The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-15
True love made bx honest indirections,

True love made by honest indirections,
In an Italian garden, under fair skies.
There, in just thirteen words (abst
omen), tho one Of them is fairly long, is
what is recorded in the latest book by
the author of THE Cardinals Snuffbox,"
Henry Harland. The book is My Friend
Prospero, book of pure romance, a tale
without drop Of blood without a hint
that there ever existed such a thing as
a villain, without faint, almost without
tear; on the other hand, a tale the
course Of whose love runs as smooth as
meadow brook and sparkles as bright
ly under an unclouded sky, a tale full of
charming dialOg by ready-witted, high
spirited people, a tale altogether whole
somely entertaining. It is not without its
flaws as a work Of art, but it charms
just the same. There is a princess, an
heir apparent to lordly title and estates,
a fairy godmother' to the heir apparent,
and a child that for her quaintness might
be an Italian Rebecca Of Sunnybrook
Farm, and other characters quite neces-
sary to the working out of the plot but
not prominent.
Now it would be unfair to the book
and to the reader to outline even in part
the plot but having referred to love made
by indirections, it may be necessary tc
explain. This column would call the heil
apparent's way Of stating his case to tho
object Of his affections, in the quotation
below an indirection, albeit honest
! enough. The heir apparent's name is just
plain John-John Blanchemain-but Maria
Dolores, the princess, doesn't know he
| is an heir and he doesn't know she is q
| princess.
':Well,' said John, in the tone of ready
| to change the subject, II owe him at least one
| good mark. His account of his 'heart-state' led
| me to examine my own and I discovered that I
| am in love myself-which is useful thing to
know" .-..
.Oh,". said Maria Dolores, with little effect
of reserve.
eyes, said John, nothing daunted, 'tho IN
| like his. mine is an unappreciated flame, and
"Ah," said Maria Dolores, reserved indeed,
but not without an undertone Of sympathy.
| Eyes, said John playing with fire and find
| ing therein heady mixture of fearlessness and
| joy: 1.-THE woman love doesn't dream I love
her, and dreams still less Of loving me-for
| which blessed circumstance may heaven make
| me truly thankful"
--"and I'm too beastly poor.''
! is the way John comes at his grounds
| for the thankfulness he mentioned earlier
| So John makes a sort of confessor O.
the one he loves, a patent subterfuge tina
lovers have often used, and in this case
as in many another it was seen thru ant
| thru, and the princess being prevented
| from answering except in kind could MOI
| overcome Johns scruples It speaks fol
the stoutness of those scruples that Johr
could withstand what is shown in this:
"Oughtn't you to be CAREFUL she said. "tt
| give her excuse at all to love you, if you
| are really resolved never to ask her to be your
wife?''
"That's exactly what have given her. an.
! swered John, mo excuse at all"
Yes objected Maria Dolores, "but she's
| probably just weak human woman. You may
| have given her excuses without meaning to.''
There was the slightest quaver In her voice.
! John caught his breath; he turned to her al
! most violently But she facing away from