , an artistic version of the facts of real llfo. The day of the subjective Is over for the present wo are all tired ot hearing persons analyzing their emo tions. " Of such ot "tho facts ot real life" as suit hla purpose ho has made an 1m incnso collection. In his library are 200 vol umcs or moro of classified clippings and ar ticles , gathered especially to forward him in hla literary work. Then ho is all the tlm running through old books ot Scottish bis tory and legend , like the "Galloway leg ends , " a curious volume published about IS 10 , and ho Is n great rummnger among old unpublished documents , legal , onVlal nnd family. The cholco parts of the matter thus gathered ho fuses In the heat ot a strong Imagination and so produces a story of the llfo that real men and women have lived , but still a stcry eminent and In dividual no mere mosaic of the common place. Mr. Crockett shows In his person some thing of the sturdlncES and aptitude fur gcod fighting that appear In his novels Ho stands nearly six feet In height , ehows a breadth of shoulders to match his stat ure1 , nnd In his reddish brown beard anil hair , his ruddy cheek and his blue ejes quite meets one's Ideal of a man ot adven ture. Along with hla literary , hlstoilcal and antiquarian Interests ha has a fondness for the natural sciences , especially for as tronomy. Ho maintains , or at ouo time did maintain , his own telescope , cot a Lick ob servatory tclosctpo , to bo sure , but still a telescope. And ho Is as versatile In his sports ns In his studies ; ho wheels , he plays golf , ho has been a cricketer , ho climbs mountains. In short , ho exactly meets , both Intellectually and physically , our popular phr.ibo , being , It over there was ono , " a mighty good all-around man. " May ho live long to divert us ! E. C. MARTIN The Christmas Feast By George Du Maurler. They wiote over to friends In London for the biggest turkey , the biggest plum pud ding that could bo got for love or money , with mlnco pics and holly and unlslletco and suudy. short , thick English sausages , half a Stilton cheese and a sirloin ot beef two alrlolns , In case ono should not bo enon h. For they meant to have a Homeric feast In the studio on Christmas day Taffy , the Laird , and Little Ullleu and invite all the delightful chums I have been trying to describe Durlcn. Vincent , Antony , Lorrl- mer , Carnegie , I'etrollcoconose , 1'Zou ou and Dodor. The cooking and waiting should bo dcno by Trilby , her filond Angelo Holsso , M. and Mine. Vlnnrd and such little VlnarJs as could bo trusted with glass and crockery nnd mlnco pies and If that was not enough they would also cook themselves nnd wait upon S. R. CROCKETT AUTHOR OF THE "ISLE OF THE WINDS , " A SERIAL NOW RUNNING IN THE SUNDAY BEE. each other. When dinner was over supper was to follow , with scarcely any Interval to speak of ; and to partake of this other guests should bo bidden Svcngall and Gecko and perhaps ono or two more. Wines and spirits and English beers were procured at great cost and liqueurs ot every description chartreuse , curacca , rotafla do cassis and anisette ; no expense was spared. Also truffled galatlncs of turkey , tongues , hams , rlllettcs do Tours , pates do tries gras , fromago d'ltallo ( which has nothing to do with cheese ) , sauclssons d'Arlcs and do Lyon , with and without garlic ; cold Jollies , peppery and salt everything that French charcutlcrs and the wives can make out of French pigs , or any other animal whatever , beast , bird or fowl ( oven cats and rats ) , for the supper ; nnd sweet Jellies and cakes and sweetmeats and confections of all kinds from the famous pastry cook at the corner of the Rue Castlgllonc. Mouths went watering all day long In Joyful anticipation. * * * Two o'clock 3 I but no hamper ! Dark ness had almost set In. It wan simply mad dening. At length the Laird and Trilby went oft In n cab to the station , and lo ! before they came back the long-expected hamper arrived , nt G o'clock. Suddenly the studio * became a scene cf the noisiest , busiest and cheerful- cst animation. The three big lamps were lit and all the Chinese lanterns. The pieces of resistance and the pudding were whisked off by Trilby , Angelo and iMmc. Vlnard to other regions , and every ono was pressed Into preparations for the banquet. There was plenty tor Idle hands to do. Sausages to bo fried for the turkey ; stuffing made , and sauces , salads mixed , and punch ; holly hung In festoons all round and about a thousand things. Everjbody was ao clever and good- humored that nobody got In anybody's way. The ccoking of the dinner was almost bet ter fun than the eating of It ; and though there were so many cooks , not oven the broth was spoiled ( cockaleekle , from a re ceipt of the Laird's ) . It was 10 o'clock before they sat down to that moat memorable repast. * * * The waiting was as gcod as the cooking. Trilby , tall , graceful and stately , and also swift of action , though more llko Juno or Diana than Hebe , devoted herself more especially to her own particular favorites Durlen , Taffy , the Laird , Little Bllleo and Dodor and Zouzou and she served them with all there was of the choicest. The two little Vtnards did their little best ; they scrupulously respected the mlnco plea nnd only broke two bottles ot oil and COMPANY D GUARDS OF V1LLISCA , la. Photo by Nlckols. ono ot Harvey sauce. To console th Laird took ono ot them on each ki gave them of hla share of plum i and many other unaccustomed good so bad for their little French tiimtu Then everybody sang In rotation. < The Laird , with a capital baritone , - "Hlo diddle dee for the Lowlands 1 which was encored. Little Ullleo sang "Little Blllee" * And finally , to the surprise of all bold dragoon sang ( In English ) "Mj i Dear" with such pathos , and In a v - . sweet and high and well In tune , tli \ audience felt almost weepy In the mil ' their Jollification , as Englishmen abrna i apt to do when they hear pretty mufh i i think of their dear sisters across the i or their friends' dear sisters. Then Svengalt and Gecko came nn 1 table had to be laid and decorated ain n r It was supper time. Supper was even j than dinner , which had taken off the U i edge ot the appetites , so that ovoi talked at once the true test of a SUPI i ] supper. ( From "Trilby. " Copyright , 1 by Harper & Brothers , New York. ) How The7 Dined in Old Times Dinner , somewhere about 10 o'clock in Mi , morning somewhat later than usual btv m of the solemnity of the occasion and the i usual extent of the preparations was 'i ' " great event of Christinas day in those g ' eld days when knights weie bold and bar held their sway. The breakfast was n t matter of so much account , being dlsp. R cf In the gray darkness of the winter davui This left plenty ot time for the appcti to reiuvlgorato Itself and for the clans i" get over the revelry of the evening befcn which was occasionally prolonged until tin utterly reckless hour of 9 o'clock. E\ci > retainer ot every noble house was on nan ! for the dinner , If he had missed the yuleln and lords ot misrule performances , foi u was the one dinner of the year In which a I the culinary and gastronomic resources of the ago were fairly exhausted. A useful functionary called the sewer , a man of gentle birth whose privilege It w.ib to arrange for the details of the feast , w.is the mediaeval substitute for the modern steward , or major doruo. When the jovial information was conveyed to him that every thing was in readiness bo saw to it that all the lords and ladles , knights and esquires , demoiselles and damsels , gentles and sim ples , down to the humblest of the memberti of the household , were all arranged In due order of precedence. Then ho was handed the great platter , of precious metal , on which reposed the head of a mighty boar , marked long months before by the foresters as a victim for sacrifice on this auspicious occa sion. There waa a merry sound of trumpets and shawms , the procession moved and all sung In hungry expectation a combined grace before meat and Jubilation to the effect * fect tbat they returned thanks to the Lord even as they bore the brawny head to the table. Thla dish , garnished with rosemary and bay leaves , a great red apple within the mighty Jaws with their gleaming tusks , Hail * " ' the place of honor , and was duly eaten with mustard and other suitable condiments. This , was the first course. The next most Important viand was a testimonial to feminine grace and beauty , Just as the boar's head had approved tbo sportsmanship and valor of the mi > n. As the sew or brought In the one , so did the lady among the guests most distinguished for wit and beauty bring In the peacock. This , from the beginning , had been In the v hands of the gentler sex. Delicate hands had stripped the skin from 'he body of the bird , all the feathers adhering , and , after careful and Judicious roasting and stuffing with spices , savory herbs , eggs , nuts and other mouth-watering substances , the b dy and beak were gilded and the skin with Its beauties put back. After the two chief dishes , corresponding < to tbo rcast beef and turkey of a more- degenerate and dyspeptic day , came a boat of others. Mutton plo was ono of thcso and this came to bo superseded by a pie filled with ox-tongue nt the end of the sixteenth century , both being the prototype of the modern mlnco plo , the meat being combined with spices and fruits of many sorts. An- cther name was shred pies , the equivalent of minced , but they wore best known na < Christmas pies. There was a relic ot super stition clinging to these savory viands and clergymen and Quakers denied themselves Its dellghtw , with all that class of devoted fotk who accepted the nickname of puritans Ani ther dish In high eateem was frumenty , made by boiling and cracking whole meat and mixing It with milk and eggs. Aa an accompaniment to venison It remained un sweetened , as a dish by Itself , honey and the llko was mingled with it , In default of the sugar of later Introduction. Anothei matter which has survived In modified form down to our own time is the plum pottage or pudding. Aforetime- this was prepared by adding to a rich beef or mutton broth a quantity of brown bread. This was then boiled about half and raisins , dried plume , cloves , cinnamon , ginger and other do- lectabllltles added , the boiling concluded nnd the dish served with the meats. It was noi as solid as tbo dish which has succeeded It , but was often served In a bowl or tureen and ladled out. To wash down all three comestibles there was wine of Anjou , Gascon- . , and France proper , with good old English ale. Many of these were warmed and spiced and huge quantities ot them were consumed.