The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-05

| tells or the towns country and inhab- itants with which he met on the way.
 "The Soldier of the Valley by Nelson Lloyd. Published by Charles Schribners Sons.
 The Soldier of the Valley" is a wound ed veteran of twenty-three years of age who returns after an active experience in the Spanish-American war to his na- tive home In Happy Valley" The home life of the young soldier and his younger brother who live alone on the old farm is especially tender and benignant The home coming of the young patriot and the extraordinary efforts on the part of the simple village folk to do adequate honor to the occasion is q wonderful bit of descriptive work. With a blending of pathos and humors that is quaint and appealing. After the wonderful events of the return home of the soldier boy Mark Hope he takes up the thread of his life once again in Happy Valley" by talk ing charge of the village school, as the loss of limb now incapacitates him for farm work. During his absence a beauti- ful young girl had come to the valley from somewhere in Kansas and the lone story has to do with the devotion of both brothers for Miss Mary Warden.
 It is a quiet simple story repete with the tenderness and sympathetic quality of
 
 CTS, Mark and Tim, are the best charac- ters in the story and their simple unaf e tected devotion Is finely depicted.
 To those who are familiar with Mrs Big nells MT. Chupes and Miss Jenny or My Woodland Intimates," "A Juintette of Gray Coats' needs neither introduce tion nor recommendation. To those. how ever who are not acquainted with this charming mature student one cannot recommend too highly this story of a quintette of squirrels, and some others. They are said to possess all the charm of Kipling In the jungle tales, yet without being fiction.
 The Baker and Taylor company have just issued from the press a new old book entitled "Old Lone Stories Retold." Dante and Beatrict, Shelly and Mary Goodwin, Abelard and Helose, Keats nd Fanny Brawne, Henie and Mathilda Las selle and Helene von Donnges-these are the lone affairs that MT. Le Gallienne retells with more regard to fact and with fewer flights of fancy, it is said, than one would expect. Such a collection of fla nous love stories will appal to a large number of readers.
 The Ogilvie Publishing company an- nounces two new books by Charles Wag- ner, the author of "'rhe Simple Life. " The titles of the new books are ''The Voice of Nature and "rhe Busy Life. 7" and it is believed that the immense sale of "The Simple Life" will create a good demand for these two new books
 Those in search of some dainty attrac- tive gift book will find it in two choice volumes on the subject of friendship en- titled Tn Friendships Name" and What Makes Friend" The two volumes have enjoyed an unusual success the past year. new edition has just appeared and the wisest as well as the kindest thoughts of the best writers who have mentioned friendship are here collected
 The December Architects and Build CTS Magazine" is a special Library num- Der, a large and elaborate issue with twenty-two American library designs, showing views and floor plans, with de- scriptive text In addition there is an article by Russell Sturgis, on Decorative Library Rooms of the Past'