"Two hundred and thirty pages of foolscap, closely written."
"How much I should like to see it! Do you know what became of it?"
"I am sorry to say it was lost. I left it in my father's library when I went to the Mexican war in 1847; when I returned, the unfortunate 'Man-at-Arms' was not to be found. I never knew how he came to his end."
"Of course, as a member of the society, you obeyed the order of your president; but aside from that fact, what were your inducements to writing the story?"
"Merely boyish pleasure in composition—the natural stirring to write, as the singer is moved to sing. That was my first attempt at prose. Before that—when about fifteen, I think—I wrote a poem on the rescue of Captain John Smith by Pocahontas, perhaps two hundred lines, in the measure of the 'Lady of the Lake.' That reminds me of another early experience; our amusements were very few in those days—a circus once a year, and sometimes during the session of the Legislature a strolling theatrical company came by. We boys caught the fever, and got up an organization of our own, the 'Thespian Troupe,' which played Pocahontas with tremendous applause."
"You mean, I presume, the drama by Robert Dale Owen?"
"The same. My brother, William Wallace, was the Indian heroine. I took the part of her sister Nomona. McReady (a school-mate, not the famous actor) was Powhatan. I have forgotten who played Captain Smith, but the affair was a great success. Cox, the local artist, painted the scenery, the town band (then a volunteer service) played before the door to draw the crowd, and the receipts paid all expenses."
"Then you actually performed before a paying audience?"
"Indeed we did. It was in a brick house just where the old State-house used to stand. We provided seats, and had special accommodations for the ladies. Those were the days of sound and fury and the ranting style now happily entirely banished from the stage. But we enjoyed it hugely. My memories of the Thespian are among the most delightful recollections of earlier days."
"Do you think that the dramatic instinct and florid imagination necessary to such high-flown youthful work had any influence in developing your later literary genius?"