The herald., 1893-02-05

Pr0ctor'H song OF the Ancient People,
and Mr.. Scollard's songs of Sunrise Land.
And SO as drifted from place to place I
recognized many pleasant faces and
friends-there was Joel Chandler Harris
and Uncle Remus, Mr.. Hopkinson
Smith with Colonel Garter of Carters-
vile; Mrs. Catherwood and The Lady
OF Fort st. John; Eliza Orne White and
Miss Brooks of Winterborough Mrs.
Deland with John Ward and Sidney /;
Mr.. Bynner and Zachary Phips; Mrs.
Austin and Standish of Stsndish; DIR.
M. l.. Gordon and An American Mis-
sionary in Japan, SO becoming tired
L started with Mr.. Windsor and Chris
topher Columbus, and, together with
Mr.. John Fiske, brought about The
Discovery of America; and started with
Mr.. Charles Francis Adams to writing
Three Episodes of Massachusetts Histo-
ry, reaching home by Bradford Torrey's
Foot-Path Way, and plucking bunch
OF Miss Reese's fragrant Handful of
Lavender, whose odor awoke me to find
| had been on a Midsummer Nights
Dream with Olive Thorne Miller's Little
Brothers of the Air.
x%x
Houghton, Mifflin & Co. seem to have
monopoly on publishing good things
this season. Bret Harte, the veteran
author of the Pacific coast, has written
sequel to his Wait of the Plains, entitled,
Susy, Story of the Plains, which the
above publishers have just issued. 1t
IS beautiful little pastoral novel of
early days of California, the scene of
which ia laid in south central California.
Ii takes up the fortunes OF the house
hold of Judge Peyton on the Robles
rancho, including as principals
Judge Peyton and wife; the
hero, Clarence Brant, one OF the
waits, and Judge Peyton's adopted
daughter, Susette Silsbee, the other waif,
from whose nickname ''Susy'' the story
obtains its title. 1t describes minutely
the vaat landed systems OF early Caliior-
nian days. The relations of the old
Spanish grandees toward the early
American settlers. The insecurity OF
land titles, their vague boundaries of
grants, their method of tilling the soil
and planting and rsaping the grain. He
also gives US many pleasant pictures of
the mountains and the mesa. the beauti-
ful coloring of the prairie fowers-the
balmy days and hazy Indian summer;
mentions the vacqueros, their easy,
happy, lazy life; the padrones and the
early owners of Hidalgo blood of the
manner in which new settlers from the |
east broke in upon the Acadian life as |
led by the Spanish land owners, and in
fusing new life and vigor into the soil
and surroundings, made the mesa and |
valley bud and blossom like veritable |
garden of Eden; how they rebuilt the
old missions and drew together the scat
tering settlers for mutual protection and
formed the protective leagues and law
and order leagues. Throughout this
accurate frame work of pen pictures is
woven series of love stories that soften
the effect of some OF the harsher points
and draws the wandering parts closer
together, until it forms one great mass
of beautiful color, soft background and
bright-tinted outline, with the sunshine
of love and loyalty tinting it
in living light, grand, true.
picture of our early days, OF the strug-
giles, the schemes, the ambitions, the
disappointment and the successes of the
generation of which we are the success
sore. The plot is a good one; the villain,
although not q strong one, is kept we'll
in the background and to the relief of
timid readers, dies early in the book.
There are some very pretty passages be-
tween the lovers, and strong lesson
to over-earnest matchmakers. The
t,lff tonlfsf qaits lu sfdAB9sS taeu dsscrip:
of the book the scene changes to San
Francisco and Sacramento, showing
some OF their early days. After many
and trials, the hero finally
obtains the reward for which he has 30
and faithfully worked. The
ending is almost too abrupt, but as the
author remarks at the close, she
stayed, and with this fulfillment of
his youthful dreams, the romance
of his young manhood seemed to be COM
plete, and go closed the second volume
Of this triology. But what effect that
ful6llment of youth had upon his ma
turer years, or the fortunes OF those who
were nearly concerned in it, may be told
in a later and final chronicle" 30 we
need not bewail an abrupt close, but
wait patiently and hopefully for the last
and third volume of these interesting
pastoral romances, typical of the Golden
state.
Harper's new Monthly Magazine
comes to us this month of February full
of good things; opening with illustra-
tions of Shakespeare's comedy, Twelfth
Night; the picture of Malvolio in the
serving as frontispiece. The
which are excellent, are by
E. A. Abbey, while the text, an inter-
esting comment on the play, is by An
drew Lang.
The especially literary feature of the
number ia Mrs. James T. Fields article
on Whittier, Notes of His Life and of
His Friendships, which gives entirely
new gimpses OF the poet in his earlier
and later home. in his frequent visits to
the home Of his publisher, and in his
letters. The paper is beautifully illus
trated.
New Orleans, Our Southern Capital,
by Julian Ralph, is an excellent descrip-
tion Of this peculiar city, and gives a
picturesque summary of the features
characterizing the old and new life of
the city. The article is wildly illus
trated by W. 7. Smedley. The poem
entitled L'Ordre de Bon Tempe, contrib
uted by William McLennan, carries us
back to the good fellowship of Cham
plain and his pioneer comrades at Port
Roval, 1906.
The eyes of all readers, American and
English, are now turned to the exciting
drama which is being unfolded by A.
Gopou Dovla IN hia oraot historical ro- |