Mower County transcript., 1896-11-18
Literary Notes.

al. Literary Notes. ..~
1t. Is strange development-indeed,
curious travesty on justice-that
the railway. which by reason of it's
low cost OF transportation has prac-
tically destroyed the farming inter.
ests of the East, should be regarded
by the farmer OF the West as the vam-
pire sucking out the blood OF bis agri-
cultural profits; and yet their Western
lands could have been opened to sea-
board markets only by means Of it
and its low rates. The Eastern farm
er must justly regard the railway, and
the resultant competition Of the rich
er farmland in the West, as the cause
OF his ruin and the force which has
driven him to new employments; the
Western farmer would not now be in
existence ii it were not for the rail-
way. From the Railway and the
Farmer" in November Atlantic
Monthly.
A new volume uf St. Nicholas be-
gins with the November number. so
there are the first chapters in three
new serials. The first OF those, which
will be the leading feature OF the
magazine for the year, is master Sky
lark" a story or the time OF Shak-
spere, by John BENEFIT. 1t opens in
Stratford, and the poet himself is evil
dently soon TO figure in it. Reginal
Birch furnishes mum ber of attractive
illustrations. The second serial is
The Last Three Soldiers" by Will
liam Il. Shelton, telling OF the adyen-
tuies of mem bers OF Union signal
corps who become castaways in the
midst OF the Contederacy A story for
girls, "June's Garden," by Marion
Hill, is also begun in the number
The author is d daughter OF Barton
Hill, the eminent Shaksperean actor.
The True Story OF Marco Polo," as
told anew by Noah Brooks, reaches
the picturesque portion devoted to
the Great Klan OF Tartary, and his
battles THE Cities of Stories,," by
Frank NJ. Bicknell, is unique serial
made up wholly Of short fairy stories.
The one for this month is called ':The
Kings Castle in No Mans Land"
Lieutenant John NJ. Ellicott, U. S. N.
in 1.-The Plimsoll Mark" tells of the
lives and property that have been
saved by this device. Walter Camp
writes an exciting story Of bicycle
race. There are numerous other in.
teresting articles full of delight for
young folks. St. Nicholas is an ideal
magazine for boys and girls and every
home would enjoy its visits.
*x*
The courtship of Lieutenant Grant
and Miss Julia Dent, described by
Colonel Emerson, in the November
Midland, (Des Moines, Iowa. is bet
ter than a romance, because it's
true and because the reader feels he
now for the first time knows General
and Mrs. Grant personally. The Sec
ond installment. of the Midland's
"Grant in the West" verifies the Oc-
tober promise that Colonel Emerson
has interes ting aud valuable material
and knows how to use it.
*x*
The Decem Der mum ber of Harper's
Magazine promises to be an unusually
attractive issue. Due prominence
will be given to the Chris tmas features
in stories, sketches, and illustrations.
Poultney Bigelow will contribute a
striking paper on President Kruger
of the South Africa republic, in which
he will give results of personal obser-
vation, and information hitherto un-
published, obtained from the Presi-
dent secretary.
*
The Fiction il Demorest's Magaz-
inc for December is furnished by Kate
Erskine and Margaret Sutton Briscoe,
and is particularly attractive and
cheerful, as it should be for a Christ.
mas number.
X X
The good old-time Southern darkey
with his queer customs and supers til
tions is admirably set forth in the
Christmas mum Der of Demorest's Mag
azine by Mary Annable Fanton. How
ard Helmick contributes six full.psge
drawings, and the smaller illustrations
are characteristic and delightful.
*x~
John Kendrick Bangs is the author
of humorous and clever tale of mum.
icipal politics, called 1.-THE Nemesis
of Perkins, published in the Novem.
ber number of Harper's Magazine.
The subtitle calls it "A political
anecdote, for the most part true," and
the story turns on the incidents Of a
1,oo1 m ~, nm Tho ovo ~ o1oo< =,