Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-26

| count my gain and not my loss,
And still my soul is comforted
Though every path leads to a cross,
Whose shadows hide Loves dead.
Out of the blackness of the night,
God weaves laurel for the light.
And still far off the light appears,
And still sweet benedctions fall.
The tears we shed are April tears
Sunlight is in them all.
Sorrow endureth-not for long
Joy cometh with the morning song.
The following, however, seems more like
the real Stanton to us. for it's dialect is
sui generis," and its sly humor irresisti-
bic:
When trouble an trial wuz round us,
The OF man would say, with smile,
"Worl' Wuznt made in minute
Hold on awhile"
Nothin' could ever upset him
Nothin' his patience could rile;
Wait jest minute. Amt nuthin much
in it
Hold on awhile
An when at the last he wuz goin'.
He said with Il farewell sweet SMILE
'Ill wait fer you, boys in that heaven
o joys
But--hold on awhile!''
Just one more sample, though the re-
viewer confesses that even the task of
copying such verses is dcectable. This
is called "Toilable Well.' and ripples
along as follows:
Spite o the tempests a-blowin',
Still had one story to fell.
Bright, sunny weather, or SnoWin',
-Ailus felt ''tollable WE'LL
Half o. the settlement sghin
Ihings gone to ruin, pell-mell!
Never did hear him a-cryin-
-Allus felt "tollable WELL
Course he had trouble an sorrow,
Come to us all fer a. spelD,
But, see in brighter tomorrow,
He allus felt "tollable we'll"
In this day of cynicism and infidelity,
when there is a raucous howl Of derision
at almost every sincere emotion, it is a
JOY indeed to leave our everyday world
and wander with Stanton in that quiet,
sunlit world, where people, still firm in
faith, love and weep and smile and live
in close touch to Nature. E. r. c..
THE WHITE WOLF AND OTHER
FIRESIDE TALES. BY A. T. Quitler-
Couch 90. Charles Scribner's Sons,
New York, 1902, Pages $50 For sale
by Bell Book Company.
This is a collection Of the short stories
Of Mr.. Couch, all Of which we find good.
Most of them are quaint; all are mark
ed by the authors originality and Wig
orous Individuality 1t is an excellent
book for persons who like stories that will
excite their wonder and set them think
ing.
THE PHARAOH AND THE PRIEST.
AN historical novel of ancient Egypt.
From the original Polish of Alexander
Glovatsh BY jeremiah curtin, trans
lator of with Fire and Sword THE
:Deuge," Quo vadis,'' etc. Illustrated
Little, Brown & Co. Boston. For sale
by the Bell Book Co. Price s1.50.
Here is something ponderous in the way,
of a novel-a work it takes time to read,
though one finds his reward and gets his
moneys worth in perusing it. The Pha
raoh and the Priest" contains 69G pages,
avera ging $50 words to page Busy peo-
pie will certainly balk at these figures,
and not a few will be frightened by them.
though the patient, ploddng student
especially the amateur Psychologist
will rejoice in the possession OF the vol
ume. And well he may, for the volume
is vast enclycopaedia Of wisdom, and
shows an astonishing degree Of historical
information on the part of the writer.
colossal task of writing the book is
more than the average busy mortal can
understand
So far as the plot and the romance of
the story are concerned, there is little to
say. One is conscious that the thread of
fiction in the work is used rather to
hold together the vast array of historical
facts than to afford idle amusement.
The piot-wllat there is of it--tells Of the
adventures and undertakings Of the Wig
orous heir Of Rameses XII; how he
sought in vain to institute much needed
reforms, and struggled almost hopelessy
to throw off the yoke of the priests who,
during his life. dominated the land. His
efforts show futile battle of bravery,
enterprise. and youth against cunning
and learning. When one recalls the fact
that superstition and Ignorance played
an all-important part even in the high
est civilizations Of that day eleven cen
turtles before Christi, it will be understood
how the priests ultimately outwitted the
young prince
Several women are introduced in con-
nection with the hero, but they are fe-
male types of that day rather than novel
heroines, and only serve to throw light
on the prevailing customs of the age.
Assyria, Phonicia, Judea, and Ethiopia.
all play important parts in the book,
while Assyrians, Jews, Greeks. Phoeni-
clans. Bittites, and Lybians meet and
nlingle in the life of Egypt Or take part
variously in the pitiles,s battle between
the Pharoah and the priesthood for do
minion. The struggle and catastrophe
take place at a time when Egypt is de-
clining, and the author ably presents the
political and economic conditions which.
brought about its downfall. There are
scores of interesting incidents and de
scriptions-digressions VIC would better
call them-in this most ,nusual novel. and
the book deserves cordial reception.
The author undoubtedly made a mistake
in extending tho story to such an uru-
sual length hut a little natience and per-