The New York herald., 1874-12-20

| copy OF ssrhe Phantom OF the Forest" (Ciaxton.
J Remsen 4 Hsreinnger) In his hand. 'srhe whole
story does not cover month, yet 1t contains more
thrilling adventures than one would care to ex-
perience In q lifetime. The author, Emerson Ben
nett, Is man OF active imagination. who gets his
hero and heroine In the most romantic ana un-
natural situations without seeming to think tnat
he has done anything unusual"
"Do tell US all about the book" says Felicia. "for
1t Is delightful TO hear OF wild adventure among
Indians ana wolves while one sits before blazing
fire, buried In the depths OF luxurious chair.
with nothing worse than civilized burglar within
miles OF you and vigant police on every corner.
Give Us the story. Fred, and don't spare the hor-
IOrs."
sT0 begin withn resumes Fred. 1.-THE scene ls
laid In the wids OF Kentucky during the period
just after the Revolutionary War; The hero Is
Henry Colburn, young poet, artist and trapper.
and the heroine Is lsaline Holcombe, the daughter
OF colonel stationed on the borders, who is on
her way to join her iather. Henry Colburn and
Tom Sturgess better known as Rough Tom, are
sent TO act as her escort across the Indian cOun.
try. and it Is while that journey that they meet
with so many adventures. They come together on
board OF a boat In the OHIO, and the moment their
eyes met something passed between the souls OF
each that neither had experienced BEFORE. All
would have gone well enough with Isaline and
Henry but for the presence OF Charles Hampton,
who claims to be lover OF the charming IsalIne
and looks upon Henry as mis- rival. The rivals
finally have quarrel and go into the woods at
night to settle their difficulty at the point OF their
rifles, when, just as the word to re Is about being
given q wild and unearthy shrek resounds
through the forest and the party scatters In all
directions. Henry, however, does not lose his
presence Of mind, and looking IN the direction
from whence the sound comes he sees thing
with legs ana arms like man, ana covered with
short hair, descend from tree and bound after
Hampton. This Is the unknown, the Phantom OF
the Forest. To make o long story short, the party
leave the boat soon after this and strike 'cross
country. Henry and Isaline become separated
from the party and are finally captured by the
savages. One OF these-Methoto-aw white man.
who has lived with the savages since babyhOo
and Is great brute OF man, is seized with vio-
lent passion for lsaline. He steals her away and
Is captured again, and then Hampton, who mas
joined the Indians steals her away also. She and
Henry make their escape and are recaptured and
escape again. While fleeing from the savages the
second time they pass through beautiful valley
which so charms the artists eye that ne stops to
sketch it, for which piece OF thoughtlessness
they are again taken captive. rne shrek
ing OF the Phantom saves them from
death once or twice, for 1t drives the
Indians away in fright In the end Merhoto
again runs on with Isallne, while Henry is bound
hand and foot The savage has the girl on the
horse in front OF him. and they ride over the coun-
try like mad. Suddenly they come to the edge OF
preclpice, where the awful screech OF the Phan-
tom is heard. The terrified horse rears and
pIunges and finally falls over the Clin upon his
back, burying Methoto in his iall. The savage Is
killed and the Phantom jumps over the ROCKS and
carries the unconscious Isaline to cave where she
lies IN low fever for week. When she recovers
sne finds that the terrible Unknown is poor
crazy girl who has covered herself with skins ana
goes shrieking through the forests. At last henry
and his sweetheart are restored to each others
arms the Phantom RECEIVERS her reason and
marries; every one who should dies and the
story ends happily.
Notwithstanding the rather wild character Of
the DoOk 1t seems 10 be pervaded by . deeply
religious vein, for the heroine sees the hand OF
Providence in all her troubles and IS ready to
talk theology under any circumstances"
"BRoKEN cHAINs."
"'Broken Chains is too passionate novel for
my TASTE" said MISS Rachel. she lald the last OF
J. X. Osgood Co.'s Popular Novels upon the table
at her side. 'Still there is great deal that Is
good in the story, and enjoyed it very much.
detest such men as Reinhold and do not think
they have any right to marry. Men whose souls
are too high for this world very uncomfortable
sort OF people to live with: they are not made for
everyday life and should retire from the world at
oncen
al do not blame him for leaving mis- wife and GO
ing on with Beatrice the opera singern said Miss
Hamilton, young lady friend OF Felicia's, who had
dropped in to spend the evening "Reinh0ld was
great musician and genius, while his vile was
as commonplace as a woman could well be. AS he
SAID, Beatrice answered the requirements OF his
soul and OF his deeply passionate nature. She APP
precated his musical creations, while his vile hau
no sympathy with them and then, again. he did
not marry Ella because ne loved her. but simply
because ner parents decreed 1t from the day he
was born. He was chained to a woman he could
never love, anu although he Is not such man as
l admire, thinx he was not so dreadful as far as
his elopement is concerned. He talked to his wife
brutaly the night he lett her. for that the Is
no excuse.n
joining In the convess ssatlon; ''ae had no business
to desert his wife; she was magnificent creature,
too good for him bv far.'
''You forget that she developed into what she
was after Reinhold left ner,n said Felicia. "At the
time they lived together she was only weak lov.
ing woman, who appeared to care for nothing be-
.yond household duties. II she had always been
what she at last became her husband would never
have left herr
81 can never forgive her for taking him back
again." said Fred. "Alter his cruel and insulting
treatment OF her every spark of love for him
should have left her. That strikes me as being q
weak ending to the book. II would have been
much more natural II she had married Hugo, who
was really splendid fellow. now did Ella know
but that Reinhold would cast her Oh again If II
suited his pleasure He did 50 once, and he soon
tired OF Beatrice. What assurance had the wife
that another answering soul would not lead him
away again."
'With all her spirit Ella lacked true womanli.
ness" said Miss Rachel. "Aiter all she had been
subjected to- think OF her saying to her brute OF
husband, could you love the woman who, at tnal
time, did not understand you-wno understood
not even herself? We had to be separated In or
- ILL