The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-02-14


to make good husband and dropped him. Hsr
| father was her choice, and she went to live with
him. Then she met dashing Young newspaper
| man who took tea sJ her fathers house every
| night. or course they fell In love simultaneously,
| and, there being obstacle in the way, they got
married, as all good heroines should, and thus
endeth the story OF "Sylvias Choice,n which
Georgiana M. Craik has made more interesting
| than have L
"wILDMOOR."
slow do you like this way OF writing novel9r
queried Felicia Of her cousin Rachel.
Miss RACHEL rather like 1t for a change,
although 1t does not give much variety to tho
table OF contents. Hero are thirty light chapters,
with no more descriptive titles than "Miss Brent
writes" "Bope writes.n "Geofrrey writes.n 4
think the contents" miGhs have been spared
without being missed. The idea OF having the
principal characters tell their stories In their
own language Is guile attractive.
FELICIA-Hopes chidIike way of making o con-
jsdante OF her journal is very pretty. Altogether
think "Wlldmoor" u. B. Lippincott & Coz is AM
agreeable story.
Miss RACHEL-Not ono Of very much force, but
natural and pleasing The characters are all more
or less Interesting. Miss Brent Is dear old maid,
and Geonrey IS q duck OF bear. like such fell
lows, although should have been more apt to
have fallen In love with Captain Midway.
FELICIA-Of course Geofrey loved Hope fSom the
moment he first laid his eyes upon ner. Great {!
Dig, rough men always love little fragile girls. II
suppose they think that SUCH small creatures are
in need OF protection. that they too delicate to-
light the battle OF life alone f
Miss RACBBL-Then you mean to say that there
is dash OF compassion IN their afrectionP
FEIICIA-Yes; think there is some such mix.
ture.
Miss RAcHEI-It does not seem natural to me
that man should have believed his son guilty OF
murder on crcumstancial evidence alone.
FELICA-Yet think OLD Mr.. vairin was Ike
some men one meets occasionally. A man always /
ready to believe anything bad about q person,
even son, whom ne professed to have loved. !
Herbert might have been q little wild, but he |
never did thing in this life that would lead
person to suspect him OF carrying murderer,s
heart in his body.
Miss RACHEL could sooner have suspected
Walter Brent OF crime. The story OF the real
murderer was rather pitfuL He mighe have
made decent citizen II he had not been trans.
ported for poaching game to keep his sick wife
alive. And to find that his wife and child had.
died during his forced absence was the last straw
to break the back OF the impatient camel. What o
horrible agony his faithful sister must have sur
feredl 1t was bad enough to have her brother q
murderer, but to have the Young gentleman sho
looked upon with such adoring eyes charged with
the crime was dreadful indeed.
FELICIA--I think that should have taken the
dilemma BY the horns and confessed against my
brother, particularly after he had shown himself
brute enough to strike me, rather than have al
lowed an innocent man to live under such terri
BILE cloud. The worst thing ever read Of was the
transporting OF the girl for perjury when she con-
fessed many years afterward, at the second trial.
that she had known who was the real murderer
all along 1t was crying shame.
Miss RACHEL don't believe such q thing could
have happened out OF Q book.
FELIcIA-To resume q more pleasant subtect.i
It nearly always Follows that when girl takes
such an unreasoning prejudice to man as Hopei
did to Godfrey she Will eventually become recon-
ciled and marry him.
Miss RACHEL-That Is natural enough; but Il
don't believe, with great many people, that II 81
girl dfsikes certain qualities In a man her
husband Will be sure to possess them all. Now,
for instance, could not marry mean man-oneI
who counted the pennies and tried to beat down,
the tradesman ana fretted over the household &C,
counts. People say that love Is blind and does
not see such things; but think just the other
way, that love sees through milestone and would
be the 1rst to notice any such faings.
Felicia have no sympathy for women Ike
Maud Buddington and cannot see what there was
about her cold nature to attract warm b0oded
loved him ana acted as she did Il mystery TO me-
His explanations were enough to have satisfied
the most exacting nature But she preferred TO-
sheer at his words and pretend that she doubted
him, when she must have believed all he said.
It was sad day when he was drowned, but
it would have been sad lie If he had married the
staruesque Maud. She found ous that she loved
him when II was TOO late, and It was good lesson
ior her. a
Miss RACHEI-Tne story ends well and Is inter-
esttng to the last. rather wish that Walter
had reformed more thoroughly, and 1t would have
been cosey II Miss Brent had gotten married, but
as 1t was she made o model maiden aunt and
played mother to all Of her brothers. children 90
well as she could have done to her own.
"ANNErrE.n
FE1ICIA--In direct contrast to the ''old maid~
In .sWildmoorn is Miss Mordaunt, the lady who
occupies similar position In annette" (Clax-
ION, Remsen h Hafelnnger). The latter possesses
all the distinguishing characteristics that make
the usual sold maid" an unpopular person In 70.
nance and reality.
MISS RAcuRL-Now, Felicia, you are getting per-
sonal, Tor you know that belong to the free ana
independent order of o. MS; but ! hope that Z
am more like Miss Brent than Miss Mordaunt
There are plenty OF married women just as cross
and unreasonable as Miss Mordaunt. She meant
well, bus had disagreeable way or going on az
half cock.
PELIcIA-As q play "Annetten would delight the
heart of q manager, the characters are 50 lew and
the situations dramatic.
sMiss acknowledgements should say, par
ticularly the scene between Annette. Walter and
Miss Morduant toward the end OF the work.
think the author works up the climax very we'll
The plot Is rather nackneyed, only the setting Is
little different; but on the whole 1t Is very read-
able story. There is no one character that Is
particularly good, excepting perhaps, the hero
inc. who shows some spirit on certain trying
occasions.
FELdCIA-When Parson Stone brings his clod-
hopper or o son to propose TO her. for instance;
that Is very amusing scene. The fathers anxi-
ETY. to have his son speak up like q man, and tho
snn,s iI.cnncealed fear OF tho girl, were very