St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-08

elaboration Is naturally more marked
In Dorothy" a volume Of Italian
stories, dealing with the infinite leisure
hf cosmopolitan existences, than in her
novels which depicted for the most part
Vigorous native types.
Each Of the Ave studies in this little
volume has Its own charm, but per-
haps the finest and the most charac-
teristic OF Miss Woolson's exquisite
talent Is "a Florentine Experiment"
The story Is a piece Of character-draw-
ing in mosaic. 1t is a brilliant, deli
oate, suggestive, complex piece Of
work, having -flneness and perfection
OF finish which suggest Henry James,
but showing an amount of emotional
intensity which Mr.. James never per-
mits himself, unhappily for his read
ers. incidentally it exemplifles Miss
Woolsoh's @'favorite psychological
method, which was to work from the
outside. This Is certainly the natural
method, and in her hands 1t both
stimulated and fattered the readers
Intelligence
& OF the other stories, the most en-
tertaining is "At the Chateau Of
COrinne," in which the home Of
Madame de Stael serves as back
ground for the several scenes Of a love-
affair in progress between two ex-
patriated Americans; but the most
striking are "A Waitress" and "a
Transplanted Boy The former is a
strong sketch Of Italian peasant char
acter with its curious contradictions Of
tenderness and ferocity, and shows no
trace of the optimism born Of ignor-
ance which characterizes such studies
in the hands of those less familiar with
their material. THE Transplanted
Boy is touching little story which
magazine readers will remember as
having caused them sympathetic
pangs which persisted much longer
than the four weeks which is the
maximum of existence for the usual
magazine story. 1t deals with the
unnecessary, uncomfortable, but very
picturesque and attractive sacrifices
which the young son of a pretty and
irresponsible little American widow
drifting aimlessly about Europe makes
In her behalf, and its moral seems to
be that If you desire for your children
q thoroughly sane and healthy selfish
ness, you must not make cosmopoli-
tans of them at the tender age Of two
years.
CDorothy," by Constance Fenimore Wool
son. New York. Harper & Brothers $15O
For sale by the St. Paul Book and Stationery
company) -t-....
"A japanese Marriage" is a story of
Hfe in the English colony at Yokohama.
1t is written with a good deal of force
and Nigor, and a certain freedom from
literary conventions At first glance it
appears to have little art, but on Sec
opd thoughts one perceiVes this desir-
able attribute in the evolution of Bryn
Avon's character. and the change
wrought in the readers feeling toward
her: Bryn, otherwise Brynhild is
stalwart and beautiful young pagan
who is ill-bred, impertinent, selfish.
Her chronicler, who feels tenderly to-
ward her. does not characterize her in
these terms, but her actions do so un-
mistakably. The indignant reader pre-
fers the less beautiful and gentler elder
Sister, and is glad when She marries the
most acceptable man thereabouts, who
humbly thinks himself not good
enough for the domineering beauty.
:. Mary. however, is seriously hurt by
being thrown from toboggan in Mon
lfeal as they are returning through
America from a wedding journey to
England, and lives through a couple of
Wretched invalid years, carefully tend
ed by her husband and Bryn, who has
begun to realize that life is nor all
NNNANN'1
knowledge. After her death 1t became
obvious that Bryn and Philip were
made for each other. The clause of
English law which forbids marriage
with deceased wife's sister stands in
the way, and Bryn goes to England to
live" In a country vicarage with her
cousin James and his wife. But Cousin
James is very clerical and very un-
Christian, and. after some bitter ex
periences, Bryn concludes, iIlogically
enough, that because one vicar is not
good, the prejudiees of the clergy are
not worth the consideration she has
given them and returns to Japan to
marry Philip in defiance Of the Eng
lisk law, the ceremony being per
formed by the American minister ~
i In spite of its theme the book is not
ut all problem novel" Furt''o~ i
is very life-lilSe without ? fa oxiaz-s4 y
In the least the style@SilS Yt a..