The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-28


mot SURE what the title means. 1t may
have reference TO the quality OF the stores
and It may apply to the people who are
considered In them. Certainly both the
people and the stories are extremely nice.
On page 81 we find, put In the mouth OF
an artist, q clear statement OF Mr.. james
own case. 1T 10 not my fault this char
acter Ia made 70 say. IL / am 80 put To-
gether as often to find more hfe In situa-
lions obscure and subject to interpreta-
ton than In the gross rattle OF the fore.
ground" We should hardly use the word
life TO describe the result Of Mr.. Jamess
deliberate activities. More that Ii 70 my
mind. would have been, 1t seems TO us,
more suitable way Of putting 1t; and TINS
would expressly forbid and repel the pos
sible idea that II was necessarily more 70
anybody else's mind. =,
But these stories are indeed concerned
with very slender and nice matters. Inc
rroes rattle Of the foreground II posi-
lively not in them; and anybody looking
for bass and snare drum effects had better
get tickets for some other place OF enter
tainpnent. One OF these stories IL con-
cerned with the case Of lady OF consid-
cradle years who always had another lady
of considerable years and still more con-
adorable plainness Of person to serve, a.
a foil for the better display and emphasis
OF her own carefully cherished and def
nitely well-preserved good looks. and who
was devastated with painful and hateful
emotions when an artist al rare discern
ment discovered that the plain lady was
a perfect Holbein and set out to paint her
n L., ko ho0 In nj r
III. Of this carefully attenuated story: ut
was a drama Of small. smothered intensely
private things, and knew OF but one other
person In the secret; yet that person and
I found Il exquisitely susceptible OF nota-
ton, followed 1t with en- interest the mutual
communication Of which did much for our
enjoyment, and were present with emotion
at It's touching catastrophe 1t will be
seen how perfectly Mr.. James understands
his own case and how frankly and fear
lessly and pleasantly he declares and Illus
trates It.
Again we read, in the story called Broken
Wings There had been q wonderful
walk in the afternoon. within the limits
OF the place, to . far-away tea house; and,
In spite Of the combinations and changes
Of thisepisode, he had still escaped the neces-
sity Of putting his old friend or himself to
the test. Also 1t had been all, he fiattered
himself, without the pusillanimity Of his
avoiding her. Life was, indeed. well under
stood in these great conditions. the condi-
tons constituted in their greatness kind
Of fundamental facility, provided a general
exemption, bathed the hour, whatever
II was, In a universal blandness, that were
all happy solvent for awkward relations.
II was beautiful, for instance, that, II their
failure to meet amid 90 much meeting
had been OF Mrs. Harvey's own contri-
vance he couldn't be in the least vulgarly
sure OF IL. There were places in which he
would have had no doubt. places different
enough from Mundham. He felt all the
same. and without anguish. that these were
much more HE plaoes-even II she didn't
feel that they were much more hers
Surely we must feel some pleasant glow
in the mind a. We join in that wonderful
afternoon walk to the tea house, far away.
but still within the noble limits Of Mund-
ham. and flnd ourselves taken up and very
gently swept along by the combinations
and changes OF the episode. 1t is not like
going over Niagara in barrel. but II has
its other and moro reasonable charm.
WHAT ne ma dSkou Oh Iou u<5tu biulply
at nrst not to laugh At him. She had beau
tifully not done 90 for ten yearsi' This
We find In the story called The Beast In tho
jungle Think OF III Think Of some-
body with sufficient power Of repression
not to laugh at you for ten years. Mr..
James Is q necromances. He Is a wizard
with drugs in his pocket. His tales POSSESS
the secret Of the poppy, which supplies
lovely visions, not TO mention the pleasant
incident Of sleep.
One Dozen Of Fiction.
Mrs. Freeman tries a new tack in The
Wind in the Rose Bush, and Other Stories. y
by Mary Z. wilkins doubleday, Page
A Coz. and turns TO ghosts. Her stage
setting and her characters are Of the every
day New England type 20 which she has
accustomed her readers. and 80 are her
ghosts for that matter. They are the
old-fashioned kind Of ghosts that make
your flesh creep for no other reason than
that they are dead. There Is no psyche
logical nonsense about them and they
cant he explained away. II Mr.. Free
man wilkins's narrative does not make
the readers hair stand on end lac can turn
20 Mr.. Peter Newells hideous illustrations.
A curiously uneven story IL Red Headed
Gill.' by Rye Owen Henry Holt and Com
pany). The author has created a charming
girl whom the reader will watch with interes,
to the end. She manages 10 transport
her hack into the life Of her Tudor an
c.-,ress over and again naturally, and
with great effect. but the other characters
are puppets whose petty motives are la
dicrously dlspropor,ionste Ca the aItraor'