The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-10-24
4 CHATTY LETTER.
5s sRural's'' Rambles Through Recent
BOOklists Local Suggestions.

Rural's'' Rambles Through Recent
Booklists Local Suggestions.
Correspondence OF THE MINER.
RIvERDALE RANCH, October II, 1885.
It is strange that each season in it's turn
seems most beautiful to the favored coun-
try residents. Now, am quite sure that
nothing can equal the glory OF the land
scape, and the indescribable charm OF these
! autumn days, but, no doubt, the innate
poetry of budding spring time about next
May will make me forget these brilliant
views. !hope you and your town readers
may not imagine you see the beauties oi
the season through the smelter smoke
I've no doubt you take the smoke for the
dreamy haze OF Indian summer, but you
cannot mistake the odor for the fragrance
of an atmosphere. The grain and hay is
all secured in goodly rows OF stacks, and
the threshing machine makes music on
some of the ranches, but the big business
of the hour is the gathering OF the potato
| crop.
SUCH POTATOES.
And such potatoes! / think Montana
must be the natural home OF the Irish
American, for nowhere else could his
favorite tuber be produced more lux
uT1duUiys oOuC VI OOA CdSSCIA lIACHUS
ought to see the immense mealy fellows
that come upon the tables! There would
| be direct call for the Montana product.
And while the men are digging potatoes,
we 'household fairies, " as women are some
times POLITICALLY called, are busy, too, get
ting the inevitable three meals day, car
Ing for the babies, danring socks and per-
forming numberless small duties-too small
to be mentioned, but which fill up the lives
OF SO many women. Somewhat different
from a great many. l will not let these
triaes use up all the moments, but manage
to get in little reading, little music and
a little writing nearly every day, and dur
ing year it amounts to considerable.
When the papers come | glance over the
columns, while holding baby, and take note
of items of especial interest to discuss at
table and to point out to the busy imam OF
the ranch" when he takes his little after
| dinner rest. And how much conversation
grows out OF the war papers in the Century!
How many questions the little seven-year-
old boy manages to ask on the subject.
How interested we all became in the misfor-
tunes growing out of poor Kits Zone
Fault" in the st. Nicholas! And
how eagerly we followed E. 2.
Roe's family story in "Driven Back
to Eden.'' By the way, what blessings the
fine monthly magazines are! was count
ing up the other day and found that the
st. Nicholas, for SO per year, gives it's read
ers about $40 worth OF serials, and all the
short stories, poems, Agassiz Association
work and beautiful illustrations besides.
Just so with them all. The Wide Awake, pub
full to the brim with good things every ISSUE
l am glad live in the day of pictures and
good and abundant reading.
BOOK OF LOCAL INTEREST,
/ am reminded right here OF little hook
your readers ought to be interested in,
both on account OF the subject and its au-
thor. 1t is series OF lectures, entitled,
"The Book OF Mormon, Is it of God?"
by Rev. n. T. Lamb, who organized the
Baptish church in your city, was afterward
at Glendale, then at Eagle Rock, and is
now at Salt Lake City. Persuaded that
the Mormon stronghold lies In the faith the
majority OF them have in their Divine
revelations, he studied their book care
fully, subjecting it to the tests by which tte
Bible is proved Divine, viz, by internal
evidence. Having studied and proved, to
his own satisfaction, not only the falsity,
but the absurdity OF the book, he an
nounced his lectures, against the wishes
and advice OF his own church and personal
friends. But one of Mr.. Lambs character
istics is, to do as he thinks he ought, if the
world is against him. His promise to dis
cuss the subject fairly and gentlemanly,
brought out the Mormons. They crowded
the house the first lecture, and were pleased
and frightened and curious. At the next
lecture there was larger crowd-all could
not get in, Well, everybody, Mormons and
Gentiles, acknowledged the lectures aimed
the deadliest blow at Mormonism yet
dealt, and Governor Murray and other
prominent citizens requested their publi-
cation. So they are before the reading
public, clear, decisive and to the point.
This is an unsolicited notice OF the book.
l admire it, and hope Montana folks gener-
ally will appreciate it. 1t costs 25cts. in
paper and 5Octs. IN cloth, and can be got
at Salt Lake or Chicago. | presume your
merchants will get number.
A GOOD NOVEL.
But I've read some novels lately, too. One
Howard & Hubert, OF New York, anony-
mously at first, but in the fourth edition.
announcing Julius Chambers as it's author.
He has been financial reporter OF the New
York Tribune, and in that position he
gained his knowledge of Wall street, with
which this book deals. One critic say5 the
only fault with it is that it is almost en-
tirely mans book, as it's characters are
principally politicians, railroad men and
financiers. l claim that it is OF intense in
terest to everybody VINO can appreciate
anything above common love story. 1t
is so dramatic that one seems, for the time,
to know the characters and live and feel
with them, 1t Is immensely popular in the
East The hero is said to be Jay Gould.
At least it is some great railroad king. 1t
is not descriptive. but lives in real interest
on every page. It is unque-and now that
we know reporter wrote it, it sounds like
it.
LILLIAN sPENcER's NOVEL.
A little book entitled "After All,' by
Lillian Spencer, an actress, and published
by S. c. Griggs & Co., OF Chicago, is entirely
story, with no excuse for being except to
be, and, having no particular lesson in it,
| presume 1t will b. very acceptable to a
large class OF readers. A young girl relates
her experiences OF Il year-the interval be-
tween school life and engagement. The
scene is in quiet country place in England,
and the incidents very exciting and unu-
sual. It is well written, and will entertain
one in dull hour very we'll The publish
ers have done their part well in print, pa
per and binding.
Our imam of the ranch was interested
in book from 0. Judd & Company. writ
ten by an English cattle dealer, who relates
his experiences in buying sheep and cattle
through California, Nevada. Montana,
Idaho, etc. He calls his work "Prairie Ex.
periences." There are hints to cattlemen,
descriptions OF scenes and scenery and an
Englishman's views OF American Western
life,
OF INTEREST TO BUTTE.
| think these are all the new books |
have seen lately, but want To mention an
item for the benefit OF the Butte school
children and young people generally. Do