enough by decorative work to pay her expenses and graduate from the normal designing-class in May, 1880. A part of the time she was a member of the sketch-class in the Art Student's League and took lessons in china-painting in the school now called the Osgood Art School. In August, 1880, she became the wife of Frank Allen Owen, a chemist, born and reared in Burlington, Vt. She continued her art and sent work to the women's exchanges, and with those societies had much profitable experience. She taught painting in her own and neighboring towns, having had, in all, several hundreds of pupils. In 1881 she became interested in china-firing. From the time she left the art-school she worked constantly in oils and water-colors. In 1886, having acquired a large number of studies and receiving many calls to rent them, she decided to classify them and to send out price-lists, offering to rent studies and send them by mail anywhere in the United States and Canada. That venture proved successful. She has had calls from every State in the Union. She now makes her home in Burlington. Her mother lives with her. She has a family of three children
OWEN, Miss Mary Alicia, folk-lore student and author, born in St. Joseph, Mo., 29th January, 1858. She is the daughter of the late James A. Owen, the lawyer and writer on finance, and Agnes Jeannette, his wife.
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MARY ALICIA OWEN.
From an early age she manifested a fondness for literary pursuits, but it is only within the last ten years that that fondness has induced her to choose letters as a profession. She began with the writing of modest verses and ballads, followed by newspaper correspondence, book-reviewing, and finally by work as literary editor of a weekly paper. After several years of successful newspaper work, she turned her attention to the writing of short stories, and. under the pen-name "Julia Scott," as well as her own name, contributed to nearly all of the leading periodicals, "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper." "Peterson's Magazine," the "Overland Monthly" and the "Century." For the last few years she has chiefly devoted herself to the collection of the curious and romantic myths and legends of the Mississippi Valley. Her most notable success has been the discovery of Voodoo stories and ritual. Her papers on that subject were read before the American Folk-Lore Society, in its annual meeting in Philadelphia, before the Boston Folk-Lore Society, and in the International Folk-Lore Congress in London, Eng. Her book of folk-tales appeared simultaneously in America and England. She is at present engaged on "A Primer of Voodoo Magic," for the English Folk-Lore Society, and "The Myths of the Rubber Devil," for the Chicago Folk- Lore Society. Her home is in St. Joseph, Mo.
OWLER, Mrs. Martha Tracy, journalist, was born in Boston, Mass. Her name is familiar to the readers of the Boston "Herald" and other publications. A granddaughter of one of the most distinguished literary divines of New England, Rev. Joseph Tracy, she inherits intellectual tastes and a fondness for scholarly pursuits.
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MARTHA TRACY OWLER.
When a child, it was her delight to clamber to an upper room in the house of her guardian and there amuse herself by the hour in writing stories, which showed a wonderful power of imagination. A foundation was laid for her present literary work by her experience as principal for two or three years of some of the large schools in and around Boston. Desirous of a wider field of action, where she could devote her talents to the labors of writing, she accepted a position on the Maiden, Mass., "Mirror," where tier contributions attracted the attention of the city editor of the Boston "Herald." Called to the staff of that journal, her powers of composition were fully brought into play, and she was soon recognised as a valuable auxiliary on the great daily. In the summer of 1890 she was sent by the
