The times., 1898-05-22

contains twenty-five stories.
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons
Washington: All booksellers)
"The Crook of the Bough..
THE Crook of the Bough' is a name
which, until one reaches the tenth chap
ter and hundredth page of the book
to which it is applied. seems quite in
comprehensive. In fact, the object of
the book itself does not plainly appear
till about that time. The reader does not
resent this, for the heroine, her brother
and the minor characters are of suffi-
cient interest to occupy ones mind with
out any special object. The author, Me-
ME Muriel Dowie, has written two or
three other books of semi-serious char
acter, "a Girl in the Karpathians, Gal
liza and Some Whims of Fate" This
particular book is original in the extreme,
not in bizarre and unpleasant fashion,
but original with the newness of skill
fully ordered dinner cooked by a Paris
ian chef The heroine is an English
girl the sister of a rising young politi-
clan, for whom she is secretary, adviser,
houselSeeper chum and general assistant,
and the hearty, sensible friendship be-
tween the brother and sister is most
pleasantly portrayed in the opening chap
ters. 1t affects one like breath of Eng
lish mCorland air fresh with morning
dew and sweet with the fragrance of
wild hyacinths. IT brings up visions of
long walking tours through the High
lands of Switzerland, and of the quiet,
orderly life of well-bred English house
hold Islay Netherdale Chat is the name
of the young lady, Islay being pronounc-
ed like the word island /" with the last
two letters left Off. is thus described
and one of the novelties of the descrip-
tion lies in the fact that the author gives
some pages to the mental and moral quail
ties of her heroine before touching upon
eyes. hair, complexion or any of those
attributes once considered most import
ant in a heroine:
Though neither high school, examinations, nor
university had had hold of Islay, she remark
ably weli-trained. well-edncated girl. She had
come under sound influences. and her character
had developed balance, self-control, reliability
70 an extent once believed impossible unless based
upon religious teaching lslay had had no
religious teaching, but she was naturally
conscientious, industrious, serious-minded Tor peo
pie had assumed this of herr and good She had
only two accomplishments; she unusually
good student OF French and German She used
these languages as nearly like her own as pos
sible. Just occasionally George Netherdalc
talked about his future and his intentions, and
1t was always TO lslay that he talked. He re-
garded her as his other self. She a girl with
Judgment. She listened; he had taught her
to discuss-an almost impossible task with
woman, who never listens to the end Of a
tcnce, because she has guessed long ago what
that end VIII be. But he had taught her TO wait
for the end Of his sentences, even 10 command
her face and pretend that she did not guess the
end OF them fortunately, she was not uncum-
fcrtably lntutive, and SO they discussed together
quite beautifully. He would have said. and said
with proud conviction, that his sister was 4
splendid companion for fellow; that man
could have a better. Perhaps he was right.
perhaps no average man could have had = better.
This girl is not type in any way. and
she is hardly rare enough TO be an ex-
ception. She Is TO be met with here and
there in the world. wherever there Is a
man who cares for a comrade in his sis
ter and the sister happens 10 be of COM
rade material. She has a fair. calm,
English face, with the beauty of perfect
health and quick intelligence business
woman who IS a lady She has never
been met with in the role Of heroine of a
novel before. She has appeared in novels,
but only as foil TO the real heroine. The
plot of the story is a simple one. Islay
goes with her brother to spend a brief
vacation in Constantinople, and becomes
acquainted With a young Turkish officer,
who is a type of what may be called the
new TurlI-the young man fun of dreams
Of replacing the old despotism of his
land with a new and free government
He regards lslay as a type OF the free
EnglishWoman, and she is naturally in
terested in him as a sort OF man totally
different from the Turk Of her imagina-
ton. Then she goes back to England
and he visits her and her brother there.
That is all the plot there is in the book
The interest is in the psychological study
of the several temperaments involved
Like all psychological novels, it IS likely
TO call forth as many opinions as ii has
readers It would be n very good book
for discussion in a literary club, espe-
cially one composed of both men and
women The views of the members
would reflect a purely personal bias
We'll, i never did care Tor a mannish
woman" will be the verdict of one reader
Another will be Mortified at the sugges-
ton of a love affair between an English
gir1 and a Turk. A third will object TO
the heroine as a perfectly impossible girl,
while fourth-and this will be a woman
will declare that Islay ie entirely COM
prehensible and thoroughly womanly. 1t
Is safe to say that there will be more
women than men who viii approve OF
this book. To some 1t viii seem a hetero-
dox production of the new woman, and to
some 1t will seem a satire on that myth
cal creature. Those people who believe
that the conversation of the characters
in a book, unless plainly labelled vii
lain voice the sentiments of the author
Will be Mortified at the conversation of a
certain political friend of Islay's brother
IN which the phrase occurs which gives
tho name to the book
''You must know Capt. Hassan," said sondes
that the race Of monkeys largely resembles
man; in many important biological particulars
IS identical. ] pass over such minor differences
as their possession of fifth limb in the shape of
a tail, and | come TO the main difference be-
tween men and monkeys. We talk-thev don't
Many learned investigators have believed that
this silence is not the result of any slight struc
tural disabilities; they have teeth palate lsrynx
giottis, and so on-nuch as we have. These peo-
pie explain the silence Of monkeys-silence as
regards artieulate speech, ] mean, for they do
Of course-er-chatter''- looked kindly from
Col Hassan's astonished face and met Islay's
somewhat nettled glance-"as the result of n
can talk, in fact, but do not-lest they should
be made to work as well. / am sorry''-he beam
ed amiably upon the party-'to have kept you
so long with this tritng eXordium. | merely
wanted to draw a comparison, up to a point
between the race OF monkeys and the emancipated
Western woman. Their position some time ago
was very similar TO that of monkeys. One day
some OF them broke the long silence: some OF
them talked. They were oyerheard-rm afraid
they took care to be, because they talked in
public places, on platforms, and in newspapers
But for time no harm came of It, The harm
Is beginning to come now, and people who look
about them-prophets of sociology like mvself,"
he bowed gracefully, "are beginning to SEQ it.
Women are having to work In time, in re-
sponse to this female clamor for economic indie
pendence, equalization OF opportunity and the
rest-this short-sighted, giddy talk-a half share
Of the work of the world will be handed over TO
them. Handed over? VIII be thrust upon them. ;,
but women have always worked" cried Is
lay, no longer able to restrain herself They've
done the dull work of the world and been kept
1t that. The sweeping and dusting and house