St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-20

SIOn'--.GeleraI Literary GOS-
sip.
Shades of Amelie Rives!! You are
outdone. Edgar Saltus, lay lOw.l Hide
your diminished heads, oh strikes OF the
erotic lyreI Walt Whitman, Ella
Wheeler Wilcox, where are you? Alas!
There has arisen in your midst one who
is greater-in the matter of passion
than each and all of you put together.
Pearl Eytinge is her name, and 10 and
behold she jumps into the air, WhoopS
three times and claps her heels together
then turns loose.
~
First Round--Hero in Central park;
ash-colored hair; muscles of steel-of
courSe-under a skin of satin. He
feared that mystic something which is
called Passion with big, big p. He did
not like the roaring flame which wastes
itself away in smoke-he wanted to
burn slowly Consequently he goes to
call on Mrs. Laura Van Alstyne, who is
attired in "a fetching costume of pink
crepe dec hine,' with a narrow train
composed of black satin, and suspended
from the waist 10y three black ribbons,
loosely bound round the hips and tied
in a long bow"
As might have been expected of any
one wearing such costume, ''she was
alternately slipping tea and reading By
ron's Don Juan in desultory fashion"
Naturally "a mesmeric influence took
possession of Harvey''-the ash-haired
hero-''aS he drank in the beauty of her
childish. trustful orbs and milk-white
teeth with dilating eyes"
He managed, however, on that par
ticuiar occasion to make good his es-
cape from the widOW-of course she's
a aforementioned he was at once
aware that he had undergone trans
fOrmatiOn;" and from that time on The
buttoned his gloves with that careful
nicely of deliberation which betokens
an enamored man."
He also writes to Everett Clyde, an
artist in Italy-presumably TO lug MI.
Clyde into the passionate" narrative.
Harvey has the good fortune to find
Mrs. Laura i'll a rocker one day, rock
ing gently, gently" and, after few
voluptuous rocks he falls an easy vic
tim. 1t doesn't do him much good, how
ever, for day or two later he receives
caruS announcing the marriage OF
Laura Van AiStyne to William L. Ores
ham.
Harvey and Everett Clyde. now back
from Italy-Very much the worse for
wear as far as his morality is con-
cerned-immediately rush down to
Rhinebeck. where they at once fall in
love with Miss Palmer. Miss, Palmer,
besides being zone of those perfect,
overwhelming beauties. whom Nature
manufactures with especial care. is the
L nj nh nj
a specialist in nervous diSOrderS-which
goes great way towards eXcuslng MISS
Palmer for her numerous peculiarities.
She sings nice little songs with so much
passion that lit was if she, by singing.
Invested herself, like Phryne, OF her
garments.
She also marries Everett. Everett
takes to strong drink and Mrs. E,
nee Palmer, takes TO Harvey, who in
the meantime had become, in the words
of distinguished authereSS. "a butter
fly" From flower to flower he flew,
kissing them all, taking even here and
there drop of their sweetest honey:
What matters it all?o Harvey and Miss
| Everett feel no Inconvenience from
| their intimacy until Mr.. Everett falls OIL
| his horse and broke his head. On that
gioatfngly. A night for a eStless soul:
a soul burdened with silent sin. A
night to call forth wretched spirit in
wild sympathy with DISTINCTIONS de-
yastating night" So when Harvey
drops in casually, Mrs. Everett points
| threateningiy and shriekS, TO! You
wretch! Col"
Harvey obeyed.
''Bah!'
| After few more irrelevant, disgust
ing and idiOtic chapters, where impr0-
| prieties are dragged in by the heels, and
all sorts of vile females, with silly
| names and 'full, fruity tones" Harvey.
| the hero, returns from darkly hinted-at
| debauchery in Paris and has the salts
! faction of seeing the whilom Mrs. Ever
EFT roll by in green, Yelyet-llned Vic
toria, seated by the side OF "a little,
Wrinkled old man''-presumably an
other husband. OF course there is moth
ing now left for the hero to do but to
marry a pure, young thing, with blue
ewes and golden hair. But alas, much
to the young things disgust, Harvey
has had SO many rackets during his life
that he can only sob on his wedding
night-"force his agony into silence,
and, rising walk away into the gloom
! and Loneliness of reckless past.
|
This fortunately ends book. which,
| of all the pUtrid emanatiOnS of slckly
and corrupt authoress, Is undoubtedly
the most vile. There is, however, one
| redeeming point in it, which in meas
ure makes it less harmful than many
late "StOTies of passion" In spite OF
| its enticing cover, which shows a photo
engravure of very handsome young
woman; in spite of its name, which
commendS it to the lover of the wicked.
it is still harmless from its very ldiocy.
| No pickle and slate pencil eating
boarding school girl, with the most pru-
rient of imaginations, could pick up
Velvet Vice" without being coHvulsed
by the absurdity of the book.
"a Modern Miracle" By James Frank
lin Fits. No. Is of the Manhattan
Series" OF popular American novels.
Paper, limo. Price % cents. Pub
lished by A. l.. Burt, 56 Beekman
street, New York.
The author of this latest issue of Mr..
Burt's excellent series is well and favor
ably known to the lovers of pure and
entertaining fiction. The present vol
ume is quite worthy of his reputation
and of the series III which it appears.
| A GlIIlCull leOl VI 10 ~
invest trite subject with new charms
and this has been admirably accom-,
plished in this novel. The eyer-present
topic of the mIsmating of man and
woman in marriage is the basis of the
story, and while it is handled truthfully
and naturally, so powerful a dramatic
cast is given to the characters ard Incl
dents that the story is at once lifted out
of the catalogue of ordinary domestic
fiction. The action is always intense,
but never overstrained; possibly the
most exciting part being found in the
chapters describing Colonel Garbutt
of Alabama" and his fate. The dra-
matte and pathetic are strongly mingled
here, and we shall be mistaken If the
attention of the playwrights is not ar
rested. The whole book is good and alb
sorbing. and it cannot fail of success:
! 1t is for sale at the st. Paul Book and
Stationery store, Third street.