The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-09

least two centuries BACK. TheBo people are
millers and farmers and their strappinR and
handsome sons and daughters A very beau
tiful girl is Phoebe Lyddon. the miller's daugh-
ter The story says that her eyes we're as gray
as Dartmoor mists; and she had. moreover.
dimples Mt one corner OF her mouth. which was
Of the rednesa OF wood strawberries; and her
chin was round. and her nose straight, and her
hair brown; and altogether she was as plump
and as fne and as fragrant as a ripe apple.
Her lover was more than six feet in height.
and just as handsome; and the old miller's
helper. Mr.. Billy Blee. was philosopher who
could discourse attractively at moments
notice upon any subject under the sun. 1t Is a
further recommendation OF them all that they
were frankly ungrammatcal. and that the
Devonshire dialect. rich and vigorous vehicle
OF speech. was quite sufficient for their needs
Here. In the first chapter. is meeting between
Phoebe and her lover. VIII Blanchard. in the
Pixies parlor. Will kisses Phoebe and presses
her against his wet velveteen jacket. and sits
down on the rocks beside her. She speaks:
"You'rn coined wi the sun, dear Will"
Aye. the weather breaks. l hope theerll be "a
drop water down the river bimebye. You got
my letter all right"
"Ess fay, else l shouldn't be here. And this ire
mendous matter In hand1"
Il thought you'd guess what twas I be weary o.
waitin for g. An. as coined Of age last month.
I'm a man in law well as larnin'. an I'm gwaine
to speak to Miller Lyddon this very night"
Phoebe looked blank. There a moments
silence while Will picked and ate the in
his sweethearts dress.
Cant q think o. nothin' wiser than to SEQ
fatther2' she said at last.
"Thser ban't nothin' wiser. He knows we m to-
kened. and it's manner O. use him gwane on pre-
tendin' to himself 'tisn't So You m wfe-old. and
you've made choice O. me; and I'm ripe man. as
have thought lot in my time. and be earnin' guide
money and ALL"
"BAnt for me to lift up no hindrances, but you
knAw father"
"Ess. do. for very stiff. necked man."
May be It's so; but q guide father to me-"
AN guide friend t. me. for that matter. He
Amt got nothing 'ganst me. anywsy-no mores any
man living
AVERY the youth and neriness OF e."
me feryl lay you wouldn't find cooler chap
In Cleagford.
"Youm dlnty bit oomical.tempered now and
again, dear heart"
He flushed. and the corners of his Jaw thckened.
If "a was to say That 1 knock his words down
his throat"
81 hnaw you would. my avn Will; an that's ben'
comical-tempered. ban'tit?'
This will show the fashion Of the dialect. but
the depth and variety Of Mr.. Billy Bee's phil
osophy cannot be indicated by a mere quota
ton. Certainly this is story OF freshness,
good for the pulse and nerves. Mr. Blackmore
has praised 1t highly. and he should know
what a good Deyonshire storv ia Rut the
re,der vill understand vyitbout tho naad ~
anv sk illad ,ssiatance That n ia n Good .torv
Better stories do not often come along.
An interesting reissue is Mr.. Lafcadio
Hearn's English rendering OF a number OF the
choicest OF Theophile Gautier's short stories
now published under the title. "One Of Cleo
patra's Nights. and Other Fantastic Romapces"
(Brentano's) The stories have been admirably
chosen and within limited space they give the
reader a clear view OF the many sidedness OF
Gautier's genius. All frame some exquisite
love romance. while L'ne Mutt de Cleopdtre, lie
Roi Candaule. and Aria Marcella may Justly
be ranked among the most remarkable
literary productions Of the century.
These little romances as Mr. Hearn saws in
his preface Are characterized by m erits other
than those OF mere workmanship; they are
further remarkable for wealth OF erudtion-
picturesque learning. we might say which
often lends them an actual archeologic value,
like the paintings OF some scholarly artist. some
Alma Tadema. who with fair magic OF color
blending evokes for us eidolons OF ages van
ished and civilization passed away" The
strange witchery and subtle art OF the tales
are indicated in the extract from the Memo
by Swinburne. prefaced to the volume:
The love that caught strange light from deaths own
eyes,
And hlled deaths lips with fiery words and signs
And. half asleep. let feed from veins of his
Her close red. warm snakeo mouth Egypt an wise:
And that great night Of love more strange than this
When she that made the whole world's bale and bliss
Made king of the whole world desire slave
And killed him in mid'knsdom with a kiss.
Much Of the music OF Gautier's language ia
untranslatable and there are many dif1cultiss
in the way OF him who attempts to render in
another language the subtle shades OF mean
ing, tho Elasticity OF expression and the
studies in form and contour OF this most deli
cate OF all literary artists: and that Mr.
Hearn has succeeded almost in CONTRASTING the
impossible is no light achievement, Gautier's
work. being that of the artist to quote the
translator once more. He claims the priyl
lego OF the SCULPTOR and the painter In de.
lneations OF the beautiful perfect human
body Is to him the most beautiful OF objects.
He does not seek to vail ira Iov,linss. 18th