"
This was the nucleus of the book, but the story itself originated
from the fact that one day, while leaving the swamp, a big feather
with a shaft over twenty inches long came spinning and swirling
earthward and fell in the author's path. Instantly she looked
upward to locate the bird, which from the size and formation of the
quill could have been nothing but an eagle; her eyes, well trained
and fairly keen though they were, could not see the bird, which
must have been soaring above range. Familiar with the life of the
vulture family, the author changed the bird from which the feather
fell to that described in "Freckles." Mrs. Porter had the old swamp
at that time practically untouched, and all its traditions to work
upon and stores of natural history material. This falling feather
began the book which in a few days she had definitely planned and
in six months completely written. Her title for it was "The Falling
Feather," that tangible thing which came drifting down from Nowhere,
just as the boy came, and she has always regretted the change to
"Freckles." John Murray publishes a British edition of this book
which is even better liked in Ireland and Scotland than in England.
As "The Cardinal" was published originally not by Doubleday, Page
& Company, but by another firm, the author had talked over with the
latter house the scheme of "Freckles" and it had been agreed to
publish the story as soon as Mrs. Porter was ready. How the book
finally came to Doubleday, Page & Company she recounts as follows:
"By the time `Freckles' was finished, I had exercised my woman's
prerogative and `changed my mind'; so I sent the manuscript to
Doubleday, Page & Company, who accepted it.
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