The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1904-04-08
PUBLIC FREE LIBRARY NOTES.

Lovers of romance will find a book to their
liking in Sir Mortimer, the serial publication Of
which has just been completed in Harpers'
magazine. This latest of Miss Johnston's books
is said to be the best she has written. 1t may
be remembered the Harpers announced the
publication of this work several months before
the first installment appeared, the authors il
health having delayed its completion.
The chief merit of Miss Johnston's stories is
that they give us what is probably the best pic
lures we can find of the customs of the days in
which the scenes are laid, -those most romantic
days of American history. This author has a
style that is distinctively her W ,-beautiful in
its way, but with a tendency to monotony after
a time. She is a worshiper of nature, and her
descriptions of the woods and fields, of the sun
shine and storms, are among the best bits of
writing she does. Many of her people are his
torical characters, and one wonders how nearly
she approaches the originals in her portrayals.
OF course it is impossible to know, though be-
ing a ~romanticist, it is her privilege to idealize,
and idealism being what the majority of read
ers desire, her books are widely read. 1t is
right and proper that they should be. This life
is sufficiently materialistic. 1t does not harm
to dream day dreams. This passion for roman
piNiCih 10 ~ u SpNShSS VI IL BotlaS VI - ~
prompted by a better motive,-desire for some
thing worthier, aspiration for what seems high
er than anything that we know of on earth?
The question is academic, discussion of which
will result III no practical benefit.
To return to our book. This is the story of
the love of an Eiizabethan knight,Sir Mortimer,
for the lady Damaris. Through a terrible mis-
take the hero of the tale is believed to have
been guilty of some dishonorable act. Even he
believes that he is disgraced. He joins an ex-
petition fitted out for a voyage to the Spanish
Indies. There the author leads us through a
series of startling adventures, fully equal to
any that befell Stephenson's people, in the
course of which the mystery shrouding Sir
Mortimer's disgrace is revealed. The hero re-
turns from the voyage cleared of every imputa-
tion against his character, to find that the lady
has been true to him throughout the dark days,
and he is welcomed home in the manner usual
in books of this sort.
This, briefly, is the story. 1t is not unlike a
thousand others that have been writ
ten, though of its class it is probably very near
ly, if not quite as good as the ~best,-much bet
ter, certainly, than the majority. Romanticism
is not the highest form of art, and it is doubt
full even, whether we can become as interested
in a book of this school as we can in one of the
impressionist or realistic type. We soon tire of
looking at purely fanciful pictures. Portraits
of real human beings always appeal more
strongly to us. Few things attract closer at
tention than a photographers window. though
we may know none of the people whose like
nesses are displayed. We do know that they
once lived, or perhaps live now, and that they
belong to the same species as ourselves. Per-
haps, after all, that is what makes the
historical novel popular,-the fact that the
characters were once active in the affairs of hui
man life. The fact that their portraits are seen
through a glass that distorts the features is a
of no consequence, so long as they were
once real.
As the story has just appeared in book form,
will have to content themselves for a
time with reading it from the back numbers of
the magazine.