New-York tribune., 1902-07-13

Charles Scribner's Sons.
HEARTS COURAGEOUS. By Halle Erminie
4O7. Indianapolis: The Bowen-Merrill Company
The author of THE One Before" has conferred
a boon upon mankind. He has written book
which is interesting story and genuinely
funny. The story is indeed. humorous in ITSELF
In the first chapter introduced to Mr
Ernest Saunders Barley, a gentleman of inde-
pendent means living with his wife in pleas
ant house at Shalton. in Surrey. and making
that house as uncomfortable as he can by his
tyrannical and petty ways. He amuses hlmself
pressing flowers and mounting them on sheets
OF cartridge paper. He calls this his Hortus
Siccus When he is not laboring over this fool-
ishness he is engaged in fretwork. which he calls
carving Or he is making photographs. or he
is teasing poor Mrs Barley and the servants
half out of their senses by his rasping interfer-
ence and criticisms The lady is meek as she
is charming. and there is every prospect OF
Ernest Saunders remaining on his pinchbeck
throne indefinitely. But the stars in their
courses are fighting to rescue his downtrodden
spouse. They place upon her finger ring with
magical properties This Is the bauble that
gives the book its title. and what It does is to
endow the wearer with the traits of the person
who has previously worn 1t. The person to
whom Mrs. Barley succeeds in possession OF the
ring happens to have been lion tanner. Need
we say more? Yes It is important to let the
reader know that instead OF being a hatly in
credible narrative Mr.. PAINS story Is told with
such artful plausibty that the mere fantas-
ticality OF its central motive is almost forgot
ten That is why we praise it a story. The
regeneration OF Barley is carried on by process
that may start from magical ring, but goes on
with perfect naturalness The transformed wife
suffers no dramatic change. Those about her
are not suddenly shocked; they perceive only
the most gradual modification OF her manner
% aoroo ffr rnN
ment into her hands she does nothing violent
Things go on as before, but with n difference.
and so judicousy does the author manage his
tale that it Is. in its unobtrusive way as Inuch
of a sermon on martial give-and-take as II Is a
humorous invention or. In that part which re-
Iates to the endeavors of certain individuals to
steal the ring from Mrs. Barley, nmble
comedy.
OF the humorousness of "The One Before" we
cannot speak too warmly. The book Is a sheer
10y The fun begins on the very first page, and
it never sackens. OF Mr.. Pains many dron
episodes it would be hard TO say which is the
most delightful. Mr. Barley in temper in the
first chapter Mr.. Barley betrayed by a skipping
rope in the second, Mr. Barley lunchng under
the table in the third. the stately bishop turned
sportive in the sixth, Mr. Nathaniel Brookes and
his secretary Mr.. Johnson. in the sixteenth-but
we cannot enumerate all the gems strung by the
author his thread of comicalty He keeps
us laughing from beginning to end. and he does
it, we repeat, with perfect discretion. Some ex-
cellently illustrative passages we take from the
chapter given to extracts from the diary of
Ernest Saunders Barley, after his wife has be-
gun to put him in training and has incidentally
persuaded him to set fire to the HOrtus Siccus
and commence golfer" under the guidance of
their friend and neighbor, Mr.. Derriford.
| have just come back from my first lesson in
golf. Mary seemed to wish it. and Derriford,
who is enthusiast, was very pressing. l can
see many objections to the game. There is an
element of chance in it which 1 deprecate ex
good. MIR. Derriford said himself. Later,
when I had really gained in experience. l
seemed to be able to do nothing right How
ever. Derriford wishes me TO go on. and so does
Mary. 1t might possibly prove useful exer-
cse if limited to hour day. L should be
sorry to spend longer than that on what is,
after all, merely game.
1 have made no entry in my diary for the
last few days, l see When one is first learning
a game, it is probably better to give a good
deal of time to il, and to get over the initial
stages possible. l find that with
rapid. Certainly, at first l was inclined to
exaggerate the element of chance in the game
There is more skill in it than L had supposed.
Had known how very much there was in it, l
should certainly have started it years ago. l
fancy have been prejudiced against it by the
talk of some duffer who had tried ii and found
himself good. Derriford, by the way is ex-
tremey pleased with my progress.