The times., 1901-04-21


detached from the rest of the history OF
Truth, but part of it is worth quoting
Grandma, she taught me readin'
and writin and geography, and ms
tory AS soon as / knew how, she
made me read out loud an hour every
day; and daddy read to us both at
night
"'Well, it was1 mostly Paradise
Lost" and "Lalla Rookh, and Eng
lish history. We ali love poetry. On
Sundays we read the Bible, and Bun
vans Pilgrims Progress and they
let me look at the pictures and ask
questions about them. Daddy knew
just everything!
Van bent his dark head over his
cigar. Those were all good books;
indeed, they are classics. he man
aged to say gravely, Were those all!
Truth clasped her long arms about
her knees and rocked thoughtfully
to and fro for a moment.
No there was one more, Fox's
Book of Martyrs / didn't like the
martyrs much; they used to give me
the nightmare Once | blistered my
finger awfully. tryin' to hold it in
candle like Bishop Latlmer and Rid.
ley. | loved Pilgrims Progress
though. / had lots of places in the
woods named for places in his journ-
ev. | got nearly drowned twice in the
branch, tryin to cross the Slough OF
Despond Her tone fell suddenly 1
reckon it was not sure-enousn
swamp that Christian crossed. L
know now that he meant-Just-trou-
bleH
Didn't you sometimes read regq-
lar nov els?' asked Van, quickly. de
would not give her time 10 enter her
'sure-enough' slough again.
The strategem was successful
Truth arched her neck like young
swan as she answered. primly; Grand
ma says that novels amt proper read
in for young girls
How about fairy talesY
Fairy stories-do you mean? Oh,
those! I've read hundreds and nun
dreds of those. l lived in them / be
lieve in fairies yet They used to
come to me when | was half asleep III
the woods, and whisper to- me their
own stories, lots prettier than the
ones in books But when | woke up,
just tremblin' with listenin', all had
gone out of my head, and | could hear
the mean little fairies laugh as they
flew away. Sometimes even thought
] could see them hurryin' off on but
terfies and mosquito-hawks and
know I've seen their little heels dlVe
under ferns and low bush huckleber-
ries. But wasn't 1t mean for them 10
run off like that?
She appealed to him with rresisti-
ble, childish coquetry. Her deep eyes
were half veiled by lashes, her head
tilted sidewfse, her exquisite lips
parted in pretty displeasure. As for
that the wild bees Gull from upplowed
moors and plains"
When il is stated that this piece OF
simplicity, childishness and native refine
ment out of the woods of Alabama is
transplanted to the most intricate and
advanced complexities of modern Boston
the contrast will be seen to be sufficiently
dramatic for anybody. (Boston: Little
Brown & Co. $1.50)
"A Soldier of Virginia" by Burton Eg-
bert Stevenson, author of "At Odds With
the Regent" is a story of Braddock's de-
feat, with a young Virginia militiaman
for the hero. Washington, then colonel
under Braddock. figures somewhat promi-
nently in the story, and it is stirring
one, full of adventure, incident, and plot
The real value of it as historical fiction
lies in the graphic description of the
Braddock campaign, which is evidently the
result of thorough knowledge of the
events and conditions of the time. The
character of each of the officers con-
cerned in the campaign is well defined
and the story of the ill-fated expedition
and the horrors attending its failure has
perhaps never been better told. There is
moreover a map Of the ground covered
so that the reader can trace easily the
course of the taks. The heroine is typi-
cal colonial maiden, with a spice of CO
quetry which for a time effectualH dis.
guises her real inclinations. But the whole
story really leads up to the carefully
studied history of Braddock's defeat
(Boston: Houghton, Miffiin & Co. SL50)
God. the King, my Brother" by MarN
F. Nixon. is a story of the fourteenth cen
tury and the time of the Black Prince
and the scene is laid in Spain, which Is
untrodden ground for noveIists so far as
that period of history is concerned. The
author has chosen for her chief Charac-
ters two young noblemen of English birth
who 90 TO Spain In quest of adventure anC
.preferment, and fall in with the famous
Don Pedro of CASTLE, who is a somewhat
prominent parsonage in the story The he
roine is a Spanish senorita Of high degree
rescued from great danger by the broth
ers in the approved style of a romance ot
medieval times. The title of the book /:
taken from the motto of the hero's fami-
", which is, in the old Norman spelling
"Dieus, Ii Refs, mien Fredre." The in
terest of the romance lies rather in the
story than in the character drawing
though the latter is good enough, and the
color and atmosphere of the time are re
produced with skill which shows
an aptitude for this sort of writ
ing and familiarity with the place and his
tory Of the time. (Boston: L. c. Page
d Coz
The Progress of Pauline Kessler' by
Frederick Carrel is a study of modern
London society, which reminds one lit
tie of a dissecting room. 1t is clever and
strong. which makes up for the unpleas-
antness of it. The heroine is a sort OF
Becky Sharp, an adventures with a COO
head and no feelings. She is of English
Italian ancestry, with a strain of Semitic
blood, a very good combination for the
PLAYING Of games of mixed skill and
chance She is thoroughly convinced OF
the truth of Pucks historic observa-
ton. and deliberately sets herself tc
profit by the knowledge of what fools
these mortals be This is all very well, anC
very pleasant, until she proves morta
enough to try a little bit of folly her
self, when she meets her fate. The end
ing is rather melodramatic, and that is Z
pity, for the thing is so artisticalIy
worked out that it seems a pity to spoi
it in that way All the same. it is a
clever piece of work. CBostOn: l.. {. Page
& Coz
miscellaneous Books.
The Manual of Statistics and Stocl
Exchange Handbook for 1901 is not only
revised to date. but enlarged in scope b,
the addition of several new department.
and chapters. 1t viii be an interesting