The New York herald., 1877-09-18
AN EXAMPLE AND A WARNING.
Threads, Feathers and Flowers About q
Woman and the -.
Mild STlNULANTS FOR THE BOSTON LITERATI.
Humor and Sentiment from Him
of Danbury.
Chat and Gossip from the Pen and
Ink Regions.

Mrs. Hamil,on's novel, 'My Bonno Lass" Estes
Lauriat) is not worth noticing literary produc
tion, but as a typo Of class and as a warning 10
young writer's It claims some attention from tho re-
viewer There Is q style OF novel which has come
into vogue recently whose principal feature is gush.
Tho inaugurators Of this new departure were bad
enough, but their imita,ors are This style
vas the natural reaction from the muscular school
Of novel writing founded by George Lawrence
In "Guy Livingstone" Miss Rhoda Broughton
Is tho leader Of this party. and It's
best exponent. Mrs. Hamilton Is her American
disciple and like Miss Broughton, exponds
great deal OF ingenuity in selecting her titles. Her
other novels entitled "Wovcn Of Many Threads, -
"a Crown from the Spear" ''Ropos of Sand" ard
such Ike And he titles of her chapters are equally
sentimental 'She has Ceased her Sghins," "And
Will Come Again TO Thoc" "My Love Reaches Across
tho Sea, "Oh breaking Heart that will not Break'
arc fair specimens. The author seems tuned up 10
The highest pitch OF rhapsody picture her writing
with quill pen by the light ofthe inoon with her hair
rippng over her shoulders her waist and her eyes
Min fine frenzy rolling" The writer OF the iniroduc
Non Is supposed to be woman who has loved the hero
and who takes upon herself to revise and publish his
pcsthumous manuscript Here Ia tho way she be-
GINS
Not every man is born to be hero not every man
Is born be martyr NOT every man is born write
with the tears of hts heart tue story of his own io
Not every man is born to live as he lived to die as he
died.
o. my young hero! my noble, brave heart, tho
brightest dream Of my girhoodl Why not your
"Bonnie Lass. that might have loved you, ana lived
Tor you, and suffered Tor you, and died with your
Through vista OF mist und tears as DIM and tender
as tho early dawn the shores Of that far OIL bay,
murnur Of melancholy waves I saw thee first and
loved thee always see thee now Here IN this great
noisy city In the morning suplisht with no romance
hero, martyr, eternal youth on thy brow, eternal
sweetness and peace on thy lips, and Gods smile,
matchless whitcness.
After this rhapsody is ended tho story begins, told
In the hero's language which Is very similar. The
hero and his brother are the children Of Creole
mother and Scotch father and are sent to Scotland
to bc educated The hero is the younger Of the
brothers and leaves the sunny South Tor the chilly
North at the age OF twelve years. his brother had pre-
coded him several years. He is taken at once to tho
house OF an cid parson. who Is 10 be his tutor, and
there he first bonnie lass tho parson grand.
laughter, who 10 thus described
She stood leaning the low gate, this girl Of
wcvc years, her slight, bue.robed figure clearly de-
fined against the background Ivy and hswhorn her
dimped hands folded over her bare white arms; her
head thrown back, and her golden hair falling away
from brow as pure and candid as an angels. Hcr
blue eyes, OF wonderful depth and expression, were
liked with sad, wisfu inquiry some distant pon OF
vision, whiio her sweet mouth seemed trembling with
O suppressed sob.
mouth ''trsmbng with suppressed sob'' is too
suggestive of rabbit to be altogether pleasant Cap
tain Burton, Gregory's companion, asks where tho
folks are and the trembling mouth replies, sGrand-
papa and mamma have gone over to Dame Trots; she
s dying they say, and was thinking OF Just as you
came up. Sho is u good old woman, and love her
dearly. She may be dead even now. was looking
at the sky and wondering how spirit left the body
when suddenly saw soft white cloud away oil where
there was before, and thought 1t was her soul
its way to God.'' This was too much for young
Gregory and felt himself the slave OF this
mystic being. But, to show that sho could come down
from this exalted height quickly she climbed TO
It, she turned suddenly upon Gregory aud propounded
The unexpected question, "Do you know Crock gn 10
whao he timidly replied, ''Grcck! Oh, no. l hayo
lust begun Latin"
ond book Of Virgil and am in my Greek declepsions
How old you 2"
"rwelvc the drst DAY Of May last" said with some
hesitation, for was ashamed OF my ignorance"
And no wonder any boy Of twelve who does not
know Greek should be written down Ounce
"How strange! Why, you were born the same day
that was; my birthday is the 1st of May. and was
twelve also think you must have been made for
me-" she added gravely looking again into the dis.
lance with dreamy eyes"
This proposal coming from girl Of twelve must bo
pardoned, tho influence OF the dreamy distance and
too much Greek although in less learned IL would
be called downright boldness. Gregory aged twelve
was nattercd. Ha says:-
"My heart gave u great bound when sho said this
with such charming simplicity, and a new, strange
love stirred within me; not such a love as felt for
my brother, or my parents, but the faint dawu tho
tender bud, the soitest possible premonition Of tho
great passion OF my lfc Just struggling from child
hood into boyhood, felt vaguely tho sense OF her
words-i was made for hor.' Yes was indeed mado
for her. and for no other"
There IS nothing like finding out these aflnties in
met.
awhile sat before her, with bashfully lowered
eyes, noticed for the first time a vivid red line
around her lett wrist, encircling 1t like stream oil
blood and running distance up her arm. Startled
leaned forward aud touched 1t, saying what is
thisS" (Which was very rude Of hml
She drew back with sudden psllor and cried out like
one hurt
20, Is IL woundf' I asked, sorrowfuliy for
thought had pressed 1t roughly
'No, 1t Is not wound-t is u birthmark : and when
1t Is touched feel pain hero. and laid her hand
on her heart, sieh,ng heavily.
This Is probably borrowed from Elsie venner, but
not being done SO we'll s very unpleasant.
The comic element Of the book Is supplied by par.
rot and an old grave digger, tho character part by
'esty servant and onc-egged soldier Captain Fox The
heavy villain s wonau Helen McAlpinc, tho gentecl
villain man, Gerald, Gregorys brother. Gregory is
Leading man, Bell Campell leading lady. Gerald at
hrst loves Helen McApne, an actress; he lives with
hcr Tor threc months gets jealous, leaves her and
meets Bell, his brotners sweetheart. His brothers.
claims do not deter him. he looks upon Gregory, who
is now over twenty as being too young to he love;
30 he becomes enamored OF Bell proposes aud 10 ac-
cepted. About this time Gregory to slow music,
peeps through window, secs his sweetheart sitting at
his brothers. knee looking unut,srable things into
hs eyes, tears hair and exits TO churchyard to
cool OIL Returns TO house after family have retired,
is let IN by old servant goes TO bed, but not TO sleep
Gets up in tho morning. dresses and enters breakfast
room to quick music sitting Bell and grand.