The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-05

Mrs. Brennan for an unusually delightful
|! waltz:
ut is so long since I was privileged
4 to dance with lady that I confess to
4 having felt decidedly awkward at the
| start, but your step proved so accom-
modatng that l became ut once at home,
4 and er1joyed the waltz Immensely. fail
| to discover any seats in the room. or
! would endcavcr to find one vacant for
| YOU"
! Truly, good sentences and we'll pro-
/ nounced. Mrs. Brennan after listening 10
| them, was not so consumed with envy
as we should have been, had we been
In her place, for the very good reason
! that she could converse with the same
| dgnified distinction herself.
| Apart from this conversational feature,
| however the story s simply and natural-
| IN told It is readable and entertaining,
and will no doubt find plenty OF readers
"Reminiscences OF PEACE AND
WAR BY Mrs Roger a. Pryor. 4o2
pp. SEQ. Tho Macmillan Company,
New York l5
The full mead OF unstinted pra ise can
be awarded to Mrs Pryor's "Reminis-
| ccnccs,n tho reason tor tho el,r1,isual ~
I tercst IN her pages being not difficult 10
formulate. First OF all hrs. Pryor has
| stored away III her mind many things
from her past life that are doubly ana
| trebly worth recalling, now that chose
who also lived and saw them are almost
| daily growing fewer. And, secondly. she
| writes with an unusual and charming
| case. which would illuminate even a prosy
| theme with a most beguillng sprightliness.
| We have here, in short. a subject emil
| nently worth writing about, treated ny
| one eminently qnalnedeto do 1t.
/ Mrs. Pryor's qualification IL not. as We
/ have suggested, merely the qualification
| Of literary grace. In all the notable mat
Tiers which she now brings SO clearly ana
Icheerfully out Of bygone days, she bore
| herself IL distinguished part. a Southern.
woman Of high social position and Of the
old tradition; resident of Washington
| as the wife of Il rising young public man;
| and conspicuous figure among those
4 women Of Virginia who volunteered for
| hospital duty. or stayed quietly at home
1 sewing UP their very hearts in the shirts
/ that they made for absent dear ones, or
| did one OF the Thousand and one things
| that women will do to make themselves
I feel that they#are helping-unecr all con-
lditions she lived to tho full the life OF a
4 5lady Of her time fs 80 Nh S555 III III
l.sSWashinston soclety3in the years Just
4 before thea4war Is very engnglngly de-
scribed from the spo!nt5sof view Of one
who was thoroughly part OF IT. Later,
after the outbreak OF the war. one reads
with even greater avidty. Mrs Pryors
/ home was In Petersburg, and she passed
1 n good deal OF time In Richmond; and
i the numerous and familiar local refer
ences will make her story of unusual and
absorbing interest to the people OF these
| two cities.
Mrs Pryor's book Is much more than a
mere story Of fugitive recollectlons, play.
ling about the notable things in our recent
| history tits, If we may be allowed the
| expression, a sort of sentimental history
! Of the war, and OF the years immcdia tcly
before 1t. BY that we mean that It IS the
| story of the war MS It impressed itself
upon the feelings Of those whose sole part
4 Lin II was that Of those "who only stand
and pray" Curiously. perhaps, In these
pages one gets a livelier idea Of the ter.
/ rible inner meaning ana effect Of war.
when thus viewing It as It were from the
! rear, from the reactionary, rather than
! the dictionary point Of view. than Is to be
derived from tho general run OF histories
4 proper.
4 We regard Mrs. Pryors book MS q vnlu-
! able and wholly charming contribution to
| the literature of those throbbsng years.
/, The time cannot be a great way off, un-
! happily, when that noble army whose lives
arc SO closely woven about those years
/ will have become forever silent: and 1t Is
| highly important that they should give
! to us from the fulness Of their knowledge
! whilo there ID yet opportunity. 'Remlnis-
! cences OF Peace and War" Is another OF
those books written before 1t is too
/ late"
.TIID TRUANTs. BY a. =. ". Mason.
$40 PIP $3.50. Harper e. Bros, New
I. York. For sale here by Boil Book and
Stationery Company.
/ This Is another OF Mr.. Mason's stoves
/ Of London society with a SHIFT OF scene
! to Algiers, and In atmosphere and coll
/, orlng It Is not very different from MI
| randa of the Balcony" and Four Fcn-
TIERS None the less THE Truants" Is
I. n good story. and Will easily stand upon
/ It's own legs without reference to Its
i successful forbears. The opening i'm
i pressed us as nbeing rather awkward.
i perhaps. hut after the first ffty pages,
! on, SO, when the situation has been
i clearly brought out, the action moves
steadily forward With q development
/ sufficiently UNINTERRUPTED to hold the
reader's expectant attention consistently
Throughout. The interest Is also height
i cncd by the authors skilful character
delineation, whic his undeniably good.
Tho talc is OF a certLin mild husband,
Tony strctton, who is driven by pa
ternal tyranny to seek nm INDEPENDENT
success abroad, and OF the danger that
! befell his none too strong wife during
! his absence at tho hands OF a clever aud
INSCRIPTIONS young adycnturer, with
taking ways. Friends of the young eoll-
4 Ult,l W IO N'N bh1 S'y sHNA'N6~
3 10 avert the seemingly inevitable catas-
trophe are Pamela Mardale and wealthy
young Alan Wnrrsdep, Warrlsden was
Interested in Pamela, and he thought j
i no hardship at Pamelas request, 70 seek
q out Tony wherever In the wide world he
Knight be. ana fetch him home 40 look
4 out for his wife, while there was yet
time, The only argument that had the
4 power OF bringing Tony home, however,
after the rather contcmptuous letters
4 Ills wife had written hmm during ms
i carly failure to make q careerfor hlm-
"A self. was tho message hat Mile needed
him: and this message, unfortunately,
4 Wurrlsden WAS not In position to give
4 on tho occasion tof his meeting with
4 Tony on a North. Sea Hsllng smnes,
A Tony stayed IN tho North Sea, But.
4 later. when Warrisden went after. him,
!, again and hunted him out in Als!ers,
4 git was to tell him plainly OF his 8Wifes
sore. dangeri and Tony, thought meant
4 the loss ofSn commission Mat was about
Il ~ nna,io M a glorious crown to much