The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-12-05
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Calabrian Sketches By Elizabeth Ca
vazza. New York: Charles L. Webster
& Coy; Portland: Loring Short & Har-
NOM. Here is book in which Portland
ers may well take pride, since the an
thor is Portland born and Portland bred
and by this book is entitled to a place in
the front rank of American authors,
The charming stories which appear I'M
der the title of Calabrian Sketches many
readers will doubtless imagine to be
translations, so thoroughly are they Ital-
ian; indeed it is hard to believe that they
are not the offspring of an Italian brain,
and were not dreamed under the rustling
olive trees of Mentone or Bordizhan, OF
on the fowery banks of the Arno, be-
meath the ever blue sky of the land of
sunshine, and bloom, and song, where
the scenes are laid.
Perhaps the most striking of the
sketches is The Story Of Cirillo, who may
well be called the Italian Enoch Arden.
Cirillo's self-sacrifce, however, was
greater than the English sailors, and he
appeals more directly to our sympathies
than the hero of Tennyson's poetic tale.
The opening of the story is charmingly
artistic whenever Don Giuseppe. the
parish priest, went over in his mind all
that he came to know while he watched
that night by the bedside of Cirillo, the
frog-seller, who died at dawn, he always
crossed himself and said: sThat poor
fellow went straight to Paradise, let us
hope; for Purgatory he had here below
on earth.'' And we all agree with Dor
Gieuseppe, when we have finished the
tale.
Ciril1o was the son of the baron, and
had been given to Bibiana to nurse with
her own son Corradino. The children,
both beautiful, thrived well, but one
day Cirillo fell from his nurses lap, and
was injured for life. Fearing to ac-
knowledge her carelessness, when the
son of the baron was finally sent for his
| nurse substituted her own son, Cora
| dino, who went to the castle, AND
became the acknowledged. heir of the
rich baron, while Cirillo, the true heir,
labored early and late to support the
woman whom he supposed to be his
mother. At last Ribiana lay on hel
death bed, and told him that he, and not
Don Corradiano, was the true baron
Cirillo's deep affection for his foster
mother caused him to resolve never te
betray the secret, which she had so Ions
hidden from the world, and in the faith
| full keeping Of this resolution, the inter
est of the story centres. From the mo
ment when Cirillo makes his heroic re
4 solve, to the moment of his death, caused
| by the brutal Corradino, he is subjected
to temptations, which impelled him tx
declare the secret of his birth; but h
resists them, and only reveals the trutl
in extremis to Don Giuseppe, the parish
| priest, who utters the words with which
the story opens.
In writing out this charming story
Mrs. Cavazza displays her art to marvel
GUS advantage; blending realism ant
fancy with skill germane only to the
true artist and producing poetic drama
complete and satisfying.
There are other stories in this delight
/ full book almost as good as Cirillo; nota
| bly,, Don Fimmondone and the Princess
Humming Bird; but no review in space
allotted to a journalist reviewer can d.
justice to book like this, for it abound
from beginning to end with poetic fame,
varyingly tinged with pathos and mirth
and can be read and re-read with increas
ing delight, indeed, it needs to be reat
many times to be fully appreciated.
J. P. B.