The herald., 1897-11-30

tary maid, but a timid, loving, tender
child-a child devout and single-minded,
and possessed with the passionate devo.
ton of her sex and creed, fired by love OF
country. Turn the meager details Of his
tory as one may, the fact remains unaltered
that faith made perfect in weakness saved
France. This IS the theme about which
Mrs. Catherwood has woven her simple
romance.
The spirit in which she has approached
her task is shown by the following from her
preface: This book is the outcome Of
many months of patient study and col
lection Of material In America, the revisal
and rejection of much of this in Paris. Of
journeys over the Maids country, and her
path from Domremy to Rouen, in voitures.
on foot in carts, of a character-study OF
the fifteenth century, and. at the risk Of
moving smile, will confess 1t as the re-
suit of divine hint"
More than two thousand books, 1t IS
said, have been written about Joan of Arc,
and yet all the new ones are read-read
much more eagerly than the earlier ones.
No figure so heroic as hers has ever been
associated with the romance Of history
that is, one that has become so universally
associated with nations needs and glory.
There Is something about this wonderful
girl that will never die out in the hearts
of those who have read her life; and what
Mrs. Catherwood says in the preface to
this fine volume Is true: 1.-THE majority Of
the world so on from generation to gen.
Grafton initiating the troops Of France,
who form in front of the stone shed where
she was born, and present arms to her be-
fore they pass by"
The praise bestowed upon this book has
been well deserved.
!, CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS. Kipling's first
American story. The Century compa-
ny. For sale by Stoll & Thayer.
Harvey Cheyne, a very fresh" youth
Of sixteen, who had two hundred dollars
month spending money, in a season -
seasickness and carelessness was carried
overheard from a big Atlantic liner which
was feeling her way through the fishing
fleet on the Grand banks. IA low. gray
mother-wave swung out of the fog, tucked
Harvey under one arm, so to speak, and
pulled him off and away to leeward." Dan,
the young son of Captain Troop of a fishing
smack. rescued him and carried him
aboard the little vessel, while the big
| steamer went on to New York.
This is the opening of most entertain-
ing plot, and the story itself ends when
Harvey after a whole fishing season, h
| restored to his parents, when Captain
| Troop gets back to Gloucester. 1t is an
| ingenious story and does not lag for one
| moment The motif Of the book. however,
| is to tell the story Of the hardy Newfound-
land fishermen. who run so deadly risks
for bread,
Eye Captains Courageous, whom death
could not daunt."
| Much criticism has been given to this
venture of Kiplings and some have urged
that the crew of Captain Troops craft
were altogether too good to be true, and
that there are phrases used by the author
that would be unintelligible to the real
New England fisherman. We'do not think
this criticism is just. 1t is, on the other
hand, a matter of surprise that the pic
lures have been so true to life and the in
dividual characters so real. So far as we
| can judge-and this Is a familiar line Of OBJ
servation with the writed-the book is q
real success, even in the detailed and tech
nical study Of character and speech. OF
course there is a little exaggeraton. as
there is in all art. a bit of the heroic in
pose and power, but 1t Is as near the real
thing as ever gets expression in print.
Captains Courageous" is a breezy. a
wholesome and manly book. For a first
attempt at an American novel about q
SPECIAL class of workers In the hard lines
of life, 1t is a rather remarkable success.