ANECDOTES AND STORIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 192, 15 August 1925, Page 22

ANECDOTES AND STORIES.

BLACK (AND WHITE) MAIL. Prince Metternich once requested an autograph of Alexandre Dumas. The novelist wrote in his best round hand: "Received from Prince Metternich 25 bottles of his oldest Johannisberg. Alexandre Dumas." Metternich sent the wine. THE GENTLE READER. Charles Dickens once received an invitation to a "Walter Scott" party, and was asked to dress in the character of some one of Scott's heroes. Dickens appeared at the gathering in simple evening clothes. The host, rather affronted, asked the writer which one of Scott's characters he represented. "Why," exclaimed Dickens, "I am a character you will find in every one of Scott's novels. I am the 'gentle reader.'" FORBIDDEN FRUIT. A lawsuit arose from a case in which a young inmate of a convent had run away after being punished for breaches of the rules. The Mother Superior was being examined by Coleridge. One of the breaches of rule instanced was the eating of strawberries. "But," said Coleridge, "there's nothing very wrong in eating strawberries, surely?" "Well, Mr. Coleridge," said the Mother Superior, "you might say that there s nothing very wrong in eating an apple, but we till know what came of that." The Court roared, and even Coleridge had to admit that he had the worst of it. IT MADE OSCAR WILDE. An American publisher once wrote to Oscar Wilde and ordered a "story of one hundred thousand words," for which he offered to pay a specified price. The idea of having his wares measured as if by a yard-stick offended the poet's sensitive soul. A few days later he wrote back to New York "Dear Sir, —I received your charming letter, and have spent two or three days in delightful contemplation. I should like to write the story, but I do not 6ee how I can do so. Unfortunately, there are not one hundred thousand words in the English language."