The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-02-16

knewed this: knewed that fiddle were my
fiddle because I'd bought her and paid for her.
so worked at her before breakfast and arfter
breakfast, before dinner and arfter dinner, be-
fore supper and arfter supper, in the house and
out O. the house, down by the spring or up by
the cuppin. For ma she taken 1t into her head
that she were beginnin' to git deef; and
lowed maybe my fiddle were too heavy for
her; and spent most O. my time, exceptn' OF
arfter supper, amost out o. doors. And, oh.
bows" he would blandly add, "you ought to "a
saw the chickens and the geese, and the pea
towels, and the turkeys-specially them COB
blers-and even the calves, when they all see
me a-comin' in them previous timesl Why, the
hounds, and even mas little fee Dock; Dock
that were no manner of account exceptin' that
he bad been pas squir l-dog, and she wouldn't
let nobody poster him-they all sot up a-cack-
lin and a-blatin' and a-howlin' as If them too
were agin the fiddle. / were ouconcerned no
more for them than t'others and when at last
l found / could fetch out chune regular and
prevons I didn't keer-nor didn't-a conti-
mental shin-plaster for their predigices nor
their perlapsities and bid defiance to man
and besst. That chime were Days of Abb
sence.' 1t we're monstous, powerful slow
chune. But arfter tryin' of Jenny Virgins
and SIGH. and not bein' able to ketch mp with
her and them, the Kernels old Jim
dead now, old Jim is; bnt for
fiddler, he were one of em in them days
he showed me-one note at time how to
lay OUT Gnab cuuDe. he VtS00 me. old Jim
aid, to jes keep at her ontell got her same
as courtin and to play her faster and faster.
/ done it, did, and it weren't SO powerful
long before got so with old Days that made
mighty nigh daDcin' chune outen her. Then,
farewell, world give the old fellow twist
O. tobarker and let him CO. And boys" he
would conclude, with proper seriousness, 81
tell you all now that the reason that fiddlers is
80 hard to come up with is, that in the first
place they hain't the genus, and, in the next
place they hain't the industry"
Beside this dialect, the authors English
shines. Taken as thing apart his diction is
not faultless. AS we have said, the writer of
'Old Mark Langston" knows how to tell a
story. How numerous or interested his class
of readers may be remains 10 be shown.
The readers OF the Press will very likely re-
call the mention of Mrs. Peirce's little book,
$50 operative Housekeeping in oDe of Nora
Perry's letters from Boston, where quite full
extracts were made from the chapter describ-
ing the causes of the failure of the Cambridge
attempt at cooperative housekeeping. We
are somewhat late in our notice of Mrs.
Peirce's book and offer as a reason that we
| have read the little volume with attention
from the first page to the lsst-more, even the
appendix. To those persons who know that
reviewers do not always read in leisurely and
thoughtful manner from preface to fms, our
excuse for delay will seem valid Having
thus studied cooperative Housekeeping" we
heartily recommend it to everybody interested
in economics" and also interested in the sur
est way of securing health and comfort in our
our over-hurried American life. We are told
that the path to this goal bristles with practi-
cal difficulties. 1t may be; but at least q
scheme so clearly defined and strongly sup
ported as this one should receive the impartial
consideration of all thinking women.
In opening "Tbe Silverado Squatters" one
discloses its sole illustrations a very stiff and
spiritless drawing. 1t would be mistake to
suppose that that it represents the text in the
least particular for the sketches that follow
consist Of keen, pleasant descriptions OF tempo
rary life among the mountains of the Califor-
MIA Coast Range Here and there are bright
bits of writing not unlike Dudley Warmers in
tone. Other books by the same author are
"Travels with Donkey" IAN Inland Boat
Voyage" and Treasure Island.n
Books Received.
OLD MARK LANGsToN. Tale of Dukes Creek
BY Richard Malcolm Johnston. New York Har-
per g. Brothers. (Loring, Short & Harmony
COOPERATIVE HOUSEKEEPING. How Not to Do
It and How to Do 1t A Study in Sociology. By
Mefusna Fay PIERCE. boston: james r, Osgood
& Co. QIoring, Short s. Harmony
TIRE SI1vERADo SQUATTERs. By Robert Louis
Stevenson, Boston: Roberts Brothers. Noring,
Short & Harmony