The herald., 1893-02-19

obvious and altogether to be expected
nor is it at all remarkable that we should
find, among the Blackfeet, tales identi-
cal with those told by tribes of different
stock far to the south; but it is little
startling to see in the story oil
| the Worm Pipe a close parallel to
the classical myth of Orpheus
and Eurydice. In another of the
stories is an incident which might have
been taken bodily from the Odyssey.
All should read carefully The Peace
With the Snakes, The Wolf Man, Origin
OF the Medicine Pipe, and the complete
portion devoted to The Story of the
Three Tribes. Well. equipped students
of general folklore will find in these
tales much to interest them, and to such
may be left the task of commenting on
this collection.
Nv
Another interesting book just issued
by Charles Scribner's Sons is by F. j..
Stimson q. S. of Dale). entitled: In the
Three Zones. Under this happy title,
Mr.. Stimson has combined DR.. Material
ismus, An Alabama Courtship and Los
Caraquenos, quite distinct in character
and varied in interest, the scenes of
which, as the title implies, are laid in
the three zones. DR.. Materialismus is a
strange New England story, the scene
laid in small town in Maine. which is
described as lone of those gentleman
nered, ferocious-minded. white, wooden
villages, common to Maine; with two
churches, brick town hall, stucco ly-
ceum, a narrow railway station and
spacious burying ground. 1t is divided
into two classes Of Hociety-one which in
stitutes church socisbles, church dances,
church sleighing parties, which twice
week, and critically, listens to a long
and ultra-Proteatant, almost mundane
essay sermon, and which comes to town
with, and takes social positions from,
pastoral letters of introduction that
are dated in other places and
exhibited like marriage certificates |;
the other class falling rather
into Shakespeare Clubs, intensely free
thinking, but calling Sabbath Sunday
and pretending to the slightly higher
social position of the Swo." His deecrip-
tions are elegant, and although the SUBJ
ject is somewhat weird and fantastic,
still it is quite interesting. The ending
is somewhat tragic. In An Alabama
Courtship he shows it in it's simplicities
and its complexities, refers nicely to
some old Indian legends OF Tuscumbia,
where the scene Is laid, in Northern
Alabama. This ia a beautiful
little story, by far the best of
the three-the situations exciting, the
dialogue witty and sparkling, the de-
scription of the ecenery grand, it being
q part OF the United States not often
written about. The last story, Los Ca
raquenos, ia the life history of Don Sc
bastian del Tore and of Dolores, his
wife, Condesa de Luna, members of
almost the last of the old Spanish nobil-
ity of Caracas. The scenes are laid in
and near Caracas. An excellent de-
scription is given Of the great round
arched Spanish bridge which spans the
deep arroyo on the slope above the
present town, and of the great stone
fortress in the center of the city, with
walls eight feet thick, its windows like
tunnels cut through to the iron unglazed
casement-for this was the only house
that was left standing on the evening of
the great earthquake. Both bridge and
fort still bear the scuiptured blazonry,
the lions and the castles, and the pious
inscriptions to the great glory of the
Virgin. Part of the story is during the
time in which Bolivar and his noble
patriots were fighting Spain, and the
final battle at Los Teques is we'll de-
scribed. The story is very fine and
touching one, and although sad and tear
stained, is still interesting as typical
Spanish-American romance.
~ Gta
In Appleton & Co.'s new number of
The Town and Country Library we fin d
an interesting number. The title is A
Comedy of Elopement, by Christian
Reid, whose real name is Frances @.
Fisher. The story is very pretty one
and we'll told. In st. Augustine, Flor
ida, an elopement ia planned. At the
last moment the girl reconsiders, and
sends her young cousin, girl OF Is, to
tell her lover of her change of mind.
She is seen and her generosity
and courageous silence lead to
many complications. Six years
after, the story shifts to Venice, where
the game characters unexpectedly meet.
The devoted cousin has become rich and
is jealously guarded by her step.brother,
who wants her hand and fortune. To
marry the man of her choice she is
finally obliged to elope. and story of
true love is brought to a smooth con-
clusion. For light interesting reading
it is a decided success.
x*x
Scribner's Sons have delightful little
book in Sir Edwin Arnold's Japanese
drama, entitled Adzuma. He has found
in this book one of those subjects which
he has always delighted to illustrate.
The theme of the drama is one of the
old Japanese legends SO pregnant with
information az to the age of chivalry in
Nippon--an age of chivalry, be it said,
which, despite an inevitable mixture of
ferocity, exhibits some of the higher
virtues with luster and beauty scarce
ly emulated by the traditions of the
corresponding stage of European devel-
opment. In this case the whole action
turns upon one of those supernatural
occurrences which 30 thickly bestud
the ancient annals of the land
of the mikado. The legend is
based upon the theme of continued
births and re births, the persistence of
individual character through various
incarnations, and the influence OF
destiny upon human affairs. The story
will be found in several modern transla-
tions of Japanese medieval legends.
1t has deep hold upon the popular
imagination, and no wonder. Sir Edwin
Arnold has certainly detracted nothing
from its impressiveness. His dramatic
version is characterized by simplicity,
occasional dignity of diction, frequent
ipcureions into distinctly Japanese
poetry and sentiment, and, generally
speaking, care in the maintenance of
national idaes fipuras and modap of