Henry's first letter hears the date
of June 9, 1903. Now that the un
fortunate episodes in Porter's life
are generally known, there is no
indiscretiou in referring to the
years spent in the Columbus Peni. tentiary. But in 1903 Porter was
exceedingly reticent on the sub
ject, and it has been said that he
even deducted five years from his
age, those being the years he did
not wish to explain. In his letter
to Miss Wagnalls volunteering per
sonal information he said: "Since
you have been so good as to speak
nicely of my poor wares, I will
set down my autobiography. Here
goes! Texas cowboy. Lazy. Thought
writing stories might be easier than
'busting' bronchos. Came to New
York one year ago to earn bread,
butter, jam, and possibly asparagus
that way. Last week loaned an ed
itor $20. Please pardon the intro
duction of finances, but I regard
the transaction as an imperishable
bay. Very few story writers have
done that. Not many of them have
the money. By the time they get
it they know better."
WE do not know whether J. Au
brey Tyson, the author of
"The Scarlet Tanager," is a mau
or a woman, but we have found the
book as adequate and absorbing a
detective story as has been pub
lished In many months. This is
not to suggest that it is in any
way literature, or that Capt. George
Rennison of the United States Se
| t ret Service, who tracks down Sea
falcon and his Brotherhood, is a
character likely to take a place
with such creations of this kind of
fiction as Sherlock Holmes, Pere
Tabaret, or M. Lecoq. The trouble
with most detective stories is that,
no matter how ingenious the plot,
they are marred by sloppy work
manship. But there is nothing
sloppy about "The Scarlet Tana
ger."
Authors' Works
And Their Ways
Gamaliel Bradford, the author of
I "American Portraits," discussed on
this page, was born in Boston in
j 1863, the eighth in direct descent
? from Gov. William Bradford of
Plymouth Colony. His early life
| was passed mainly in Wellesley
! Hills, Mass. 