The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-07
BOOKS OF REAL INTEREST.
The Historical Romance and Various
Fiction.

| luz HiSioiiSa Romance ana various
| Fiction.
| This is the day OF the historical ro-
nance in fiction writing Ii makes "a
wholesome story. even II sQwetimes shift
| lessly treated, and its popularity Is likely
4 10 last for long time, not without good
effect on the literature O; our time and a
i vast deal Of pleasure for the reading pub
lie. To he removed I'm the spirit from the
| hotel piazza, on which tho book may be
read, Is calculated To make the book over
| which 40 loil rather mere fascinating
| than otherwise, and perhaps with that
| KIND OF cook at command we may
| neglect even n game OF ttsSlis instead OF
| using the novel only for an idle hours
| pick up AT any rate the relief from the
| society novel Is worth something, II only
| because IL Is change and we are likely
| 10 be able To stand IL Tor some summers
| yet.
Perhaps tho romantic novel habit has
! developed no Walter Scott Our latter
| day preferences are probably Tor something
| W. can get through moro expeditiously.
The desire TO learn right quickly 'hOw 1t
| comes out" is "a natural accompaniment
IN our reading in hustling age. But
while We are hardly likely 10 have
treatment of the historical romance on
the exhaustive lines of "lvanhoo' ana
"kenilworth, There are yet made avail
able by the publishers some remarkably
fine examples OF story telling, historical
fiction that is inimeuSely entertaining
and often not a little informing. One OF
the best OF the day is just ouJ from that
up-to-dato publishing house, stone *
kimball, a concern that has an agreeable
fashion of printing good books ana cloth
ing them with great attractiyeness. 1t is
entitled IA Momans Courier and the
author is William Joseph Hcoman. lt is
stirring tale of the famous Forty
Conspiracy" which sought the life OF
William of Orange and tho re-establlsh-
ment OF James III on the throne of Eng
land
That was back in 1896, quite 200 years
ago the year that Trinity church was
built in New York and when this country
OF ours was showing strong signs OF get
ting into shape for something substantial.
A good ways back for US In "a country
that counts its evolution by decades, but
not SO long ago in European history and
yet the England as we know it To today
was then, too, only just beginning 10
settle down after chaos that had endured
through centuries. The JacObitc Is a
grand resource for fiction making. He Is
the ideal of the conspirator and nothing
since his time has amounted 10 anything
II ora than weak imitation, the best we
can do. The Jacobite was "a narticularly
attractive villain during the reign Of
William and Mary and as we are impressed
indulged in plots for breakfast, dinner
and supper in the years Immediately
following the Battle of the Boyne. This
is the period of Mr.. Yeoman's story.
He furnishes us with hero and a heroine
but more of the former than the latter
since the woman Is of comparatively
small account in the historical romance
except as sort of inspiration in the
wings of the stage. In such story she
waits and wceps. That was her sphere
took action. The author Of "A Woman ;
Courier" takes his reader right into the
thick of plot and conspiracy aud proceeds
| to give him or her fine shaking up ms
| the story proceeds, with not little sug-
| gestion of historical points that are We'll
worth knowing, altogether an in
| spring Bit of reading Is made that Is in
| every way to the readers advantage In
| n word it Is capital story. Preston "
| Rounds. Price $3.50.
| Grip" is another Of tho historical
! romance books - though il plunges
| neither so deeply into nor SO far back for
| its history IL is written by John
| Strange Winter (Mrs. Arthur Stannard)
who makes practice of writing the kind
| of book that great many people enjoy
reading Grip" is IA delightful story in
every particular. 1t is story of an
unusual kind in that its real romance be-
! gins and ends in the last page, quite un.
| expeotedly to the reader who is mislcad
| into believing that he or she had good
| hold on it in the opening chapter IL gives
| us n vivid picture OF human motives
under quite novel conditions, albeit the
motives must of necessity be the same old
| motives that have stirred men and women
| since Adam fell in love with Eve and Cain
| slew Abel. We should say that in CON
structon and plot it is about the most
xralx al hat hs.u
come from the press in some years, though
| it Is modest bit of writing and people
who look for purposes and motives in u
book will be disappointed IL Is "a story
n capital story, that's all Quite enough,
too. (Stone & kimball, publishers. For
sale by Preston q Rounds, Il. PSI
Following the remarkable success of
that glorious sea story "On Many Seas, "
the Macmillan Company have published
three capital tales of the blue by John L.
Spears, under the title of the opening
story, 1.-The Port of Missing Ships" The
little book is bound in "a striking cover
and sells for Sl.25. AS we are informed
it has quickly gone into second edition,
as il deserved to do. Mr.. Spears Is "a clever
newspaper man, one of the best yachting
reporters that ever told the story of an
Americas cup contest, and the Port of
Missing Ships Is one of the most truly
poetic fancies Of the seas since the incop-
tion of the Flying Dutchman. lt is
a beautiful tale. The other stories, The
Skipper of the Nancy &, and the Story
Of Second Mate +" are each of "A distinct
type and all three are singularly effective
in theme and composition, tasting OF tar
and pitch and breathing saltiness. They
are bracing tales and about the finest bits
Of reading that n wholesome mind could
set itself to. More of the same kind, or
anything approaching them, will always
be acceptable These three stories are
veritable sea classics.
The romance that deals with the up-to-
date business of contract between
American money and a foreign title has a
hard row to hoe to excite ones sympathy.
We don't know as Gertrude Athorton in
"His Fortunate Grace" Cd. Appleton *
Co J, seeks 20 excite anybody's sympathy.
She tells of maiden who was ripe TO be
picked 10y duke, when the stock market
slumped and the gentleman from abroad