The Saint Paul globe., 1898-10-30


James Otis - New Editions of
Jane Austen, "The Little Flowers
of Saint Francis of Assist, md
"The Man Without a Country"
L have no excuse for these imperfect
records OF my own experience with
Wild animals, except the one that 1
have lived long enough among them
to respect their rights Of life, and speak
good word for them when occasion
offers, writes Mr.. F. Schuyler
Mathews in the preface to Familiar
Life in Field and Forest" If this en-
thusiastic author needs any excuse
apart from the interest his naturebooks
always arouse, this would be quite
sufficient, but in the face of the value
OF this volume no word of disparage-
lnent can arise to need to be confront
ed with justification. Mr.. Mathews Is
always absorbing and quite scientific
enough for the lay reader who must
needs be content when men of eminent
research pronounce, as they have done,
on this authors reliability. In "Fa-
miliar Life Of Field and Forest" Mr..
Mathews writes Of the purely wild life
still, he claims, to be found right in
the haunts of man. He sharply ar
raigns us: 1--WE are at fault because
we do not enter 1.-The wood and do a
little thinking on our own account.
Perhaps if we did we would discover
that the deer the rrmarten, the loon and
the bear were not half so uncommon
Io+ u
occasionally an otter, a lynx, deer,
or a bear turns up most unexpectedly,
and Immediately all the country turns
out to hunt the creature down. I'm
fortunately, we have no proper appre-
citation Of the inherent good in a wild
animal; one would think, by the way
men acted, that it had no right to
I've"
The book is illustrated by numerous
delightful illustrations by the author,
and equally charming photographs
from nature by w. Lyman Underwood,
to whom Mr.. Mathews pays his compli-
ment: ''The fact is, two heads are
always better than one, and conse-
quently the book, which is not the
selfish outcome of one mans
thoughts" he says, escapes, at least,
one fault-it is not one-sided"
Familiar Life in Field and Forest-The Ami
mails. Birds, Frogs and Salamanders," by
F. Schuyler Mathews. D. Appleton & Co.,
Paul Book and stationery company.
4.- saBir56G+ y .5.trH. 90
tPrisoners of Hope.''
r. Prisoners of Hope" by Mary Johns
ton, bears all the marks of a first
novel. To begin with the title is q
telling one-only it doesn't really be,
long to the book; one is persuaded that
the name received the authors first at
tentiOn, was born, perhaps, before the
plot Then the story itself has allurins
possibilities that remain possibilities to
the end. The material is redundant
and composition loose and lacking in
balance, and at the last a comparative.
ly satisfactory ending is spoiled be,
cause the author lacks the courage td
give a merciful death to her creatures
The book is as gloomy, too, as a wom-
ans first love story usually is, per-
haps because love that makes the
old heart young makes the young
heart melancholy" First book or
twentieth, however with faults or
without, this romance is interesting il
not convincing. It covers an interest.
ing period in colonial history-the
time when criminals from Newgate
were sold as slaves to Virginia plant,
ers. The possibilities of this condition
of things are apparent to the blindest
readers of romance. Landless, an
innocent gentleman, who, as a mere
youth, has served under Cromwell, the
victim of circumstantia1 evidence and
an unjust judge, finds himself a pris,
oner and slave for life among cut
thrOats, forgers, Muggletorians, Bap,
lists, Oliverians,t trapped Indians and
negroes The 69V of his arrival hoH
brought him face to face with Patricia
his masters daughter, and he loved
her. He is drawn into a conspiracy to
| bring about a revolt of the slaves, and
the leadership is thrust upon him. a
conspiracy within a conspiracy takes
place, and the villains among the slaves
league themselves with the Indians
LandleSs, discovered In his own rebel
lion and condemned to die, is yet able
to save the family from massacre. But
Patricia Is carried away by the saw
ages, and Land1ess. helped by friend
ly IEdian-who might have stepped out
Of one Of Cooper's novels-follows and
finds her. In the last hopeless stand
against the savages their love for each
other is revealed and the reader is
thankfully sure that they will be al
lowed to die in the presence Of their
bliss. But here the authors nerve fails
her and a. heartless rescue party is al.
lowed to step in, and the story ends
with Landless, whose crime is un-
pardonable in the eyes of Virglnians.
turned back into the wilderness to con-
tend with winter, wounds, Indians and
wild beasts. His fate is unrevealed.
Prisoners Of Hope" by Mary Johnston.
Houghton, Mifiin & Co, Boston. $3.50. For
sale by the st. Paul Book and Stationery
company.