Life — November 16, 1905 — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“Conan Doyle insisted on carrying @ yimmy in his hand.” roses and were dressed in white crépe de chin, it being impossible to stop talking even during the ceremony, which was presided over by the Rev. Cyrus Townsend Brady, who took a day off from his typewriter He isted by Hall Caine, long as he couldn't a patron saint himself, wanted to be advertised as much as possible, and for the great event had had four working over his whiskers, and looked very trim. Mr. Caine carried his own photographs, and dis- tributed souvenirs of himself to everybody The four ushers were Hamilton W ie, George Ade, Andrew Lang and Conan Doyle, who insisted on carrying a jimmy in his hand. The whole affair was strictly private. In order to keep the public from even look: ing over the fence lot of unsold copies of Everybody's Magazine, leit over from the last edition, effectually con- cealed the building from view Henry James was at his best. os) UF Lh Si “You can bet your sweet life," he said, with a playful attempt at humor, “that there will be no newspaper English around me. I propose to have the best rhetorical effect pos- sible.” There was great rejoicing to know that the two patron saints selected were so eminently fitted for the job and that they would work together in harmony, “The Master and I,” said Gertrude, “know our business. We have long tried to control the literary destinies of the country separately, but now that we are twin ron saints, every- thing will be all right. No one will dare say a word against my style, un- less The Master is rapped also” “The B a i ay Oe 593 Master,"’ which, by the way, is a term now generally applied to Mr. James by people who think they understand him, was greatly pleased. Indeed, he has reason to be peculiarly grateful to his companion. In London she rescued him from a reporter of the Journal, who was trying to get him to take Arthur Brisbane's place, when there was some hope that Brisbane might be thrown into for exeeed= ing the speed limit in Grout adjectives. After the ceremony Mr, James made a short speech to the audience, which was couched in almost intelligible English “Tf [ had not,” he said, ‘heen almost, that is, not quite but nearly to the point of feeling that there was a—shall I say affinity?—I should have doubtiess passed by her attempt at calling me The Master th, well, perhaps a mere sniff But she—thatis, Gerty dear—was so frankly ingen- uous, that I, after de’ ing, knew that my curves had been, perhaps subtly, at all events, neatly, noticed.” After the halos had been fitted, the presents were dis- tributed Many of them were too lovely for anything. James Barrie sent a case of Scotch. Hamilton Mabie sent a bust of Shakespeare made by himself, Lyman Abbott having kindly consented to pose as a model. It was labeled, so easily identified Robert Hichens sent a barrel of assorted adjectives. Rudyard Kipling sent a kit of assorted damns. The chapel decorati were beautiful Gerty wa a dream, She was dressed in black and white, «nd wore a tiara of gold pens with diamond points, end carried a bunch of sunflowers arranged in the form of a typewriter. In the carly spring will be published their first joint novel. The title has not yet been decided upon, but it will probably be ‘‘Me and Henry"* by Gerty comicbooks.com ~