The herald., 1897-08-15

in historical sketch entitled From Page
10 Constable" carries the reader back to
the days of chivalry.
+
The Macmillan company announces 1.-THE
Household of the Lafayettes' by Edith
Sichel, a series of papers, with illustra-
tjons, dealing with the period of the Revo-
luton. The same house has in press a
translation of DIR. c. Schnabers Hand
book of Metallurgy," brought up to date.
Madame Sarah Grand has returned to
London after some months stay on the
continent, bringing with her the MS. of
the new novel upon which she has been
long occupied, and has placed it in the
hands of Mr.. Heinemann for publication.
Messrs. Appleton will publish it in Amer
lea.
Messrs. T. Y. Crowell & Co. announce
THAT the new e6cYtion of What is Worth
While?" by Anna Robertson Brown. .com-
pletes the seventy-fifth thousand Of this
little volume.
The Bull, the Girl the Critic and the
Red Shawl.-There Is no incident in all the
realms of literature, from the penny
dreadful up to the three-volume novel,
that has afforded so much material for the
pen of the writer of fiction as the delight
full episode of the bull, the young girl with
the red shawl and the young girls lover
Sometimes the cast includes the lovers
hated rival, but the story may be told
without using him.
1t is thirty odd years since I first came
across this thrilling adventure in the pages
of child's book very popular at the time
How we'll remember how my young blood
to be exact, my 7-year-old blood-thrilled
as I mentally watched this frail girl, with
a start of just three feet, lead the tre-
mendous and horribly savage bull in 300
yard sprint, only to trip at last on the only
obstruction in the ten-acre field; how, just
,as the bull reached her, she flung her red
shawl few rods to the right; how the bull,
leaving her, plunged after 1t; how she,
weak and trembling, ran to the stone wall
and managed to vault it just as her lover,
d. brawny blacksmith, who had seen the
whole affair at too great distance to be
of immediate service, reached the wall and
received her in his arms. "Oh, Kenston,"
she murmured. you have saved my life!'
and then she fainted-andI believe the bull
ate up the shawl At any rate, its part in
that particular story was ended.
I have always felt that thrilling as this
scene was, it had not been worked for all
it was worth; but an extensive reading
since then has brought me to the conclu-
sion that first and last, 1t has been worked
for its full value.
The next time that read the enthrall-
ing narrative, 1 was some years older, but
the memory of the other telling was still
fresh within me; and so, when, in the
second chapter, / read about savage old
bull. one Hector, the property of Squire
Flint, the meanest man in the county-not
that his meanness had anything to do with
the story, but 1t is one of the conventions
that a savage bull shall be owned by
cross, grabbed and thoroughly stingy man
I say when l had read thus far my pulse
quickened. inexperienced all was. some
how sensed the coming situation. l seemed
to know as by clairvoyance that, however
limited the heroine's wardrobe might be
in some respects. there was one article of
apparel that she surely possessed, or would
possess, in time to meet the exigencies.
True enough, in the very next chapter,
her maiden aunt, sanity old lady of
ninety died and bequeathed to her sorrow
ing niece a red pongee shawl of great
value--as a bull-enrager. The book had
seemed prosy at the start, but now that
| knew what was coming, and that il was
that that was coming, l read on breath
lessly.
Needless to say that. in the next chapter,
the young girl fell in love with strapping
young fellow, who Immediately proposed
that they take a walk. How well l knew,
though they did not, where that walk
would lead them. The mad bul-in this
case it was mad, although any old bull will
do. mad or not-was rampant in lot,
mile south of the young girls house, and
they started to walk que north: but knew
full well that they would need cross that
particular pasture before they got home:
and few pages later found them climbing
over the stone wall into the bulls domain,
and then they walked along, intent only
on their new-found happiness. The day
was chilly lin the middle of particularly
hot July), so that the girl could have an
excuse to wear her red shawl. Now hav-
ing brought two of the actors on the stage.
the cue was soon given to the bull, and in
a moment the happy lovers feeling the
ground tremble beneath their feet, turned
and saw Hector. his horns gyratng with
rage, his eyes bulging out and his head
lowered as he Numbered along, straight
for the pongee bequest To take her un-
der his strong arm and to rush forward
were the only things for the young man to
do, and he did them: and then the rest
ran as per schedule. / believe that in this
case the young man threw the girl into
tree and then plunged down a woodchuck's
hole. At any rate, the girl was unharmed.
That is the one unalterable formula In
constructing these bull stories: save the
girl unharmed. You may break the young
mans leg or arm, and you may do what
you will with the bull, but the young girl
must come through unscathed.
1t was years before this moving Incl
dent" ceased to hold me, and in that time
how many changes were rung on it. Once
only was the red shawl absent, and won
dered how in the world the bull was to be
infurated, as he was a snguarly mild
beast in the earlier chapters and on May
days had been festooned with garlands.
Then, too. the girl was in deep mourning
for her lover! But the ten-acre lot was
all right, and as the author was a clever
man, felt that he would find way to run
the act with a small cast and no prop
critics. So ] read on, and after wondering.
together with the girl herself, what could
have coused the peaceful old bovine to
chase her, tail up and head down, the full
length of a particularly long pasture, she
and I found out, when she realized. that,
the day being sunny. she had picked up her
cousins parasol, which was, necessarily
of a brilliant scarlet. She had no lover,
for, as I say. he had died-two chapters be-
fore the book was begun; but she did have
presence of mind, and so she inserted the
point of the parasol in the buN's mouth and
then opened it, and while he was extract
ing it with his forepaws, she reached the
fence and vaulted it in the usual way.
The possibilities of the incident are by
no means exhausted, and so far from
Amos judd being the last story in which
it was used, saw it in a tale published
this month; and, this time with the full