The Portland daily press., 1894-08-01

udtlVe oriental elements which go 10
make up Eastern human nature, as well
as the singular and picturesque environ
meut, furnish striking situations and
local color to the literary artist Mrs.
Steel should bear the title. She writes
unhesitatingly and does not avoid
dramas and tragedies not all of kind
to please timid taste Here are brutal
facts, outlined in all their uglinesH Her
people are drawn to the life-2ailant-Dan
Fitzgerald George Keene who was loyal
to his ideal; Rose in her latter day man
nish good sense, yet feminine sensi Utility,
Mrs. Boynton, a veritable type. There is
a good deal of love making all through
and the story is not one for the minia-
ture mind, it is strong meat. AS such
it will be welcomed by lovers of ro-
nance and appreciated by the sturdy
loathers of introspection to the exclusion
of incident. Very much occurs III bar
rack life and more in the palace of
Zu br-ul-zamau, and later of his descend
ants, where Chaudui, the courtesan,
clashed her silver bells and salaamed to
the sahib logue and scattered blossoms
of the red pomegranate to the wind.
Intrigue untold gathers about the key to
the water gate and the sluices of the
canal. The Ayodhya pot with its blue
glaze and fatal charm, not to be repro
uced by even the mad potter with his
clay. brings sorrow, with its false bot
tom and concealed jewels; and TIE
story of Azizan is poetic, if heart break
ing. There is an English or Irish coun-
terpart to all this orientalism. "Leave
10. US instead of PIP. s." remarked
Lewis fippantly. Don't l remember
my mother saying to us. "Ah, children,
I don't mind your being naughty, | can
whack you for that, but will not have
you stupid" New York. Harper and
Brothers; Portland: Loring, Short and
Harmon. Price 81. so.
Perlycross. A novel by r. D. Black
more. author of Lorna Doone, etc, has al
ready been through several editions and
has had very large sales. Any novel of
Blackmore's commands an eager read
ing. The present volume is full .of
quaint character study and is distin-
guished by certain practised finish and
style and a vigorous, alert, breezy tone.
Here is no nonsense nor sentimentalism,
but freshness not unlike Charles
Reade's in his earlier stories.
From a supposed grewsome incident
pertaining to doctors and graveyards
there arises complication of circum-
stances, important and trivial, serious
and comic. But we have no part with
the professional discloser of plots and so
betake US to extracts.
"Mrs. Muggirdge," housekeeper for the
Rev. Mr.. Penniloe, takes good care of his
motherless chicks. On one occasion she
says "M' ster Mike" is very lonely (being
not much more than baby and might
he sleep in her room for time, since she
had found him sobbing in his sleep away
off in the desolate "hattic" bed. The Par
son reminds her" have always tried to
make my children feel that the Lord is
ever near them" "He compasseth. the
righteous round aboutn Mrs. Muggirdge
replied with curtsy as pious woman
I1Oly UIlGs DuL lOI oil GAdU Ou
can't call Him company cir; and that's
what these little ones lacks of"--and so
she carries her point.
The primary schoolmaster exercises a
wise reserve when he enunciates this
philosophy" Some people are too learned
Mr.. Sergeant"
81 know it, miss" (replies the old SOL
der now Instructor in alb abs). But
am very particular not to let anyone say
it of me- could quote Latin if I chose
but who would put spill to my pipe
| afterwards? One must never indulge il
| all one knows"
| Here again crops out shrewd observa-
tion of human nature when Master Crang,
| the blacksmith, narrates LAS it happened
my life had been little put out about
something or other in the morning.
| You know how the women folk gel
without no cause. But when she gets
into that frame of mind she never saith
much to justify it as evil tempered
| women do but keeps herself quiet anc
looks away bigly and leave some to dc
| things for myself until such tim as sht
comes round again. So l took drink
of water from the shoot instead of warm
ing up the teapot and got into bed like
| a lamb without word leaving her tt
begin again by such time as she should
find repentance"
For an objective description again thu
follow ing is beautiful. "The soft west
ern air, though the winter had helt
speech with it, kept enough of good will
yet to be pleasant change for those
who found their fellow creatures easter
". And more than that the solemn dis
lance and expanse OF trackless gra.
lowering with slow wings of sleep.
vapour touched with sunshine, if Their
was no comfort in them, yet spreat
some enlargement. These thing
breathed softer breath, as nature mus
Though it be unfelt) on young magma
tions fattering, like wisp of ramblet
wool in the bride paths and stray sheel
walks of human trouble"
To return to the pithy sayings o
PerIycross folk-"And now,n said DR.