The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-12-10
Terms Eight DOltarsper a,man., IN. aaranee.

ally SiVes us an exquisite bit of word naintips
We quote single specimen, reorettinS thai
we have not space for more but ,efrr;,o o,r
readers to Mr.. Howell's book itself for ali ada.
ouate idea of its interest and charm:
As write, the spring is coming in Cam
bridge, and L cannot help thinking with lit
tie heartache, of how the spring came 10 NEE.
Us as we rode southward flom Venice toward
Florence on that road from Padua to Ferrara.
1t had been May for some time in Tuscany,
and all through the wide plains OF Venetia this
was the railroad landscape fields titled ana
tended jealously gardens, and waving Ia
wheat, oats, and grass with here and there the
hay cut already, and here and there acres OF
Indian corn The green of the fields was all
dashed with the bloody red Of poppies; the f1g-
trees hung full Of half-grown fruit; the or
chards were garlanded with vines which they
DO notDind to stakes in Italy but train from tree
10 tree, leaving them to droop in testoOns and
sway IN the wind, with the slender native
grace of vines Huge stone fam houses shell
ter under the same roof the family and
all the live stock of che farm; matched cot
tages thickly dOsting the fields, seBd forth
to their cultivation the most picturesque
peasants = men and women, pretty girls
III broad hats and wonderful old brown
ana crooked crones, who never seem TO have
oeen younger nor fairer. Country roads, level,
s.Ialght, nnd white, stretch away on either
nand, and the constant files OF poplars escort
them wherever they 90. All about, the birds
sing, anu the butterflies dance. The milk
white oxen, dragging the heavy carts turn up
tnelr s patent heads, with wide-spreading
nOrns and mellow eyes at the passing train:
the sunburnt lout behind them suspends the
application of the g0ad; unwonted aequi-
escence stirs in the bosom of the firm-minded
donkey, and even the matter of-fact locomo-
i've seems to linger as = locomotive NAV along
these plains of spring
For sale by Sho:t & Lorng
The LOVERS DICTIONARY: A Poetical
Treasury of Lovers Thoughts, Fancies, Ad-
dresses, and Dilemmas Indexed with near
ly Ten Thousand References as a Dictionary
OF Compliments and Guide 10 the study OF
the Tender Science. Crown octave, DID.
7S9. New York: Harper Il Brothers
Truly, here is an attractive title, and the vol
ume to which it is prefxed will be found to
contain much attractive matter. II consists Of
copious collection of love poetry, mainly by
English and American nHwriters, though with
some selections from foreign and classic aa-
thors.
The compilation givesproof off great deal of
industry, and the careful index by which 1t Is
accompanied of much patient labor. The
contents of the book are very largely modern,
and drawn to great extent rather from float
ing than from standard literature. We miss.
indeed, some of the finest love poems in the
language, poems which we should really have
expected to see included in collection of this
kind, but its matter is graceful aud pleasing,
and is undoubtedly well adapted TO the class
Of readers who would be supposed to find
use for dictionary OF compliments, and
guide to the study of the tender science" To
say that book is successfully adapted to the
purpose it has in view, ought to be high praise,
and we think it may truly be said of the voi-
ume before us.
For sale by Hall l.. Davis