The times., 1898-06-12

the sympathy and Interest of the reader.
The character drawing is carefully done.
and the character of Gwen the half-mad
daughter of the village witch. Peggi Shan,
is most skillfully worked out A curious
custom, or trait. of the Welshwomen is
alluded to In connection with this girl
and thus explained:
II was about thisltime that Gwen took to
ing her shawl over her head held tightly with
enc hand under her chin. and appearing in 1t al
ali sorts of odd times and places. This, to an
outsider. may not seem an event worth chron'
icing; but to anyone eonversant with the inner
life of Welsh coast village IL is full Of meaning
Where intermarriage il common as it is there,
peculiarties OF character gather strength with
every succeeding generRtion, and are affected 10y
the most trivial circumstances; and thus it comes
to pass that insanity is always lurking amongst
the seeming calmness and rural simplicity OF the
village life, ever ready to pounce upon the har-
assed in mind and body. 1t is no uncommon
thing TO see in small village containing two or
three hundred inhabitants, two or three windows
boarded and barred, behind which kept the
unhappy sufferers from this terrible fate. The
dread OF the asylum hangs like cloud over the
scene that appears such IA picture of rustic hap
plness. The signs of increasing insanity little
noticed by the villagers ii being considered eour-
teous to ignore them as long as possible, so that
the dreadful malady Turks about and shows itself
Unexpectedly when il is too late to cure it, One
sign which is quickly noted, though never c}m-
mented upon, is that OF wearing the shawl. in the
case OF woman the head instead OF tn
shoulders. and the degree OF insanity may be
often gauged by the manner in which the shawl
is held.
In case of quarrel between man and wife, or
between two neighboTs the woE-an whose temper
has been most seriously ruficd appears next day
with her shawl her head, and held tightly
under her chin, a sign she is in huInor for
frivolous conversation; and the sign is so in
terpreted by her friends and neghbOrs So that
when Gwen carried her red pitcher TO the well
in one hand and with the other clutched her gray
shawl under her chin, every knew the death
of her child was weighing sorely upon her, and
they passed her with a nod only, or 4 formal
''Da chi!' (Good-dayO When, later on
Gwen not only appeared invariably hooded by
her gray shawl, but held that shawl crossed over
her mouth. she was observed with more serious
and sympathizing looks woman who had
quarreled with her husband would sometimes ap-
pear with shawl held under her chin but few
except the insane held their shawl the
mouth, exhibiting only the nose and eyes.
Those who are following with any de-
gree of interest the proceedings of the
Worlds Parliament of Fiction, which has
been gathering for the past twenty years,
Will be interested in this book. 1t is
delegate from a region hitherto unex-
plored. And those who read a romance
because it is a romance, and not for any
new type of human nature there may be
new type of human nature there may be
in 1t, will find enough excitement and
pleasure in Torn Sails to repay them
for its perusal.
tNew York: d. Appleton & Co. Wash
ington: All booksellers. S1.00)