Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-01

OUR LADY OF THE BEEGHEs, BY the Baroness nss
fin Co. Washington: William Ballantyne
& Sons
"reminiscences of Aldrich's "Margery
Daw'' assail the reader of this charming
story. which is prefaced by an exchange
of letters between a writer on psychology
cal subjects and titled American woman
abroad. She admires his work and writes
to him anonymously, affording means OF
communication He responds and cor
respondence arises which is carried through
many months. the identity of each being
unknown to the other He is somewhat
older than she. this fact developing in the
correspondence. but the disparity in years
does not prevent the growth of sentiment
on his part for her. Later they meet by
accident in the woods of Maine, where he
has gone for recreation with his French
Canadian guide. She appears suddenly with
Annette. her old servant, who is in search
Of her husband. parted from her for many
years. The husband, such Things are al
ways permissible in fiction, chances to be
the philosophers guide. Immediately the
anonymity of the former correspondents Is
dispeIled and a real friendship, somewhat
different from that engendered by the cor
resDondence. develops. Inasmuch as the
young woman has a living husband the
situation is difficult. She Is loyal to him,
out H6T loyalty uOeS HOI prevent ueT IIphi
eventually acknowledging that she recipro-
Gates the affection of her middle-aged ad-
mirer. The story is virtually a tragedy,
In that the two separate without hope that
the future will bring them closer together
1t is in some respects problem story,
permitting the reader to imagine many pos
sibilities beyond the finished page. 1t is
told with a delicacy of touch rare in these
DAYS of hasty bock-makng. and it is like
ly to become one of the widely read shorter
novels of the season. The conversation Is
bright and epigrammatic, the humanities
are at all points well balanced and in
many respects it Is a notable achievement
in present-day letters.
THE Ent LIFE :, OF ,n w2 2i, BY RifIey,
bert F. Stone & Co.
Although doubtless a true portraiture of
an ambitious, intelligent woman who finds
herself hampered and narrowed by mar
rage with a commonplace husband, one
cannot but feel impatient at the character
development portrayed by this striking
story. The wife's surrender to her
stricted life and her husbands eminentIy
respectable indifference is rather too abject
in comparison with her own spirit, which
in the early part of the story stamps her
unusual person. A singular element
of vagueness is added in the form of a
wedding gift to the young bride by an ad-
sufficient to give her for life an income Of
$500 a year, enough to permit her, if she
so desired, to emancipate herself from her
restrictions. She makes no use of this
means nor is 1t more than barely mentioned
later in the story. The purpose seems only
to develop the character in a negative man
by showing that the absorption of her
personality by her commonplace surround
ingS has included even her initiative and
courage. Unfortunately the story Is likely
to awaken too many echoes of realization
In the breasts of readers. 1t is true to life
at times in the most bitterly pointed way.
DREAM DAYS. By Kenneth Grahame. Illustrated
by Maxfeld Parrish New York: John Lane.
1t is difficult to classify this beautifully
illustrated and printed and bound book. It
is not a story for children. for 1t is written
rather above their comprehension. Yet
many adults will pass 1t by as being I'M
worthy of their attention, dealing, as 1t
does, strictly with the dreams, vagaries
and fancies of childhood. But 1t Is essen
TALLY for elderly reading and from the
proper point of view 1t Is altogether de-
lightful. 1t is the grown-up rendition of the
imaginings of a boy who finds himself
conqueror of worlds by simply exhausting
the possibilities of the things about him.
Sitting in sponge bath. rocking uneasily
towel rack in the nursery he becomes
a scourer of the seas, discoverer of new
lands. slayer of pirates, rescuer of prin-
cesses and the hero of nations. Every
grown-up child will recognize the process
of mental and territorial expansion, will
sympathize with the bitter tragedies which
arise from minor causes in the life of
youngsters. will share the boundess joys
of circus-going and Of mysterious eXplora-
lions in the back fields and groves. Mr..
Parrfsh's pictures compete with Mr.. Ora
names charming stories in giving the book
a distinctive character. They are in his
Ct vi of rfp qyUi RI
suggest at times the use of the camera.
Yet realistic as they are in the portrayal
of actual beings they show no subservience
to convention, but reveal dragons and
dream cities and gigantic pirate cheftans
with the freedom Of the purely impression
istic school of art.
THE ROMANCE OF AN OLD FOOL. By Roswell
Field. Evanston, H.: VIM. S. Lord.
The brighter effulgence Of Eugene Fields
reputation as poet and writer OF prose has
somewhat obscured the unmistakable abil-
ity of his brother. but steadily it is becom-
ing patent to the admirers Of good lltera-
ture that Roswell Field Is distinctive fac
tor of today. His long short stories or
short novels, whichever they may be called,
have a peculiar character OF their own
which entities them to immediate atten-
ton. THE Passing of Grandmother's Por-
trait IL one Of his recent successes. and
now 1.-The Romance Of an Old Fool
rather harshly named in view Of the tender
sentiments which 1t conveys-ca1ls for an
equal place. 1t Is the story Of a man Of
nearly fifty who discovers himself to be In
love with the daughter of dead sweet
heart OF his youth. but fate Wills other
wise than that this attachment shall lead
to matrimony. sending younger man into
the field, first as the middle-aged wooer's
proxy and later as his successor in the
more ardent affections OF the young wo-
man. In the most artistic manner the au-
thor maintains the point of view of the
semi-centenarian who, having succeeded
to a large fortune in his rather welcome
widowerhood. finds himself gradually awak-
ening to philanthropic emotions, which,
however. may possibly have their inspira-
tIon in the discovery Of the youthful object
of his love-
FRANCEZKA. By Mollie Elliot Seawell. Ilns-
trated by Harrison Fisher. indianapolis: The
Rowen-Merrill Co.
Miss Seawell has departed somewhat
from her most successful field Of fiction,
that was marked by such productions as
Papa Bouchard" and 1.-THE Sprightly Ro-
nance Of Marsac," and has gone back into
the time of Louis XIV Of France for story
Of court life at that time, with its intrigue
and color. Her plot Is rather thin in pro-
norton IN the size Of the r,oveJ hein1 ekAd