The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-27
OUR LADY OF THE BEECHEs.

This story, which ran during the summer
as a serial in the Atlantic Monthly, is now
published in book form by Houghton,
Mifiin & Co., of Boston. The first appear
ance of the story in the Atlantic is an un-
questionable guaranty OF its literary ex-
cellence. 1t is original in form, cleverly
written, and treats a delicate theme deity
and with the light touch of a feminine
hand. The author, Baroness Won Hutton, Is
an American woman who married a Ger
man nobleman, and who has seen a good
deal Of the world on both sides of the At
lantic. She casts the heroine of her story
in the same mold. The rather odd title OF
lou Lady of the BeecheS' is derived from
the fact that the story opens with a letter
written by the heroine and dated In a
Beech Forest" somewhere in Europe. The
letter is addressed to an unknown Amer
lean, a scientist, and author of a meta
physical work by which the writer con-
fesses herself to have been wonderfully
impressed, and for whom she develops a
remarkable affinity. Her first letter to the
unknown begins, MY Dear Pessimist," and
is written in a bantering, feminine style.
She says: 81 have read your book through
three times; my copy has grown very
shabby; the covers are stained-I dropped
1t in a brook; the margins are covered with
pencil notes. In a word, 1 love the book"
The first letter is one of Platonic admira-
ton for the unknown author, but it in
vites a reply, and, without giving the
writer's name. gives an address in Paris by
which she may be reached. OF course, the
unknown author the letter written
- 49, lIN-,. a~r
respondence, which grows more and more
personal and less and less Platonic on both
sides. The woman is t~wenty-nine years
old and the wife of a man whom she re-
spects but does not love. The party Of
the second part, the author of the book
which has so interested her, is an Amer
lean doctor, a bachelor, and forty years
old. Both of them are too old for any but
a serious Irritation, and one of them Is
handicapped by marriage. AS the corre-
spondence proceeds and grows warmer,
they try to guess at each others person.
alities, appearance and characters, and this
draws them closer together. At first their
letters are not signed at all, but later each
signs her or his initials, and finally they
learn each others names. So the corre-
spondence continues till quite ar interest
is worked up in the mind Of the reader as
to whether it will end in a divorce, an
elopement, or what. The correspondence
goes on about a year. when finally. through
some rather awkward machinery, it comes
to pass that the young wife comes to Amer
lea and meets her unknown correspondent.
She seems rather to seek the meeting, per-
haps to crafty a woman's curiosity. Some
sentimental passages follow, with some
warm declarations of love on one side and
confessions on the other, and then they &C
apart. There is no elopement or divorce.
TIL ending of the story is suggestive Of a
storm that blows over. The correspondence
between the two principals is clever and
witty, the woman's letters being the bet
ter of the two, as a bright woman's letters
always are better than those Of a man,; but
beyond this the story is somewhat lacking
in body. The plot. in so far as there is
any, drifts, and all the characters except
the two principals seem to be ~supernumer-
aries. The heroine of the story impresses
one as clever but rather frivolous. To
many readers the theme will be found dis
agreeable, but the story will please read
ers who take laxer views of what a wom-
ans conduct should be. and all who read it
must admit that the material is cleverly
bapdiad