THE SPHINX.

Temuka Leader, Issue 7569, 23 May 1914, Page 3

THE SPHINX.

HOW KIPLING WAS INTIiIIVIKWLU IN AMERICA. Iu Chicago, considerably more than twenty years ago. 1 obtained a chance interview from Kudyard Kipling. At that time Kipling, who was just bogmning to achieve fame through lii« I (<"» -Taka (rum the Hills” and “Soldiers Three,” had little use for this countiy For ono thing, he had tried to make a living with his pen in San Prancisco and had failed. Among the things Unit m offered to the Sunday editor of u leading San Francisco newspaper wore several oi the mellowest or Corporal M u vane, stories, which were later included >u -Soldiers Three,” and added immensely to Kipling's reputation. lire Sunday editor returned these stones to tne a iner with a sententious sc raw stating U at they were - not up to the literary standard of tho newspaper. ’ -In latei ye.ira I came to know that Sunday editor ve y well. Perhaps I fancied that he wore tho constant pained and haunted look ot a man who had missed a great oppoitiu.jtv it is more likely that lie "<> l e this distressed expression because his| coworkers on the San.l'raneisco pa " never left oh guying, nun °\b l " 10 { chalent manner ot rejecting the work ot tho young man who such a short tuno later was to become the leading 1 to/ju.v light Of his period. He never ’lived it was in a decidedly crabbed humour when he reached Chicago on tins occasion, and not without reasoi . Ho was on his way from Australia to l*n 0 land. On shipboard he had made up his mind that he would do no ti. ku.g oi newspapers when he readied this conn try Ho would not see the ban liancisco reporters who besieged him. But some ot them wrote ‘ interviews with him anyhow. In tho mam they were highly ridiculous, imaginary interviews, and they put Kipling m a very. loohsti iisdit. Tiio same thing happened in feeat tie, Cheyenne, Denver, Omaha, am other cities where ho stopped on h s leisurely progress eastward. Nowhoio had ho seen one reporter. But everyw hero h was quoted absurdly and pompously, the “interviews” reeking with fatuous, hrebreathmg remarks about America and the American people, iso by the tune he readied Chicago Kipling was in a state of intense irritation. The hotel repoiters of the Chicago papers, of whom 1 was ono. had little or no hope of picking any talk out of him when lie, came our way. “Get a spread talk out of Kipling, my city editor said to me-the day bcfoi o the writer was due to arrive m Chicago. “He’s not talking,” 1 replied v ami started to toll him about how Kipling had “ curled up” rn the intorviow:ers. "Get him!” barked my city editor, and that settled it. Ho was one of those city editors who meant what ho said (some of them don’t). When the city editor told mo m that tone to “get” a certain personage of prominence i.or an interview 1 knew perfectly well Unit if I did not “got him there would bo no use in my coming buck to the oilice. Tho only thing tor me to do in such a case would be to drop in at the cashier’s window and get what money was coming to mo; lor 1 was certain »to be fired from my job. Kipling put up at the old Hotel KiclicJieu on tno fake front in Chicago, iue hotel reporters, myself included, sent up cur cards ono after the other, until the ' bellhops refused to go to his room any more, saying they were tired of having their heads snapped off. When, wo sent up imploring notes the result was the same. Finally we prevailed upon “ Cardinal” Bends, tho good-natured propne- ■ tor of the hotel, to intercede forus with Kipling. Bends went up to Kipling a room to ask tile young man if ho wouldn't loosen up and give us just a little two minute chat. Of course 1 don’t know what happened. But the “Cardinal came downstairs in a short time with a Hushed face, and he declined to speak to any of us for tho rest ot the day. So tho other reporters clomped off to thou offices. 1 concluded to hang around awhile after they had left. My idea was that 1 might catch Kipling m the notei lobby and pry a little sure-enough conversation out of him. Ho came downstairs about ten minute,, after the other reporters had left and plumped into a wide chair before the front window overlooking the lake, f 'slid into the chair next to him. I, was wondering how host to open up on him, when a lucky thing happened. An extremely well-set-up, spick-and-span sergeant of infantry from Fori Sheridan. tho military post near Chicago, swaggered by the window. Kipling; s eyes lighted up, and he sat straight in his chair to look after tbe ereit, wellmade eolditv. Kipling knew soldiers, and ho liked them. The soldiering idea was ono of his fads, and ho was, and is. an expert on soldiering in all countries. Ho turned to mo. “What garrison is that man from?” he asked me. An opening! I told him. It chanced that I know’ a lot about soldiering; for 1 had been in tho army. We talked service talk. Ho seemed to bo glad to fine somebody who could toll him facts about the United States army. It appeared that ho admired our cavalry and light artillery. He compared our light artillery with tho Royal Horse Artillery, ana gave our men the better of the comparison. It made a dandy talk. At length I told him that I was a reporter. But he was only momentarily taken aback. It -appeared tlidt my army talk had won him. “ Why’ do you fellow’s make such .. hopeless ass of me?” he inquired. I told him how we w’ere absolutely required- to get tho interviews wo were sent after. My presentation of tho matter mellowed him. He had been a newspaper man, and a good one, in India. Ho went-ahead and gave me his real impressions of things American just as if I had not been an interviewer. I asked him if 1 could quote him as ho spoke. “Yes,” he replied. “.Somehow I believe you’ll bo docent about it,” and he did something then that filled me with rare delight. He took out pencil and notebook, and scribbling something on the page and tearing the page out of his, notebook ho handed it to me. It read a? follows: — “This is the only conversation I have had with a Pressman since my arrival in ■the United Stales. —R. Kipling.” “You can use that if you like,” he said. I wrote a four-column interview’ with him, a meaty, interesting talk, and his scrawl and signature were reproduced at the beginning of the printed interview. My city editor came near raising my pay for that job—-but didn’t. But it was pure chance. If that sin,art-look-ing sergeant hadn’t passed the Richelieu window, I doubt if I should have been able to get a word out of Kipling. —Clarence L. Cullen, in tho “Sunday Magazine” of America.