The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-01
A Tale with Trimmings.

We have been impressed by the style
rather than the narrative interest or the
charaoterizations Of Alfred Henry Lewis's
story Of 1The President" "a. 8. Barnes
Coz. The style is the thing, and the book is
an exhibition in peculiar and smart rhetoric
rather than a tale. We have marked a
passage about Richard and Dorothy on
rage 1872. We read:
"Bess. departing, left behind her two young
people wonderfully embarrassed. Richard
had been plunged in most craven condition,
while Dorothy, head dropping like flower
gone to sleep, the flush creeping from her
brow to her cheek, began to cry gently.
Two large, round, woful tears came slowly
into the corners of her eyes, paused a
moment as though to survey the world,
and then ran timidly down, one on each
side Of her nose"
We question whether IL is proper for story
writer to make fun Of his heroine, and we
suspect that such practice Is not fitted
TO be popular. Mr.. Lewis goes gayly on
AT this piteous sight we read, Richard
became a hero. Being an extremist in all
thins, Richard. reused, caught Dorothy to
his bosom--the first embrace since that
blessed boot heel evening in the Waldorf"
The boot heel evening, It may be explained,
was the occasion Of the first meeting OF the
pair The French heel Of Dorothy's boot
came of as she was descending the stairs,
and Richard caught her as she fell. Con-
corning the second embrace the story con-
tinnes: He folded her in those Pict arms
10 most radical fashion. and kissed her
they were like unto glmpses Of heaven.
those kisses!-kissed her eyes and her hair
,rl a. laaf bar G, IN Eiaa FROM,
another with words of rapturous endear-
,pept, Of which hearts love- and darling
we're the most prudently cool. Richard
refused to free Dorothy from out his arms,
not that she struggled bitterly. and oon-
tinued for full ten minutes In the utmost
bliss and incoherency."
IL some think that 1t Is like MIR. Meredith,
others will find IN II strong resemblance
dMr. Major, We read on: AT these un-
expected pictures Of Paradise before the
Fall, Ajax Ia pet domestic ANIMAL sole
spectator, felt profound dismay. He bottle
brushed and arched and exploded; and
then. the wretched exhibition continuing,
fed ~
We feel as though the story proper were
being delayed, and yet We must aci1nowl-
e..ge the plain disposition to entertain us.
Further:.1' nj last flcnard listened to
Dorothy and released her to an armchair;
he took another, fastened his eyes upon
her like visual leeches. and drank her in"
A moment to take in the full peculiar effect
oc1yrat,, Another what' another young
perAou7 How can anybody be released to
chair? who 40 blooming. who so
lovely. who so glorious as Dorothy
thought Richard, on whom her beauty
grew with. ever Increasing witchery. like
deep, clear night Of stars. And yet the
dough faced Fopling, at that moment in
the, library With Bess, would have fought
Riehard to the death on a simple issue
that Bess was Dorothy's beauteous superior;
which; 30 far from proving that love is blind,
shows it tohavethe eyes Of Argus. Richard
and Dorothy said q thousand loving things
and meant them: they made thousand
lqying, cop1pacts and kept them all. Sud-
denly Richard burst forth a. though mo-