The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-06

creation in which the humor is salted with
horror. The Priestly PreIogative" deals
with a psychological question more subtle
than the subjects of the other stories. and
An Odyssey Of the North though less
impressive in literary style. is really a
wonderful drama of love, hatred, and re-
venge such as very few story-tellers have
had the good hap to discover, or having
conceived, to tell intelligbly. ITO the
Man on Trail is scarcely more than a
mere anecdOte, but it goes with rush;
and The White Silence" has a warm
human interest and some good description
in It. There is not a bad story in the
book. and every one has a distinct reason
for its being Mr.. London is to be con-
graduated upon the individuality ard ex-
cellence of this piece Of work, and it may
earnestly be hoped that he will follow it by
others. lBoston: Houghton, Mifiin & Co.
$I.50)
The Bewitchod Fiddle and other Sto-
ries" is a collection Of the breezy lit
tie stories by Seumas MacManus, which
have recently been appearing in various
magazines. They are full Of the racy,
unmistakable flavor of the Irish character,
and the folklore and hearthside tradI-
lions OF the land of the Shamrock, and
the dialect while picturesque enough, is
not at all unintelligible. There are ten
stories in this little volume. and they
fully sustain the authors reputation.
One, when Myles Mcguire Melted.@ is
tale Of American life and the central
figure is an Irish contractor of that most
unusual type which has learned to de-
spise and hout at the customs of the
mother country. This unnatural Irishman,
after refusing his men a half-holiday on
the 18th Of March, is before the end of
the day, bewitched into revoking his edict
and going himself on a mad st. Patrick's
Day carousal. which had a good effect on
both his temper and his character.
The BewitChed Fiddle" which gives its
name to the book, is one of those ro
mances, half folklore, half tradition,
which have grown up among an magma
tive, mirth-loving and Quick-witted peO-
pie. The Wisdom of Dark PathTick' is
pure folklore, and bubbling over with fun,
while Dark Pathrick himself is by no
means a bad piece of misunderstanding.
Another fairy story is The Three Master
Tradesmen," and BILLY Lappin's Search
for a Fortune" has to do with that most
fascinating, whimsical. and provoking of
Old World COLLINS, the Leprechaun. 1t is
a fit companion for William Allinghame's
elfish folk-rhyme on the same subject.
Among the stories which deal with nor
LIdl 1TlSH lie IdllTlCk s Proxy Is per-
haps the best, with its sly satireon Tu-
man nature and its unexpected conclusion.
"Condy Sheeran's Courtin' is another ex-
cellent bit Of work. Altogether, this book
fairly sustains the reputation won by
Through the Turf-Smoke," one of the
most artistic of last years dialect story
books. Not the least attractive bit of
writing in ii is the very brief preface,
part of which runs as follows:
At the present moment when with every mus
Gle strained to swapping, the painting world is
painfully intent on the hunt for happiness,
feel It Is iuopportune for a vagrant TO set up his
merry -go-rOund by the way. and with amazing
impudence invite it to halt for hours fri
volity.
The wonderful progress Of science in our age,
] am informed. has discovered to our thinking
ones that it is desirable TO close up the well
Of merriment in mems bosoms and seal IL with
4 double seal. The lovers Of their kind wander
up and down the earth waillng lit is all bdTenN'
and If the voice Of a merIymaker hardened in his
SINS be lifted in any corner thereof to troop
instantly thitherward with a View halloo, and
run the iutorloper to earth
However. in my Donegal. civilization wins but
slowly, and the curse Of optimism cings to our
valleys with the pertinacty OF the silver msts
With the proyerbial perversity OF our Irish ma
ture, the weltspTiug Of merriment Onto which /
have dipped sorry pail, fooiishly-yOu will
say-lm1glHlng there may still be thirst in the
outer WORLD gushes with US now as free and
fresh as it did in darker days He that considers
even the shorn lamb has given the wayward
Celtic soul the power Of rising, up. like Guilt
yer among the pigmios and shaking to earth the
little cares that would infest it,
New York; The Doubleday & Mcclure
Company. 70 eents.l
AN Eventful Night. by Clara Parker,
is a small volume which. until the very
last pages, impresses the reader as being
the result Of a Welsh rabbit eaten some
time after midnight. The story is sup
posed to be told by the hero, and really
creates a serious and growing doubt
in the readers mind whether it is not
the record Of a nightmare, and will not
prove to Re a practical joke when the de
nouement is reached. Artistically the tale
would have been more successful if this
were the case for the wild farrago of ad-
ventures OF which il consists would Ger
tainly be impossible in real life. tNew
York: Doubleday & Mcclure Company.
80 Cents)
The Immortal Garland. by Anna Robe
son Brown, is a story with a moral, which
is decidedly original and not obtrusive
The theory on which the plot is construct
ed is daring. but not In any way OBJ
jectionable, and the character drawing is
good The author has evidently tried to
portray life as she sees it, with accuracy
and fesrlessness and she has succeeded.
The novel is worfmanlike and interesting.
but has not the elements which will give
# a very wide popularity. New York:
d. Appleton & Co. $lGO.J
In The Valley Of the Great Shadow"
by Annie E. Holdsworth (Mrs Lee Ham
itonD, the author has tried the somewhat
perilous experiment of writing a tale in
the vein Of ships that Pass in the Night"
The remarkable and unexpected success Of /
Miss Harraden's work is not likely to be /
repeated by anybody. because there is lit /
tie chance that a novel whose scene Is laid /
in a hospital will prove generally attrac- /
tive. and if Il has once. through novelty. 7
struck the popular taste the chances are |.
intinitesImal that the incident will be re /
peated.
Were it not for this inevitably suggested I
comparison the story in question would .
make a more decided impression for il is
well written, and the local color is vivid /
The scene is the Mittenthal. an Alpine ]
Valley where there is a health resort FOR /
consumptves. The hero is a German doc .
tor and the heroine an English girl. one +
of the patients There is no plot to speak .
Of and tn only connecting link between /
the various characters seems 10 be a I
small girl who precipitates through her /
ar;less and frankly personal chatter. sew /
eral highly romantic situations Despite /
the continued mention Of illness and death /
the atmosphere Of the book somehow /
strikes one as cheerful and that is in IT. /
self rather a remarkable achievement. |
Chicago Herbert S Stone & Co. $L25) !