The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-14

A good book is the very essence of
good man. His virtues survive
in it. while the fOibIes and faults
of his actual life are forgotten.
All the goOdIy company of the ex-
ceIIent and great sit around my
table or look down on me from
yonder shelves, waiting patiently
to answer my questions and en-
rich me with their wisdom.
precious book is fOretaste of i'm
mortality. #. l.. CuyIer.
Rest Selling Books.
1.-"D'ri and I"-Bacheller
2-"The Eternal City."-Caine
S.-"The Right of Way"-Pa!ker.
4.-"Cardigan. Chambers.
5.-'"The Crisis. Churchill.
6.-"Tristram of Blent Hope.
A Good story.
Same Scarlett.' By Inlay Taylor Chi
cago: A. c. McClurg & Co., SIPS.
In these days when so many works OF
fiction become bones of contention ana
cause armies of contending factions to
line up in battle array on opposite sides
of the question of merit it is pleas
ure to pick up a book over which the
critics do not indulge in their comic
opera acrobatics; a book which comes
unheralded as book Of power" with
out the blare of advertising trumpets,
or the pyrotechnics of vain authors,
bawling to a weary populace their rea-
sons for writing it. Such a book is the
one at hand. which. while not a great
hook in any sense, is a thoroughly good
story, artistically constructed. beauti-
FULLY written and of absorbing inter EST
throughout It comes from a woman
who long ago finished the fictionist's ep-
premiership and. after all, the virture Of
the trained hand cannot be denied
Anna Scarlett' is a story of Boston
witchcraft. 1t opens IN the summer of
1858, when Boston was mumbling at ;hc
royal governor, Andres; at a time When
the American plantations f1ouristted
most in neglect; when Charles II. for
got them in his alliance with new MIS-
tresses and his ministers forbore to
thrust their hands into the hornets
nest Anne Scarlet was a beautiful
''changeling of the forests found by
Goodman Scarlet in a clump of bushes
after an Indian massacre. She grow
up far too beautiful to be approved ty
the censorious Puritan housewives, VINO
in the midst of the great witchcraft ex-
element were only too ready to hint
that her mysterious finding was indica-
tive of her league with evil spirits.
Anne is vigorously wooed and gloriously
Won by Master Francis Yule, a young
EnGlishman just come to the colonies.
Lady Herford, who in England had
Tilted Yule. to marry a besotted and
OeSpIcable lord for his title and his
money, appears in the colony at a time
when Master Francis is preparing for
his marriage.
She uses ali her arts to win back the
love of YUle from the beautiful forest
SRI, and, finding her power gone plans
q hendish plot for the overthrow of Anne
Scarlet, by playing upon the popular be-
lief in witchcraft Her conspiracy sue
ceeds, and Anne is sentenced to be hang
ed as witch, but is eventually saved
by Master Yule, who discovers Lady Her
lords deviitry. The great interest of the
book lies not so much in the story, which
j. slight, as in the perfect picture 1t
gives OF those momentous DAYS In the
colonies. 1t is hardly too much to say
that this is the finest description of those
times that recent fiction has given us
The author has succeeded in getting that
atmosphere into her pages. The pictures
OF Mather and the other magistrates and
Glgnitaries of the church are wholly ad-
mlrable. The chapters describing the
trial of Anne Scarlet for witchcraft are
thrilling in their depletion Of the terrible
y
the book, bur will want to read these
chapters over and over again They are
high reaches in the domain of fiction writ
ing. The chapter. My Lady and the
Elders wherein is told how the good
men of the church visited Lady Rerford
to protest against the fine and gaudy
garments which she wore, and the witch
ing manner in which she did her hair IS
very delightful
Anne Scarlet is a wholly lovable char
acter. In the midst of the most dolefuI
surroundings she shines forth like star
of brightness, wholly apart from the
times. Her face had a wild rose beau
~ of its own, and more than one raugny
dmple babe defiance to Puritan regula-
tons and invited the earnest attention
OF the little heather love-goG" The sim
pIc1ty of her nature, the purity of her
character, the sublimity of her love, COM
mend her to the warm affection of the
reader.
In so short space the merits of the
book cannot be adequately presented
l. is far above the average in the story
and in the telling. AS a picture of the
times it concerns itself with, it Is more
valuable than documents 1t should
have as great popularity as anything
Mss Taylor has done.
"A Daughter of Mystery" BY R. N. Sill
yer. Boston: L. c. Page & Co., SIPS.
The highest tribute to the author of
this remarkable story is the fact that
he has kept the characters so well in
hand that whenever one of them is
murdered he never again appears in the
story. If anyone thinks this is not
feat to boast of let him read the book
1t is very properly sub-titled "a sensa-
tional story of modern life" 1t will de-
light the heart of that reader who de-
mands thrill on every page, who loves
to weep over the cumulative misfortunes
of the heroine, and rejoice in the final
undoing of the villain. 1t would take a
mathematical expert to outline the plot
A man blessed with so tropic an ina gina
ton has no business writing books; he
should be an advance agent for land
company, or, if fallen on hard lines, an
auctioneer. With him murder is but
tame recreation, and mystery hangs upon
every hat rack. Whenever two persons
meet one of them whispers in the others
ear, and the other becomes deathly pale
and trembles like a leaf. etc. All these
whispers are kept from the reader until
the end of the book when things clear
UP in a hurry to show that the heroine
was in no real danger after all. For
those who like this kind of a book, this
is just the book they want. The publish
ers have given the book a beautiful
cover.
"Hirsh's Tabulated Digest of the Di-
yorce Laws of the United States New
Revised Edition). BY. Hugo Hirsh,
Price, $1.5O net. New York and Lon
don: Funk & Wagnalls Company.
This digest is the most unique legal
publication ever issued. 1t contains
complete digest of the divorce laws of
every state and territory, placed in tabU-
lated form, SO that by a mere glance the