Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-16


THE CONFESSIONS OLA CLUB WOMAN.
by Agnes SubrijSe. Illustrated ty A J. kel-
Ter. New York: Doub'rday. Page s. Co. Wash
ington: william Saiians$ne 4 Sons.
1t is fair to assume that the author of
this delightful satire upon woman's clubs
In the United States Is not nam med Agnes
Surbridge." fer her book is too realistic to
be regarded as absolute fiction. too init
mate in it's revelations of the inner work
ings of feminine ciui3donl to warrant n wo-
man in publicly acknowledging her author
ship. Whoever she Is. this woman has per-
formed society service IN setting forth the
incidental evils of the excessive clubbish
Eess that is to be found today In every
American city. She presents in the first
person the figure of a young Chicago ma
iron. a Kansas girl who marries a retail
grocer and for a time lives a placid life in
a fat over his store. Then she begins to
yearn for social expansion, and in an evil
moment reads of the doings Of the clubs
and is called upon by one of the leading
club women the wife of wealthy man.
There is no better bit of character work In
| recent writing than this Mrs. Parsons, the
very type Of the woman politician. Mrs.
Henning is drawn into the maelstrom Of
club life and all but suffers domestic ship
wreck. Her husband progresses in business.
while she is advancing socially. They are
like to divide however, on the rock or the
wife's sacrifice of her home duties to her
club interests The tale carries her through
the usual experiences of modest entrance
into a great city club under the patronage
of her wealthy friend. into the inner circles
Of its affairs, and describes her as jealous
ly working for the election OF her friend as
president. her appointment as delegate 10
the biennial convention Of the great league
of women's clubs, her wfre-pulllng, her
reading Of a speech written to her oroer
by newspaper woman for consideration.
her election to be president or her own
club her easy capture by willy advertisers
who present her with shoes named for the
club photographs. perfumery ana othef
welcome but dangerous gifts, her encounter
with scandal, her domestic crisis and hnai-
| ly her realization Of the risk of 1t all ana
her surrender of the false happiness that her
club experiences have brought. 1t Is
striking comment on famlliar feature Vi
modern city life.
| THE PAsTIME OF ETERNITY. BY Beatrix
Demarest LLOYD. New York. Charles Serb
ner's Sons Washington: William Baiiantyne
& Sons
A strong current of infinite sadness pulses
| through this story of clashing tempera-
ments 1t is a modern tale of metropolitan
life dealing with musical people and de-
scendants of great French family. and,
briefly, with group of members of the fast
social set. A talented musical amateur Is
married to a woman with no artistic tastes
bent upon pursuing the butterfly of pleas
ure. regardless Of her husbands desire for
quiet companionship. His great wealth en-
ables him to live in solitude In his New
York mansion He has one social outlet,
the Besarique family. father and daughter.
who live in an atmosphere Of past great
ness, in an obsession of "Besariquity," as
the daughter Lea expresses 1t. A fine figure
Is her father and there Is some remark
able writing in the description Of his death
by starvation. Too proud to kill himself
by direct stroke. he prefers thus to end his
days when he has stripped himself of his
last penny to pay the debts of his son, who
lives in Paris. Between Oliver Holbein,
the musician, and Lea Besarique a great
love awakens naturally, but 1T is not until
many distressing things have happened and
a Young Swedish girl, violnist who comes
into the story by an interesting means,
sacrifices her own love for Holbein that the
lives of these two are united 1t is a story
to grip and hold the attention ana 10 arouse
the sympathies of even the Jaded novel
reader Madame de Saverne wise ana KIND
w. affords the relief necessary to onset the
somberness of the tale. She and her per-
sjstent old middle-aged lover play fmpor-
tant parts in the romance, with grace
and delicacy which blend charminSly with
the dominant qualities OF the author
style.
ny THE GOOD sAINTE ANNE; Story of
Modern Quebec. by Anna Nuapu ha9, oNs'"A
of THE Dominant Strain. &c. With frontls-
piece Boston: Little, Brown Co
The church of Sainte Anne de Beaupre.
near Quebec, is a famous pilgrimage, a
sort of American Lourdes. where the halt,
lame and blind are healed by their faith
40 they touch a sacred relic There
occur. in the story a miracle OF hearts,
tho end of which does-not come until the
narticinants have passed through series
of interesting experiences In Quebec where
the story begun at Beaupre Is finished,
there occurs a notable encounter OF ma
tionalities, English. French-Canadian. Eng
ush-Canadian and American-meahlhs
United States. Three men and woman,
the woman young ana pretty, Decol!,e li.i-
ma tely acquainted as a result OF their
close association at the delightful Maple
Leaf Inn, and engage In the dlscusSion
of race questions marked by sharp cohllicls
of national qualities. Bright conversation
and interesting episodes give the story an
Individual character, and 1t makes deiignt-
full summer reading altogether. 1t VIII De
of especial interest to those VINO nave
visited Quebec or who have Planned WISH
to the old city
THE WOMAN WINS. By Robert Barr. author
of 'Over the Border. &c. New York: Freder-
lex A. Stokes Company. Washington: Bren-
tanO's.
This is a collection of some Of Mr.. Bars
short stories that have appeared from time
to time in serials They take their title
from a rather vague dominance in them of
the eternal feminine. The first story, The
Countess Decides" starts out with the
shirt of a novel, and it is somewhat OF
surprise to the reader to find it finishing
when apparently the author has just laid
the foundation Of an engaging tale he
Long Distance Telephone is peculiar
study in spirit influence. All the stories
are brightly told and each has pointed
suggestion. The book makes good light
reading.
THE PENOBSCOT MAN. By Fanny Hardy
Eckstorm. Boston: Houghton. Miffin & Co.
Washington: William Ballantyne & Sons.
In THE Penobscot Man" Mrs. Eckstorm
tells of many experiences and adventures Of
Penobscot river men. 1t is the kind of
book which will make a very strong appeal
to readers who have enjoyed Whites The
Blazed Trail" Andy Adams Log Of Cow
boy" and Van Dykes "Fisherman's Luck"
1t Is book for the vacation time outdoors.
The volume Is redolent with the smoke
of the camp fire around which are gathered
the river woodmen and guides who tell the
strange stories of their achievements and
adventures. Mrs. Eckstorm has lived among
the people of her story. They are her peo-
pie.