The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-23

The story is the old, old story of con-
ficting emotions and passions; it is sell
flshness matched against elf-sacrifce in
the loves of three people, each Of whom
loves the other two, loving one with an
overmastering passion, the other with a
deep and abiding friendship. Self-sacri-
flee would be absolutely necessary to pre-
serve the bonds under such circumstances.
But self-sacrifice did not save all three
from distinguishing deep of the bitter
waters of renunciatiOn; it was not deep
and foresighted enough in the one who
might have saved at least two Of the
trio.
How could such a story be COM
pact with surprises? The answer is found
in the story, in the epigramatic CONVERSE
ton of the persons who walk thru it's
pages, the unexpected turnings and twist
ings Of their minds yet all consistent with
the development of each character, in the
startlingly intimate portraiture both in
word and sketch, and in several score in
cidents, scarcely any Of which the reader
anticipates.
All this is not to say the book is per-
feet art It isn't, by a long piece. The
children in it, for example, are far too
precocious. This would not offend the
taste If limited to one or two, but the
precocity Is unlimited; 1t Is the authors
cleverness and does not take we'll when
dealt out too promiscuously to the little
| folk in the early part Of the story. Blu;
when all allowances are made, the story
| is far from commonplace.
The readers interest in Aspasia Jane
| told in the first paragraph of the second
chapter that at very tender age she
| once prayed thus: - 90
| Dear God, please make me better child II
| you possibly can; if not never mind. l can
get along very we'll as I am. -
It is Jane who is the woman of the
trio mentioned above. She grows up with
mind quite as original in it's workings
as the above prayer would Indicate, rather
fine looking, with eyebrows like 1.-TWO
little golden bird feathers fallen there,
and such in appearance and character as
to warrant the application to her Of
phrases like the following: "A faur
turned SAINT "a dance of mirth an6
melancholy" Chopin played to a merry.
go-round.' "a kitten with a grief "a nur
in a cap and bells' 1t should be said
however that these phrases were the pro.
duct Of the brain Of q rather light-rnindet
old lady. r. ..
"Juggs," who is really the central figure
in the story, instead Of Edwy, is very
dark, has blue eyes, an errant mind, ant
until driven from home little purpose II
life, His home is only the relic Of one
his parents having separated and neither
| living in the house which Juggs calls
home. Jane is the daughter of a. poo
but insouciant book agent of some graz
but no business ability. jugs, when HI
comes back from Yale, in order to hell
Jane, arranges with an old gentleman O
| the town to buy such books as Jane:
! father may offer him for sale. Thus h,
helps the girl indirectly and keeps him
self out of sight. But the plan leads tt
trouble. Ross Connaught, finding ready
customer, works the lead to the limit
i ic al no My cd IN, do
to save his agent FORCES his own father
name to a check. The father discover
the forgery and orders the son from tn
home. 1t is then that jugs finds it neces
sary to turn altogether to pen and inl
sletching for livelihood. He has
knacz of expressing in the faces Of hi
characters funny pity" "saucy cor
row." that makes them go. He gets OF
well enough until he endeavors to aid hi
sister to an elopement by again forgin
his fathers name to check. This tim
the father adopts harsher measure and tn
boy spends five years in prison. Afte
that, tho he loves Jane and knows tina
Jane loves him, he feels that he must no
disgrace her by marrying her.
All thru this and beyond Edwy love
Jane and is the admired and truste
| friend Of jugs. He is big and light an
reticent But he does not in time Sc
what Remuneration for him might mea
Of the failures to see in the story, fail
ures such as have led men to call them
selves 'blind worms
| AS a touch displaying the character {
one of the persons of the drama, none
better than this relating to Ross-Con
naught and his wife's half-sister, who ha
means and who had come to live at tn
Ross Connaught home:
!. Nevertheless, like hypnotic subject, she di
lend Connaught money at first. He was 8
social, gentle. He borrowed your none
1 with the greatest delicacy; he had shynes
about 1t that was irresistible. You might hav
harbored no intention at all Of lending, but sim
ply stood watching him smile and push up hi
mustache with his thumb, when, 10! withou
pain, without anxiety, 1t would be gone.
Looking for Alice is the. title Of ne,
juvenile by Walter Burgess Smith, issue
by the Lothrop Publishing company. TIL
. value Of the book is greatly enhanced b
J the exquisite pen drawings, forty in all,
! G. Howard. The story relates the expert
ences Of little girl named Harriet, VIII
4 descends thru an old we'll into the Ian
5 Of dreams to look for Alice in Wonder
land, and meets with adventures no les
astonishing than those of Alice hersel
The book has an attractive decorative
cover. The Uneasy Chair.
THE. MAGAZINE SAMPLER