The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-03
the hardly suppressed tears her eyes turned
to Tod with tender blue brilliance.'


to Tod with tender blue brilliance'
So there we have the three important
characters OF the tale-Todhunter Payson'
Luke Lyttle and Jessie Durham, the poppy
lady, who, 1t is pleasant to record was
soothed and interested when Iodhun'er
kissed the wounded hand and wiped away
the slight trickle Of blood with his cap,
having no handkerchief. The three grew
UP, and we should love to tell all about them
Il we thought it would be quite fair to the
author. Todhunter grew no handsomer
with the years. The story frankly Calls
him ugly. He was rugged and rude, ike
his own Cornish coast country.
Luke, on the other hand. was handsome.
He had all the graces. He was good, too.
We find the two contrasted In a chapter
entitled AMr Payson of Cornwall. Tod
hunter was great mining engineer. we
find him here electrifying the Society OF
British Engineers In an address on copper
mining: aTodhunter used no dramatic
gestures; the drama lay in his control OF
that body, its rapt attention and dissent,
and in his gentle. splendid, ruthless dis
regard OF it.
We have been impressed by the deecrip-
ton OF his treatment Of dissenters in the
audience. They had the temerity to ask
him a uestions when his address was finished.
They fatuously thought to stump him.
He was relentless with them. We read:
He handled his enemies much az though
they had been waspe. One by one. ne TOOK
them up, and accurately, easily, scientifi-
caly, and with most fatal gentleness'
pinched their buzzing wings OF, Then
with his own big courtesy he laid the NAL
treated things down and let them crawl
away" The wonder to us Is that they
did not turn tail sooner; but he seems to
have come off without wounds.
In this same hour marked by his 80 rude
and splendid triumph, Luke and jessie
walked together where "the moons and sea
lay dreamily under the moon" at Staley
Craes. It is recorded that she was lovely
In the moonlight, and we are satisfied that
so was he. He handed her rose. AS she
took it, and while their fingers yet touched,
the madness OF the white moon struck
Luke; he bent and ardently pressed the
petals with his lips"
She dropped the rose with low startled
gasp He said Jessie. why did you do
that?' She answered: -oh, had to-
1t is full of thorns. 1t stung me- Said the
gentle Luke, smiling. as he stopped to
recover the rose: Il will remove them.
MY rose must have no thorns for you,
Jessie" The girl stood iciy cold. Her
darkened blue eyes flashed down like cruel
stars. She said with biting carelessness:
ooh no; don't try to reno We them please. 1t
would not be possible. II one doesn't like
thorns, one had best leave roses alone
Deeply ahashed, Luke ground the flower
under his heel
Surely a poetical and significant scene.
We must not 90 too far, but we will add that
Jessie was engaged to marry Todhunter
in September. We should like to tell Of the
a ged man who was found by Jessie among
the stone antiquities on the moor. She
thought for a moment that he was Druid
He addressed her and Todhunter in ancient
Hebrew We should like to tell who he
turned out to be, and whether Todhunter,
who was a waif and a charity boy, ever
disco vered his father. There is much that
we should like to tell. but we have no mind
to forestall the reader, who will find ex-
cellent entertainment in learning all these
thin q from the book.