The San Francisco call., 1895-11-17


holds trysts at daybreak with handsome
violin, and she plays upon thatinstrument
20 the extreme standardization of Miss
Almlny, who has never thought of such
thing as woman playing the violin.
For the life of her, Miss Drowdy could not
explain why she should feel so excited. She
confessed to herself that she was "all creepy
eraWly. That had been green tea that she
hsd taken with her supper, and green tea
asIRWvays dld make her drunk. And what was
"Dissem bling Love- anyway? She didn't like
the sound of that name 1t couldn't be any
proper kind OF piece to play, and for young
woman, and on fddlei Her whole life at
thls were really Roger Crawford's daughter she
would probably never be able to do a thing
Win ner. 1t was mysterious dispensation OF
providence that she had been allowed TO come
down here to North Carolina.
The poor maiden lady lives in a perpet-
tual state of being shocked, and what
shocks her most of all is dim recognition,
IN her inner CONSCIOUSNESS, that she is not,
after ALL as much shocked as she really
feels she ought to be. She cannot help
loving Temple. Nobody can. There is a
strong, wholesome magnetism about the
girl that draws every one to her. The
author, herself, shows a rare recognition
OF this quality.
| Looking at her now, Almina was dtvinely con-
sclouS, woman though she was, of that strange
and subtle attraction of mere sex that is in some
| women so greatly developed. 1t is mistake
| 10 assume that only men are aware OF this at
traction, this mystery for which there seems no
| explanation. That woman child who is born
INTO the world possessing this power draws
| to her unconsciously. If she be good we yield
unresistingly; if she be bad we make a fight,
| but we generally yield all the same in the end
unless We run away.
| Temple Crawford experiences religion
and marries the minister whose preaching
has converted her. He loves her, but dares
not tell her so, as she fancies and he believes
that she IS marrying her because she is
consecrated to the Lords work, and can
do 1t best as his wife and assistant. They
are friends and co-workers, travelling about
the country holding revival meetings, but
| the terrible strain OF such life, against
! human nature" breaks down Temple 5
health. She goes to Hoyt, Mass, to
| Miss Alminy, who nursed her back to
health, but she nearly dies before she and
her husband discover the cross purposes
| in their life together. The book closes
with the final recognition by each of their
mutual love.
There is, throughout the book, an in
| tense love of life and of nature. One can
not but feel that emple Crawford's s deep
| sympathy with nature, her passionate
| clinging to the mountains and streams,
her keen, vivid Joy in just mere living, is
the authors own. This is, of late, a fire.
quently recurring note in any literature,
and one that is essentially wholesome.
Miss POOLS story is vivid, dramatic and
appreciative. 1t abounds in subtly
comprehensive character touches, and
there is rather a clever bit of
raillery at modern fad in the
introduction of Miss MacCullum and
her Delsartian institute for the cure of
sick nerves. On the whole, Against
Human Nature" is one of the most genu-
inely readable books of the present season.
There is deep human comprehensiveness
about Maria Louise Pool that is some
thing more than insight and something
other than art, which makes her one of
the most companionable of present-day
writers. New York: Messrs. Harper &
Bros. Price 81 %. For sale by Payot,
Upham & CO.