Delaware tribune, and the Delaware state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1877-18??, 1877-10-11
NE " BOOKS.

THAT st.-.1 HUSBAND r., OF MINK. r."en: Lso q
"Two long legs, a cut-away coat, n
wide-awake hEt-that's Charlie run at
the door, . kiss, hug and he has such
long arms, and then"-so the book begins,
land then" comes silly little married
woman's pratle about her kisses, her hug.
gings, her spats and her reconciliations
with the aforesaid Charlie of the long
arms, Of the frequent visits of friend of
his, of the later visit Of her sister Of
Mrs. Charles hopes and intrigues to have
her husbands friend and her sister fall in
love with each other, Of the success of
those hopes, of the discovery that her
sister is already engaged to rich old man
who loves her dearly, and all about how
| this difficulty was overcome without blood.
shed or accident, and 30 on to the end of
many chapters aud the book. There is
about as much plot as there is Of skel, ton
to an oyster, and yet despite all this the
book is popular and widely read, and no
one who reads it will wonder that it is so.
| The secret Of the interest In such books
is difficult to discover, but we may guess
tina. it is in some way related to the fact
that everybody is married, or expects to be
or wishes that he or she had been. The
married folks likel to read about how
another young married couple get along
and contrast it with their own way, and tn
unmarried do the same and contrast it
with what they think they would have
done or hope to do. Again the book deals
with such ordinary persons acting in such
commonplace way that 1t meets want
caused by q reaction in the
public taste against another common
, style of novels. There is not single
morbid character in the book. No ''green
eyes, "snake-liks, sinuous grace "grand
sad mouth" nor any such stuff. A young
married couple, of no particular account
7 live and love, spat and make up in q
natural way. A sister to the wife, fine
girl who has been taking care of lie,
brothers children till he marries again
4 approaching thirty and not i,
e love, yields at last to the importunite
f of very fine old man and consents tt
/, marry him visits her sister, inspires
i lovo in the heart Of clever young frient
g of her brother-in- law, falls in love with hin
f herself, and is miserable because she is il
a a fix and has something to be miserab
. about The old man discovers the stat
; of affairs, gracefully steps aside and, lils,
:. the good old fellow he is, sends the brid,
t handsome wedding present and secure
v her husbands promotion In business anC
: we see 10 more Of him.
Had he fallen into the hands of some o
Ii our popular novel writers lie woul'
literally have gone further and fare
worse. His intended would have gon
paier than snow 10 the altar and given hi
ie . trembling hand and her lover woul
"a have hoVercd in the distance gazing Wit
il great passionate eyes" and all that, sn
then have hung around till he had eou
q promised inc young wife's character an
C. made hgl li,hapd miserable, and it wowl
IN al lnve enlcd the devil knows where
1 that is if anybody knows. The reactio
a." against this style of book in favor OF tll
% simple and less exciting annals of hone,
& aud lawful love is wholesome one.
n. may he that the readiness of novel roIlcl
:, to read things no moro interesting th,.
" this may be the sign of q coming desire
read mora valuable and more interestlH
o books not novels,