The San Francisco call., 1899-11-19

his strength. The cover Is exceptionally
hideous. CHoushton. Miflin Co, Bos-
toni
"Fisherrnan's Luck" by Henry Van
Dyke. like THE Chronicles OF Aunt
Minervy Ann Is drawn from scribner's
Magazine. II is a collection OF essays.
lighter than froth. thistledown. a floating
feather, on angling-or rather on the con-
templative liability OF fishing: on talk
ability that Is the qualities OF nature
and disposition which invite the easy In
terchange OF thoughts and feelings. on
n wild strawberry. on tho open FIRE.
Kindly goodfellowship. n graceful. rather
diffuse style. n delight in the open air
and in spacious scenery. make this book
pleasantly companiorable. II Is prettily
bound and illustrated. &C.. Scribner's
Sons. New Y Price 81
For Loves Sweet Sake" Is book that
comes in a neat white box. which is bound
In fine white cloth that looks as II 10 wers
painted. and which IS decorated with deli
cately outlined gilt Cupids. true-lovs
bows and hearts pierced with arrows like
a valentine.
1t is printed on thick and glossy paper.
and looks In all like a white satin bridal
dress
II Is Il computation OF love poems TuhQH
by G.. Hembert Wesley and Is divided into
four parts-Love's Morning. Loves Noon.
Loves Evening and Loves Night. Loves
Morning consists mainly OF the ingenious
cOnceits about roses, Cupid. and love
whipped with feathers. which have made
so great a part OF the stock OF amatory
poets since three hundred before Christ.
In the rest OF the book the poems have
a ring OF naturalness and quality OF
concreteness rare in such collections.
There is unusual dehniteness in such situ-
ations that OF the lover scorned By n
young coquette who has never known
love He prays:
God pity you II you should meet WITH
When love shall come"
There Is a like dstinctness and reality
I'm the wife's appeal for some token OF the
love which she knows she possesses:
you cannot know. when we two SIT alone.
And tranquil thoughts within your
mind are stirred
My heart is crying like tired child
For one fond look. one gentle loving
word.
And in the desolation OF the woman whd
had loved one who had no love 70 give:
why did he bend his eyes on me at times
Reluctantly. yet lovingly withal7
Take both my hands and calmly speak
Wise words OF counsel that were %
Who had no love to give"
Lovers married or unmarried Will pretty
certainly find at least one or two poems
in the book which will speak directly 20
them.
Although the collection contains so
many genuine and simple pages. and some
fine poetry, there IS In II very little or no
high poetry. like some OF the sonnets OF
Mrs. Browning or Michael Angelo or
Shakespeare. The poems are marked by
every day sentiment, not by the higher
tragic ideal. The pictures are intensely
commonplace and really injure the book
Qee & Shepard. Boston; 81 5O)
"a Modern Mercenary." by K and Hes
keith Prichard (E. and II. HerOn). Is a
story in the style OF Anthony Hope: II has
its little nation. its three diplomats and
its adventurous Englishman. But. Ike
most limitations 10 is not so good as that
which II seeks TO initiate. The name OF
the country. MGaSau, gives the reader a
feeling OF petulance every time he meets
with IL. and the country itself Is too
vaguely pictured 20 convey an impression
Of its reality. The characters are better
delincated. The hero openly claims for
his motto. "All things come % him who
waits" and he simply waits while events
turn up TO help him along. Perhaps the
best part OF the book Is the last. where
the hero IS forced 10 choose between pri-
vate and public honor. but we feel that
this would be improved BY condensation.
Doubleday & Mcclure Company. New
York; 81 3