Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-14

Brentanos.
For light summer reading this story, once
published in magazine under the title An
Anti-CIimax.' is commendable. Il presents
the love affairs of three couples and two
disappointed women. The two younger men
are amusingly dull and conceited, respec-
lively, while the elder lover. father of the
girls. with whom the young men are
coupled, absorbS the principal interest OF the
reader. He is a scientist with means who
awakening in middle age to the duty he
owes to his twin daughters. engages in So
cial enterprises which quickly carry him
upon the sands of romance. In each or the
three cases a miSconception of duty on one
side or the other causes misunderstanding
and delays the elimination of the romance
The scheming of two elderly women for the
hand of the father permits Mrs. Kirk to
employ her cleverness of description and
dialogue to good effect.
RUTHLESS RHYMES FOR FEARTI.Ess HOMES.
By Col d. Streamer. Nw York: II. H. Rus
sell.
"Col. D. Streamer' is palpably a nom
de- plume. The ruthless rhymes are de-
liciously horrid. They tell of various TRACE
dies in domestic life in the spirit of nom
chalance which has given birth to a new
school Of nonsense juggling called the
"shocker doggerel." The undoubted clev-
erness of the lines and the ease with which
puns and epigrams suffice to cause even
the most squeamish to forgive the anony-
nous authors temerity. These rhymes
must not be read by nervous serious peo-
pie just before retiring nor must they be
read to children without a broad sense of
humor. They are for group reading, with
the groups carefully assembled from the
lovers Of the grotesque and the ingenious
MY CAPTIVE: a Novel. By ]. A. Altsheler. au-
thor of In tircling Camps New York:
ID. Appleton Co.
This story of the latter days of the Amer
lean revolution occupies in its entire action
only very few days. less than a week.
1t describes the adventures OF young
American officer who has captured a
young English woman as spy. Chapter
after chapter is devoted to the incidents
of the first few hours of their association
their relations constantly changing as
they pass in and out of danger.
The ''hair-breadth escape occurs so fire.
quently that the reader looks instinctively
at each new turn of the tale for the sudden
appearance of a fresh menace and a novel
device for escape. After a few experiences
the young man and woman find themselves
allies, although technically enemies, and
a romantic attachment naturally develops.
The climax is less exciting than some of the
earlier episodes, but it is satisfactory to the
sympathetic reader. Much Of the good
fortune of the young officer is due to the
extraordinary intelligence of his horse. For
brisk romantic reading nothing more alb
sorbing has lately appeared than My
Captive"
LETTERS OF MILE. DE LEsP1NASSE. Trans
lated by Katharine Prescott wormeley. Bos-
ton: Hardy, Pratt %.
1t is related that at the time these let
tiers were first published in France Nine de
Stael. Benjamin Constant. Nine. de Boigne
md do ri,-
in a closed carriage from Chambery to the
baths of AK in Savoe. During the drive
series of accidents occurred-delays of all
kinds being interpolated between the light
ming and thunder of a typical tempest of
late spring. On arriving at AK the party
in the carriage found the peoplSat the door ,
of the hotel, greatly disturbed over the
safety Of their friends. But the travellers
had seen nothing and noticed nothing of the
tempest or the accidents-Mme de Stael
had talked the whole time of the letters of
Mile. de Lespinasse. u
This anecdote will indicate as much as
volumes of analysis and criticism. Those |
who know the character of Mmo de Stael
will rot need be told what kind of letters
could so absorb her interest and fire her
conversation. But it should still be said
that these letters bespeak a fire of passion |
which proved self-consuming; that their
author manifestS herself as one Of the few |
French women Of her time who felt and |
suffered the ardor of an all-absorbing and |
soui-enveloping affection. Her passion came |
when she well over forty years of age. |
Her life became from that day an existence |
of long agony Finally she died, in Nav, |
1776. a victim to the ardor of her own |
heart. She was able to endure her love for |
only a little more than three years.
Her associates and her great talents vie |
with the mystery which surrounded her in /
exciting interest. On her death men of |
such greatness and such different temper |
as Frederick the Great, Voltaire and |
D'AIembert united in her praise But the |
chief interest in her life now centers in the
letters which are here reprinted in English |
They vary greatly. One, Of the shortest /
win indicate the thread which runs through /
the whole patt6rn. 1t is dated From every |
instant of my life. 1774." and reads: Mon /
anil suffer, l love you, / await you"