The Portland daily press., 1899-04-19

9. Founders days and Presidents
birthdays Of many CT the leading colleges.
.. Blank pages on which your friend
writes his or her name You thus have
essential facts regarding your friends and
Observation-Disclosures, birthday, posi-
bic quotation, etc.
The quotations are nearly all of recent
date, or II from the older authors are
what might be called original discoveries
There 10 little that is hackneyed about
the work, and much OF freshness and good
taste. The range of reading required for
such work is very great, and he speaks
painstaking application to current litera-
ture, including addresses and poetry. as
we'll as the classics.
Scotland seems naturally. the land Of the
historical novel, for there lived and wrote
the historical novelist best beloved by
English speaking readers. Sir Walter
SCOTT did not always write Of Scottish
scenes, but nearly always the oanny Scot
was in the foreground Of his pieces Mr.
S. X. Crockett has heretofore, In Lochin.
var and other works, shown his ability tt
continue the interest In the stirring and
tragic romanoes Of the little but mighty
land. In his latest work, the Black
Douglas, New York: Doubleday g. Nc
Clure Co. he has told wierd and thrill
ing DRY of the fate of the young William
Douglas, and the consequences thereof.
The period Is one of the bloodiest in the
history of Christendom. In England at
about this time occurred those civil con-
vulsions known collectively as the War of
the Roses, and Of which Lord Lytton
wrote his sad romance, The Last of the
Barons. But the relations of Scotland
were at that time more intimate with
France than with England. Indeed. in
the Hundred Years war many Scots
fought on the side of the Kings of France
and some of them rose TO high station, as
did Mcdonald afterwards in the days of
Napoleon. The story Of the Black Doug
las is laid partly in Scotland and partly
in France, and its theme is the old one Of
the chivalr ic rovels. There is valiant
and aspiring knight aud fair and
naughty maid, to enact over again the
story of Ivanhoe and Rowena. But in
the disappointments which the author
permits to his readers in tie untimely
taking off OF the Douglas in the midway
chapter of the book one detects rude
departure from the old method, so de-
lightful and satisfying, of having the hero
and heroine marry and live happily ever
after. Even Thackeray did not dare to
close the story of The Nevcomes without
demonstrating to his readers by inductive
reasoning that MIR. Give must have final
ly married Miss Ethel But the author of
Black Douglas calmly kills his hero in
medias res, and then presumes to trans
fer the ipterest of the reader to the mis-
sion and the love of Esquire Sholto and
the revenges Of Lady Sybilla de Thousrs.
One is soIely tempted to put the book
but If the reader will persevere the tier
est of the latter portion will be found alb
sorbing and well-sustained.
The scene of Mr.. HowelPs latest novel,
Ragged Lady (New York: Harper s.
Bros.) is laid in a country hotel In the
mountains of New England. The au-
thor pictures with his usual minutensss |
the conditions of life in such resort
conditions pc culiarIy American. That q |
college student may take the position of |
head waiter in the dining-room, without |
seriously compromising himself socially,
would BIZ incomprehensibls In any other
country.
The hero of our story Ga prospective
student with the New England
con science) is placed in this situation,