The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-19
ncW Book Deus

AHUBEEE0E0< Miss Sinclair considers ,her best work
 previous to ~The Divine Fire.y It is
 as simple in its tragedy as Death it.
 self. It Is as singly sad as Is the hope
 less struggle with poverty. It Is ai-
 ways the weak foreordained 10 that losing struggle. The strong one buff fsfs the waves and goes to some gold-
 on shore of success The beauteous one trusting to fair Fate supinely floats to some blessed islet of palm-crowned plenty. Truth laughs and plays and romps with the bustling waves till some old mariner comes along and throws q rope to draw such jolly frankishness from destruction. But mediocracy, middle age. and homeliness. Is left to struggie that dread sea of poverty as best as can
 Miss Quincy did not take the plunge in poverty's waves of her own de- sire. Who ever does?
 It was an uncie's misfortnnes that Host her her fortune. Tollington with his wffe's and two nieces's fortunes drove all to destruction--all the for tunes. not their guardian possessors they were left alive to struggle for ex- istence. Lives of such ladies are not So easily lost as are their fortunes. Mrs. Moon with a meager eighty pounds spent all her energies on sav- ing of what she could of that and laud- 1 ing the honorable memory of the un- fortunate Tollington. Louise. the tai : ented sister took claim Teachers place at St sidwelrs, the great London School for Young Ladies and eventual iy married the Greak professor. The Greek professor wore flannel shirts and siimpy linen diekeys and strove Tor a pittanee of a salary. but those things did not prevent Louisa from adorning herself With all the superior airs of conauering wisdom and inord- mate seif-satisfaction that a married woman may continue to wear Juliana chose as one who choses ever the greatest of the evils to put
 her eighty pounds of salary with Mrs. Moons neager sum and spend it iiv- ing under Mrs Moons constant com- blaming disapproval The selfish Louisa who left her aunt at the first blow of misfortune held the aunts admiring approval.
 Juliana's who had chosen the bitter part had not time amid her growing duties as Mistress of Arithmetic to find
 at twenty-five 'her growth withered
 away in the sour and sordid atmos-i phere born of perishing gentility and
 acrid personal remark" More than
 twenty years she taught at St. sid- well's her term of service out ranking
 whole faculty of mistressee and that of the new principal. But Mias Ausi- tersg"tali. academic and austere; an in- telligence fervent with fire of the en-
 thusiast cold with the renunciant's
 frost'' had even now the pruning hook
 in her hand
 St Sidwelps teachers must be
 strong body, an advanced body. In sum-
 mer's fresh verdur there was space on
 the bough for no wilted leaf.
 Miss Juiiana Quincey was the one
 wilted leaf. Miss Rhoda Vivian, M A.,
 was the new classical mistress. Ma
 ture was said to have made Rhoda
 Vivian 'in a fit of reckless extrava-
 gance,--a brilliant and efficient mind
 In a still more brilliant and efficient
 body. creature of ardent and elemen-
 tai beauty"
 Rhoda Vivian M. A. out of her
 great abundance sorrowed for Miss
 Quincey with her paftry dole of lifeis
 and natures niggard gifts. But 1t Is
 always the old story Give us of your oilv cry the Virgins poorly furnished
 Nay. rather" is ever the reply of the Virgins rich and wise. Even if they would they could not give that
 which is their own onlv As well con- sider the eye giving away it's own ex- pression. the lips the smile of their own
 The story of Rhodas struggle to hold the faded leaf with its fresh fel- lows to freshen the Jaded life with her own generous happiness, to color with the vigor of youth the dingi- ness of starved middle age is q sor-
 rowful one. To strive. however, gem
 erousIy for foreordained failure is
 ever a sorrowfui thing.
 Rhoda determined not to give seas
 amply predestiped to get. Her love
 for Miss Cuesiter brought her love of
 Bostien Caultey. At Miss Quincey's