The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-21
An Evans Of Suffolk.

Anna Farquhar, for many years a resi-
cent of this city, and well remembered here
by her maiden name, which she still uses
as an author is becoming quite a prolific
story writer "An Evans of Suffolk is her
fourth and best. Some of her earlier stories
showed qualities natural in an Impractical
writer as weakness of plot, distrust of her
ina ginative powers or a disposition to
skirt along the shore of prosaic fact. IAN
Evans of Suffolk" is free from any of these
qualities and indicates distinct progress by
the author as a novelist. The plot of the
heroine and the tangled web of deceit
the heroine ard the tangled web of deceit
she weaves in trying to conceal family
disgrace and her own origin. Miss Evans
later Harriet Reed and then Mrs. Fuller,
was a beautiful young woman and free
from any sin, except that of long course
of deceit almost forced upon her by dis
reputable father. He wel-born Eng
lishman, an Evans of Suffolk, but he be-
came drunkard and a criminal He mar
ried an American woman of lovely charac-
ter, who chung to him TO the last The only
child of this. woman, the heroine OF the
story, being forced to support herself, be-
comes q waitress in Boston restaurant,
where she made the acquaintance OF rich
but vulgar sporting man whom she mar
ried- When he died. as he did soon. leaving
her fortune, she went abroad and cndper-
oned young girl friend in Paris as a
widow. Among her admirers there was
Bucky Stranger, an interesting Fellow
whom she was destined to meet again. Re
turning to Boston she discarded her widow
hood. took new name and was received as
beautiful young woman with a fortune
in her own right. Her father was still dis
reputable, but she kept up secret meetings
with her mother, whom she loved devoted
ly How she gained the entree to aristo-
cratic society in Boston and courted
and married by a member of one of the old
families; how narrowly she escaped ex-
posture by Unexpectedly meeting the man
who had known her a widow in Paris
and who was an intimate friend of her
husband; how she StroVe to conceal the
family disgrace and her real origin from
tragedy resulting in the violent death of
her father. followed by her confession to
her husband, and his complete forgiveness
of her deception, furnish the main features
of the story. A sort of plot within a plot
introduces Miss Zitella a maiden aunt OF
her husband, as former sweetheart of her
disreputable father, the memory of whom
when he was young and handsome she still
cherishes with romantic fondness, though
she hates the young wife for resembling
him and suspects some relationship. The
materials of the story we'll handled and
interest in how the mystery is going TO end
grows stronger until it eliminates in the
tragedy that clears up all.
The author has a fluent style, too fluent
at times, but generally clear and vivid. She
speaks of one of her characters ''lingual
overflow She has touch of the same
trouble herself. The dominant atmosphere
of the story savors of BOhemianism, but it
possesses the quality of entertainment and
is readable Some of the conversations are
| too witty and brilliant to be natural, but
| that is better than being prosy. l.. G. Page
| d Co., Boston.