New-York tribune., 1905-12-30

The Story of the Moth and the Cam
die TN q Nesc Setting.

WILD WHEAT. Dorset RSmsncs 1s,nd By rp M viii Il
2a. Longmans, Green & Co - rIorkinso,
smith Illustrated IN color by Alopso sH1a h3Osl
Emo PP vii 22S Charles SeTDner 12o' pp. gu
Harper & Brothers.
Mrs Blundell has a way with her that Is only
the more persuasive because it Is so Tree iioli
the surface tricks going to make what we orui-
narily call a clever writer. She has siiiipie
sincerity which tells in the long run Win
force not always to be claimed by the posseSsoi
of more ambitions style. 1t is as though sAe
deliberately eschewed all the literary Vanlties'
and set herself to the telling of a story apou'
natural human beings in natural human I09it-
ion '"Wild Wheat is Of the best OF he'
Dorset romances. It starts with a situation OBJ
viousIy fraught with dramatic possiolnues' Ee'
not in the least adventurous. Old Farmer Houh-
sell is diving and summons lawyer to draw up
hts will Clinging to a tradition of the yeonlan
stock to which he belongs, he insists upon leaV-
ing his fortune in lump to his wife for her llIe
time On her death the broad acres are 10 so
to their son Godfrey, and 1t is understood tiia'
another son. Peter is TO be looked AFTER oy MS
mother and brother. but otherwise no provision
is made for him. No malice is intended IN lnls
erraneen,ent The family has always lived IN
harmony and the dying farmer has not ule re-
motest intention of disinheriting Peter. 1h9'
luckless individual is merely the VICTIM Oh d
we'll meaning old mans devotion TO preceoeii'-
Of course fate intervenes, in the shape Of
woman. to make matters worse for Peter; ano'
not equally of course, but with plausloliltS
+bo+ +ha reader cannot but acknowledge, the
woman in this case occupies higher station
than that of the man. It is the old story OF the
moth and the candle placed in new seIuns'
Mrs BlundeiI's stalwart young rustic 1ans III
love with the last woman In the "orio s"i'eu
to be his wife, and naturally trouple ehSue'' -
is grave trouble, but here again the @o'lo-
shows her delightful restraint There Is noun noun
ing melodramatic about the love affalr which
detaches Peter from his accustomed WorId aiiu
teaches him how TO suffer. The ODD romance
develops in a normal manner and IL nus per
fect1y against the charming Dorset BACKGROUND
which the author knows SO well how TO paint
.oT,be Wood Fire in No. 3" is a collection OF
anecdotes rather than of stories put together
on a very happily designed framework Ine
reader is asked to foregather with the IIleiioS
Of a certain artist before the latters plazAlIs
hearth. and to listen there to the odds and ends
OF talk which, in such company, IS pouno 10
run to reniniscence and narrative. 1t is not
IN the least surprising to find in this book
version set in Holland, of a tale which we nave
heard told of an Englishman in NeW-York- II
is precisely the kind OF tale that gets 1tselr
told in q studio when the pipes are lighted ana
Mr. Smith tells it with tnspiriting erect Ii
fact. he tells all these stories WELL whether they
be humorous or pathetic. and in every case MS
work is the more pleasing for the atmosphere
he brings into it from Mac Whirters hospitaole
hearth. This is Just the light entertaining book
to take on a railway journey
The first three stories in Mr.. Morgan Robert
SONS new book, Land Hoi" make us ac-
ouafnted with a character better worth meeting
than most Of the seafaring men who have OF
late been so conspicuous in fiction. His name
is Scotty and he is plucky, long suffering old
rascal whose experiences we follow with keen
interest and sympathy. 1t would seem as
though he could not possibly recover from the
discipline described in the opening tale THE
Dollar" but his tenacity is his greatest virtue,
and in due course he wins his reward. Incl
dentally, his adventures made decidedly
amusing. When Mr.. Robertson writes in the
vein Of Scotty's Little Odyssey he inspires
complete confidence. When he drags in such 70
nance" as he gives in "The Line Of Least
Resistance" we frankly bored. This col
lection of a dozen stories is uneven, but the
best things in 1t are very good indeed.