The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-17
BOOKSTORE CHAT
Chiefly Recent Fiction That IL Light
Hut Generally Readable.

When you have read story by Il. w.
hornung you are ready and anxious to
read another. We confess to profound
Ignorance of the personality Of this author,
his wherss bouts and his connections but
We have no yesrning for any better
stories than he has written. lie makes
use OF the land Of Australia either In his
fore or background pretty generslly, we
should ju Jge, and we get from his writ
ings an impressive picture OF tho country,
the kind Of people that grow there and its
| influence on people who go there TO grow.
The scenic effect thus made possible to
his romancos is of the most stirring kind
ann the characters that walk this age
have strength and Mgor in copso-
nance with tho strong atmosphere which
they breathe at q near or remote dis
tance. We guess M. Hornung is bred to
the soil and we appreciate highly his art
In giving US taste OF Ii. Here for in
| stance is q little book called "a Bride
from the Bush" 1t is published I'm the
Ivory series OF Charles Scribner's Sons
preston and Rounds, price 70 cents.)
Excellent stories have been put out In
this series and this tale Of Hornung's is
one OF the very best. A self exiled
young Englishmsn marries young
woman born and bred to the 'bush" and
brings her home.to hi. dou biting parents
The "suspicions" entertsinsd by the lat
ter are more than justified, as is often
the case when the favorite son marries
without due and proper consideration of
his choice on the part of his fond parents.
But the bride from the bush is q fine girl
nevertheless, even though she and her
husbands family tail conspicuousIy to get
in touch with one another and though
the young husband himself comes peril
ously near to finding q distinction be-
tween his bride as she looked to him In
the "bush," and as she develops when
contrasted with his reawakened home
associations. The situation is not unus-
usl In real life and 1t always posseses ele-
ments OF humor and pathos and possible
tragedy. In this incisively told story the
humor psthos and tragedy are concen-
trated. Every party to the romance is q
character association with which is a de-
light to the reader, short though the ac-
qusiutsnce unfortunately is owing to the
brevity Of the story. 1t is a brilliant little
romance, q sparkling gem of stories and
story telling.
The "Career of Candida" by George
PASTOR. comes from the press of ID. Apple
ton Il Co.. in their Town and Country
Library series, No. 20s. The readers
sconai N fo n 20 uif Co nd; "A D. m ra.r hac;n.
when that young woman has reached the
age Of eig ht years, at which time she re bells
and refuses to "ssy her prayers" The
"career" thus wildly opened terminates
In q most unauspicious marriages. ter
minstion which was to be demonstrates,
presumably from the authors dogged
persistence In bringing about this finale
in his herione's life. There is kind
OF secondary heroine-a woman with q
past--who does secure q most estimable
husband-such is the bitterness OF fate. !
Be. ween the two covers OF the book, b ow-
ever, the author gives expression to some
very sensible ideas concerning the educa
tion of women, their rig hts, and abilities. !
But he seems determined to PROVE that
no matter how literally q woman may be
educated or how "strong minded" she
may seem to be, her heart is sure to play
false with her common sense, and the
climax OF her bliss 10 to throw herself
away on some dissipated swindler whose
broken health ano fortune 1t shall hence
forth be her mission to restore. With
such q purpose the book cannot fail to
contain some very unhappy pictures of
domestic life.
"Arrested" good old -fas hioned murder
story written by Esme Stuart. 1t is in |
teresting ana we'll told and i'm o some
what diluted way, suggestive of the hair
raising qualities of the stories of wilkie |
Collins. The writer is entitled to credit |
for his Ia dependence of the notion that, |
to be interesting, he must make his |
story with plstitudes on the Significance |
OF dying or the philosophy Of living.
Gregory has these books, paper, so cents. |
When an English gentleman of honor |
is discovered sustaining In his arms girl |
who has thrown herself Into them and
at his head, there would seem to be moth
ing for it out submit gracefully and
m axe his arrangements to take the young |
woman to the chancel rail. The pathetic
experience of Mr.. Pick wick offers terri BILE |
example of the difficulty Of getting out Of
such q scrape when the English gentle
mans honor is not disposed to sacrifice
ls .lV H. 80
witnesses thereto. So Sir George Ihurso
was captured by Zillah, the mothsr of the
latter being an accessory from whom
there was, as it would appear, no honor
able way OF sscspe. Besides, Sir George
didn't care very much, since he was in
different to the world at the time OF the
incident and as to being in love that had
never happened to him and he had no
reason To hope that IL ever would. What
the alliance was natural enough