Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-10-09
OUTSIDE POINT OF VIEW
Tor the Times-Republican.

NeceHtly there was published in one
OF the sensational magazines Of the
day story that to the writer, for one.
was new in plot and detail. From mem
DRY this scribe will condense and give 1t
mere. The reader finds out at the be-
ginning that the heroine is a married
woman with baby, supposedly year
Old. She lives among the smart set in
New York, and this is her second ex-
perience in married life. Her first hus-
band was evidently one of the fast set
in New York, altho all we have related
about him in this story is secondhand,
as will be seen later on.
The scene opens with the wife. the
second husband and the baby as the
dramatis- persOnae. This present hus-
band is a theorist and scientist and full
~ believes in the doctrine Of reincarna-
ton. He gathers about him men and
women who sympathiZe with him in
these up-to-date ideas and as may be
supposed. the wife absorbs more or less
OF the scientific talk and belief, and
while she admires much of this abstruse
reasoning and conversation at the fire.
quent after-dinner talks between her
husband and his congenial guests, she
can not help contrasting, in her minds
eye. the difference between Jack"
husband No. 1, and her present COM
panion, and the reader can not help be-
lieving her love for Jack, was still a
tender memory when she married
again.
And now for the nut" OF the story.
The writer thinks it is entirely new. 1t
is thus: The baby born Of the last mar
riage has the soul, the mind of Jack,
the first husband. Worse than all, 1t is
the full grown soul or mind of Jack"
that occupies the body of the year-old
baby. and 1t must be admitted that the
descriptive part of the story is artistic.
No one but mother could have written
so naturally, so realistically of the baby
part of the plot, and just as true Is it
that no one but a wife could have pic
tured out the Jack" part of it unless
she had had for husband the duplicate
of the reincarnated Jack" The dis
covery that the soul of Jack was occu-
plying the body of her baby was a terri
BILE shock, as may be supposed Jack
spoke right out one day, and told her a
few things. First, he was tired Of milk
diet, wanted champagne. Again, he
objected to her baby talk, preferred
English. Then he objected to being
"cuddled," danced" and "shook up"
and, as may be supposed, he had no
love for the second husband, said so
and threatened the poor mother to ex-
pose the whole business unless he was
allowed some of the delicacies of the
table. One day the baby was allowed to
come to the table, this by the fond
father. who wanted to Show him off, y
and Jack, unable to contain himself at
the kind of talk there INDUCED in, spoke
out in meeting. all Of which language
was laid at the door Of the butler, who
was equally astonished at the interrupt
ton, as well as at the decision Of the
master Of the house to discharge him
for his insolence while waiting on the
guests. Finally young lady comes to
visit the family, and there was nothing
strange in the fact that she fell in love
with the baby. But the baby's mother
somehow objected to the baby's falling
in love with the young lady. When
that year-old baby put his arms around
said young lady's neck and kissed her
as many Ntimes as she asked him to,
there was a suggestion of Jack at once.
The incarnated soul OF Jack evidently
was at ease in the baby body. And
there is no doubt the mother was actu-
ally Jealous of the year-old baby. And
she had reason to be, for they eloped.
Put either way the reader pleases.
either the baby ran away with the
young lady. or the young lady kidnap-
ped the baby. At any rate, both disap-
peared. And there the story ends. with
a promise OF another chapter II they are
ever traced.
Now is 1t hypercritical to claim this
is an indecent story? Sure it is, there
Is assavor Of It. Somehow the Jack Of
the tale, as the baby, uncovers lot of
previous life not at all to his credit.
Ones feelings are awry at the scene of
the mother holding her baby in her
arms, knowing all the while 1t is her
first husbands soul in that year-old
child. And if the elopement is not pos
itively vulgar in sentiment, it is only
because of the style of the portrayal of
it. And as has been said before in this
column, the stories of this kind are in
tended to verge on the line of indecen-
Cyl Written to interest the jaded
senses of the smart set. And this one
did. Only the originality of it is the
saving feature.
-