The morning call., 1894-05-13


rlage but means of securing as many of
the good things of the world as possible.
naturally results In producing a half
educated. unreasonable. illogical creature.
utterly unfit 10 be he companion of a real
man. Evangeine Marsh has been brought
up In such way. and when her physical
charms-ner sole capita have fled, hap
piness flies with them and refuge is sought
in suicide. An extreme case, maybe. but
the writer youches forts truth. No praise
could be too great for this story: it Is COM
plete, not with the completeness of French
polish, bul that grand completeness such as
one realizes in the works of the cathedral
builders OF the middle ages. The remain
ing stories deserve similar commendatlon.
Sarah Grand is an advocate Of woman's
rights, and If that movement does no hing
else but destroy the false ideals hitherto
held up to the girls of society. it will have
deserved well of man and the world.
New YORK: ID. Appleton g. Co. For sale
by the Bancroft Company.l
THE RUBIcoN.-Th story by E. F.
Benson, the author of 'Dodo." is
well worth reading. 1t has certain
amount of resemblance as regards its
chief character to the leading character in
"a Yellow Aster." not the resem blance
of Imitation. but that of the different treat
ment of similar subject The setting.
however, and results are very different.
Given woman Of intellectual ability far
above the ordinary. who marries man
for position and power, what Will be the
result when her soul awakens and she
falls in love for the first time? Eva Gram
pound. tired of the monotony of her girl
hood, marIips Lord Hayes, a man whom
she respects but does not love, passes her
life in seeking new sensations and at last
falls in love with Reggie Davenport. who
is engaged already TO Gertrude Carson
Up to this time the love Of Reggie and
Gerty has been an exquisite dyl, un-
touched with trouble or pain. The work
ing out of the plot is different to what one
would have expected, inasmuch as the
worldly woman renounces her claim for
the benefit OF her rival. The 'denouement.
however. commends itself to the readers
Judgment and is brought about witt
singular skill. There is not an un-
interesting page in the whole book Vivid
descriptions abound and the fair English
country Is painted with power. Cowper's
description In ''Tbe Task" of the pleasant
hour Of tea finds no mean parallel In the
description of the hour before dinner In a
countrv-house. The characters are drawn
with firm, discriminating hand, and epi-
grams and parsdoxes abound on every
page. The dialogues are remarkably good
100 good, we think, for actual, living peo-
pie, who would find it impossible to be
forever saying good things. The book.
however is all the more interesting on
that account. Not long since collection
of short sketches by the same author was
published under the title of "a Double
Overture" and the present volume Is an
expansion of one of them. The develop
ment of the novel out Of the sketch is a
pleasant study in literary work. There Is
wonderful freshness and vyacity in the
narrative and the interest never for mo-
menL flags. New YORK: d. Appleton s.
Co. For sale by the Bancroft Company. |
A COSTLY FREAK.-Those who have
read "The Silence of Dean Maitland" py
Maxwell Gray, will give a cordial wei
come to that writer's new story, "a Costly
Freak" A poor country parson in Eng
land fiuds two bank notes in his family
Bible. A man Of simple faith and pure
life, he deems the notes to have been
placed there by the special interposition
of proyideuce In reality they found that
resting place in a different but very orig
inal wav, which the reader will find fully
described in the book The plot of the
story is extremely good, and is developed
in such a way that the readers attention
is Kept riyeted to the very end. There
could be few Things more pathetic and
heartrending than the account of the par
sons mental sufferiBgs under the accusa-
ton of theft. Even his wife, who has
grown up beside him, believes In his
guilt. But he seeks aid In his faith,
and that which seems to have caused
his suffering becomes his consolation.
However we may judge his simplicity and