Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-06-15

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A few weeks ago, with the freight
playing upon my books, they were
fresh and even brilliant. Today, with
soft blue sky and the sunlight
shining through, they LOOK old and
shabby. But | am forced to believe
that the change is in mo and not in
my familiar volumes. In Winter find
them opulent with life and warmth, but
when Spring comes and the air is full OF
invitations to the imagination, they
become suddenly meagre and common
place. But the world of books is at
best world OF shadows. Commentaries
are delightful in their place, but the
man who goes to hooks instead of life,
| who gets his knowledge of humanity
out of Shakespeare and his nature out
of Wordsworth, will never know either
of these great men profoundly. Their
writings are but helps and aids to
light up dark and difficult passages
from life.
Today the generous warmth of the
sun has tempted me out of my study
and | see from my chair here on the
great piazza nature at her best, with
the banners Of summer afloat. The
miracle Of it all casts q spell over me
that no book can ever explain. 1t
must be wrought within me and upon
me. Beth came in and found me in
my impromptu study ON the piazza,
with its vine portieres. Here, with
comfortable wicker chairs and two
tables, one strewn with my weekly
flood of book friends and the other,
smaller one, holding its big glass
pitcher OF cooling punch and plate
of the fruit of the month, find life
all the poets tell us.
| Beth came in, full of the delights Of
Henry Seton Merriman's latest hook,
Prisoners and Captives. " know
Bcth's prediction for Merriinan and
| appreciate 1t, for he surely under
stands tho art OF holding one's at
tention and interest. The plot Of his
latest story has adventure in plenty,
but the reader who is student; of
character will think, when he has
| finished the book, more Of Oswin and
| Helen and OF Pavolski than of all their
Deeds that after all only prove their
natures. The story has a tragic ending
which will prejudice many people
against it, but the morbidness of the
ending is made bearable by the brave
spirits of those who suffered. From
| the first meeting of Gswin and Claude
our interest is awakened. and the cause
for which they both gave their lives
was conceived and followed after in a
spirit of Quixotic disinterestedness.
Mr. Merriman's love of epigram tempts
him into statements too sweeping for
acceptance, but one can pardon his
enthusiasm for the sake of the pithy
and deep sentences which abound.
The book is abominably illustrated,
but of the bad taste of illustrating in
a cheap way | have told you enough.
Beth found mo holding in my hand
that little volume, "Mr., Miss and
MRS." of which she had spoken SO
favorably some weeks ago. Written by
a newspaper man, it savors of Bohemia
that land so difficult to findz-nay,
] begin to think it is only ON the map
of our imaginations, bounded on the
north by our hearts and on the south
by our brains. These stories, by
Charles Bloomingdale, Jr., who is SO
well known in the Philadelphia literary
world as Karl" read as though old
tender memories had worked strongly
in the making Of them, and anyone
who knows aught of that fairy land
Bohemia will weep and laugh alter
nately at the realism of them. The
general criticism that light stories like
these are exclusively delightful for
summer afternoons, will not hold in
this case. Delightful they are for any
afternoon, but they have hidden be-
tween the lines and in the deeper
meaning of the phrases kernels of
thought that go more into the depths
of things than do generally the stories
advertised for summer afternoon
reading"
Mr.. Bloomingtlale has way Of
weaving old meanings into new frames
that delights the palate stated by the
usual menu of literary phrases. He
knows where to use the paprica and
the caviare.
1t is difficult to say which Of the
stories is the cleverest. Each one ap.
peals to us in our different moods
| and each has its merits, and for his
brighter hours
She has voice of gladness and a smile
And eloquence OF beauty, and she glides
| Into his darker musings with mild
And healing sympathy that steals away
Their sharpness eer he is aware.
"Karl' has written some clever
little sketches, lately published in the
Philadelphia Press, Walks and Talks
with Billy Burton The first two
showed decided merit, but the third
and last makes us feel that Mr.. Bloom
ingdale was tired of ''Billy Burton''
and hurried him out of sight in a care.
less manner.
Picking up a Saturday Evening Post,
Both told me that Mr.. William George
Jordan had resigned from tho editor
ship and you know" she continued,
they say it was because, like Mr.
kipling's ape, there was too much
Box in his cosmos. "
After that irrelevant reply l ignored
Beth. and taking long draught of
the cool punch / buried myself in nv
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