Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-07-12
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

low. Harper n Brothers, New York.
DR.. Ludlow has given us a truly fine his
torical novel, which is n thing that has be-
come an rare as nm oasis In the desert. II
docs seem strange, as we are told in the
preface, "that the world should have 30
generally forgotten George Castriot" And
even great historians have assigned 10 him
but few pages, although his career was
most romantic but fcw, II any, writer's Of
fiction besides DR.. Ludlow have taken ad-
vantage of Castriors life and surroundings,
and yet there Is plenty of material there for
the pen Of genius, either In prose or poetry.
The book is evidently the work of close
student and observer as well as OF a ge-
MUS Of the highest order. The scenery
among which the story is laid is too vividly
described not to have been personally Wis
tied. Although the dramatis persona Of
the books arc numerous, each wins an
individual place In the mind OF the reader.
A little boy, Michael by name, In captured
by the Turks and placed In the school of
the Janizaries, at Adrianople TO be trained
for military service. At this time tho Jan
izaries were recruited entirely from Chris
tian boy prisoners, who for several days
after being captured were fed with the
most nourishing Of food and allowed TO
sleep on tho softest of beds until
all traces of meanness had dis
appeared, when they were exam
ined by surgeons, and If found well
proportioned and giving promise Of strong
constitutions they were graded into messes
having daily contests of strength and agil-
ity, and from these contests the messes
were constantly changing their numbers !;
m at ;,,; S,,,vo
in distinction from their fellows The jan
izaries were taught tho arts of daily need ;
"to forge, temper and sharpen the sword, :"
TO make the harness for their horses and to
shoe them; make their own clothes: to
build their own boats, etc. Their minds
were developed as well as their bodies by
learned teachers.
In few years Michael has outstripped
all competition he becomes captain of
the Janizaries, the favorite of his fell
lows and the chosen friend of the
young sultan, Mahomet III. Michael has
younger brother, Constantine, who is
under the protection of Scanderbeg, George
Castriot, who threw Off tho Turkish YOKE o
on hearing Of his fathers death and is now
at the head of the Albanians. Neither
brother knows that the other is living and
their likeness to each other is so strong that
enemies and friends max the common mis-
take as To their identity. Even the girl of
their mutual love finds IT hard TO distin-
guish the man to whom she has given her
heart from his no less noble brother.
The book is full of thrilling situations,
and though as in all fiction founded on
fact there must be an undercurrent of sad
ness. One finds vein of humor here and
there In the story. An argument between
Latin monk and "A Greek monk, which
terminated in tho Latin monk slapping his
holy brothers face, is iriisistibly anus
ing.
The atlantic Monthly recently had "A
poem by Thomas Bailey Aldrich on West
minister Abbey with the following lines:
Beneath those marble cenotaphs and urns.
Lies richer dust than ever nature hid, etc
critic observes that no dust will be
found In Westminste! Abbey beneath the
cenotarhs, as cenotapbs arc monuments
erected in memory Of one whose dust lies
elsewhere" This is sad for Mr. Aldrich,
but bigger mon than he have used words
without knowing all about them.
The SHADOW OF A DREAM, by w. ID.
~
Hazard of New Fortunes" etc. Harper
d Brother, New York.
Mr. Howells' new psychological story is
supposed to bo told by one of the charac.
ters in "a Hazard of New Fortunes"
"The Shadow of IA Dream" falls upon two
lives.
Faulkner, n would-be dabbler in litera-
ture and Western man, marries girl by
birth New Englandor, who only lives in
tho West from necessity. She is mentally
his superior, of course. But fortunately the
pair most Interested are not conscious OF
this, and love each other and are as
thoroughly satisfied as though Faulkner
could claim New England as tho land OF
his birth also. Faulknor's health fails not
long after his marriage aud being some
what of sentimentalist he insists upon
carrying isintimate friend to Europe with
himselfand wife. Although this friend is a
clergyman with u charge his congregation
must have been most amiable, AS we dc
not find them making any objections to
the plan which keeps him from them oven
when the trio return and take "A villa al
Swampscote, for tho invalid still insists on
having his friend with him. Faulkners
disease, which Is one of the heart, gives
him so much suffering that his mind is
affected and he is far on the road to insanity
when he becomes subject to dreadful
dream which occurs again and again with =
out change. This dream poisons him
against his devoted wife and also agains,
his friend. He lakes no one but his physi.
clan into his confidence, and ut last dies
suddenly, as we expected him to do.
His widow knows her husband had told
the doctor the nature of his dream, bui
does not question the doctor, as she is salts.
fled II was merely "A symptom of approach.
ing insanity. But two years after Faulk-
ncr's death the widow and the intimate
friend become engaged to be married lust
at that time Mrs. Faulkner finds a scrar
of written paper which gives her a clue to
the dream. She hastons TO Boston to see
the doctor, aud now insists upon his tell.
ing her the exact dream. The effect of il
Is paralyzing upon her, for in her hus-
bands dream he suspects her and his
friend of being in love with each other,
and only awaiting his death to marry. No
such thoughts had entered the mind of
either; the wife has simply lived for her
husband while the mind of the clergyman
is just AS clear. He had only thought of her
and respected her as his friends wife Now
"the shadow of a dream" " falls upon them.
and after long talk they decide that thew
are bound to part, for they find an inability
to decide at what period they began TO love
each other. 1t occurs to them they might
have been in love without knowing it, and
now their parting will be retrbution and
atonement.
The great struggle of these two noble
souls on the question of the incidents of the
dream Is HIll of inIarast IL is N ,i,,l.. LIZ,