The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-11
RECENT PUBLICATIONS.
The Rhymer.

This story. by Allan McAulay. has Edin-
burgh as its setting and the poet Robert
Burns as one of its characters. Burns,
during the year In which the events mar
rated are supposed to have taken place,
was staying in Edinburgh, and was the re-
cipient of much attention. The author says
of him: Burns had borne the ordeal of his
sudden popularity with wonderful steadi-
ness OF mind. The natural shrewdness of
the Scottish peasant was combined In him
with the splenetic melancholy of the poet
ical temperament; and the combination
aided him to a singularly just view of his
position and its dangers. He was never
oversanguine; he suspected that his
course, like that of other meteors, would
be brief, If brilliant: and. so far as 1T lay
within the bounds of Edinburgh society. so
Ii proved. That society-that brilliant little
world of fashion. intellect and power-has
been held to account for its treatment OF
the peasant-poet, whom II feted for sea-
son and then dropped. 1t had hailed him
with reclamation because he was a peas
ant-the more wonderful genius for being
so-and then, because he was peasant,
/ ii held him at arms length. 1t was no
more than he himself had foretold. though
In the foretelling he had hardly realized its
enect on his proud and sensitive temper.
IL was great and cruel fnJustice-the
thoughtless inconsistency Of a selfish
world-but. under the circumstances. 1t
was inevitable, almost natural" Mr.. Nc
Aulay has evidently made close study of
Burns's character, and. in the endeavor to
draw faithful picture. does not gloss over
his faults, but sets forth his grossness his
righteousness and his drinking habits.
along with his virtues. Mrs. Maclehose, a
leading figure In the tale. is the original OF
the "Clarinda, the sweet Nanny of his
poems she Is portrayed as giddy little
butterfly OF woman, sentimental and In
discreet, and the two carried on a most
ardent Irritation. in part through CORE
spondence-a Irritation which came danger
ously near to something worse A fair and
sedate young Scotch girl. member of Mrs
Maclehose's household did not share in the
common feminine admira ton for the bard
but felt for him strong repulsion. Led by
friendship and innocence of purpose, how
ever. she was made a go-between, and
when, in an emergency, ii became neces-
sary to save the rash "Clarinda" from
scandalous notoriety, she threw herself
into the breach and sacrificed her reputa-
ton, so far as her own lover was con-
cerned, thus causing separation between
them. Eventually the lovers are united
through Burns's own efforts on his death
bed. Incidentally Jean Armour, Burns's
wife, is brought into the story, as well as
another woman who had loved him too
well. The book is meant chiefly to create
realistic portrait of Burns, and the effort
is fairly successful The combination of
imaginary scenes and characters with those
OF history Is cleverly accomplished, and as
romance, apart from other interests, IL
has charm all it's own. and is well worth
reading. Allan McAulay is not familiar
name in the world Of fiction, but he should
be heard from again. 1.-The Rhymer" is
published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New
York