The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1900-03-24

mhrIiee vi us luIdut CudIkc W tuo
curate. and as for himself, he takes the
elder Miss Blossom, for in the moment
Of her grief and humiliation she threw
off her reserve. and he saw the rich
heart OF her and the greatness OF what
she had to give.
Miss Mary Johnston's "To Have and
to Hold has just been completed in the
Atlantic and issued in book form.
At last an historical novel worth hav-
ing and holding. Since the days Of
Hawthorne attempts to utilize Ameri-
can history in fiction have. for the most
part, miscarried. Historical novels We
have had in generous measure, but they
have been histories without accuracy
and romances without romance. Re
Gently Mr.. Paul Leicester Ford has 30
vulgarized history and 30 caricatured
human nature that it takes some cour-
age tn set out upon the reading Of
povel that has anything to do with the
history OF the colonies. One has not
travelled very far with Miss johnson,
however, before he discovers that he
has quite another sort OF authorship to
consider, and a work which must be
taken seriously. Miss Johnston dis
plays again the qualities that stood out
90 prominently in her former novel,
THE Prisoners Of Hope;" an illumina-
tive imagination and a deep vein Of
sensitive romapticism. The historical
novel is the field for which she 10 Pc
culiarly and eminently fitted. 10 no
other department of letters is a heated
imagination more necessary, and no.
where is it more rare. In these deplor-
able days when Knighthood is in
Flower TO the tune Of half a million
copies, and when novels of the same
literary fibre as ''Molly Bawn" and Red
as Rose is She" are tricked out in
crinoline and powdered hair and odds
bodikins- whatever those may be-and
cent forth heralds OF the revival Of
Romance, it is a pleasant experience to
encounter such novel as Miss john
ston's bearing the stamp Of superior
mentality and Of an individuality strong
enough to do freshly and we'll what has
been done often and badly.
Because Miss Johnston does not sink
history into the slough Of sentiment
ality do not mean to say that she has
written an historical commentary. III
she has "read up she has the grace
not to show it, and she has spared US
her cross references.
The history Of Colonial Virginia is
peculiarly rich in romantic Suggestion.
The state wac settled by gentlemen,
men of birth and education with thirst
for adventure and. many Of them, with
the wanderlust in their blood. Unlike
their New England neighbors they were
not reformers and had no mind to take
the color out Of life by an ascetic morali-
ty or to reduce existence into grey uni
formity Of exacting social codes. They
lived for this world and were not averse
to pleasure. They were OF the element
which had made the picturesqueness
of English history under Elizabeth.
Some Of them had left romantic pasts
behind them, and a romantic DISPOSE
ton is like bad reputation; a man may
leave good deal of it wherever he goes,
but he always takes more Of it with him.
To such likely source Mise Johnston
has gone .or her material. For the per-
sons of her drama she has selected Cap
tain of the Low Country wars. ward
NJ Jomeo I uho had Aed tho court 70