Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-10

mistake. The real hero of the romance APP
pears bit later. in the person of youth
tul noble, Natsek TacheVSki, Impoverished
hut of exalted rank through many genera
tons of family distinction. This young
man falls afoul of the impetuOuS tempers of
the Bukoyemskis who form ludicrous and
always entertaining quartette, and Stanis-
Law and fights duel with all five one at
a time, proving himself master by wound
ing all of his opponents and himself escaD-
Ing without scratch. For this deed he Is,
strangely enough. punished by the disfavor
of the lady of his heart and her guardian,
and through the kindly aid of priest who
who was once a soldier and the father or
Stanislav, he goes forth to the wars accom-
panied BIZ Stanisiay and the Bukoyemskts.
Then enter new characters. including
beStlal rniyshapsu fellow with an ungov-
srnable temper and hideOus design upon
Parma Auuliia- IN these passages Sienkie-
wicz displays hls ke@nest powers of nara
ton, appealing strongly 10 the sympathles-
All ends well eventually, and the wars open
brilliantly for Poland. with the attractive
figure OF King John appearing at the close
with all his grace Of person and mind. so
abruptly does the tale end. indeed, that the
reader is prone TO think that the author IN
tends TO write a sequel, perhaps to show
how Yatsek Jared In the field and what ul'
tImately became of the monster Martsian,
whom the story leaves minus an ear, Topped
off by one of the Bukoyemskis in revenge
for his treatment OF Parma ADulka.
The story affords a vivid description or
the condition OF Poland during the seven
tCeUth century, the Isolated tndHSlOHS. ING
dense forests the rude justice, the fierce
passions. the hard drinking. the piety or
the better classes and the peasants alike,
and the naughty demeanor Of the older no
hlity toward the later Corners into the
ranks of the titled. Mr.. Curtins work as
translator has been DONE as usual. with
great care for the preservation of the FOL
iSh idi0rn In all its SuggestNenesS ana
Nlthall Il offers an English reading which
is at all times smooth and enjoyable.
THE PORTREEvE. By Eden PhilIpotts,
author of The Secret Woman &c.
New York. The Macmillan Company.
Washington: Brentanos.
Is Mr.. PhiIlpotts growing more and more
gloomy in his choice of themes, or does
the pursuit of the Deyonshire muse lead
inevitably to the sombre the tragic, the
unrelevedly meIancholic2 Certainly THE
Portreeve." following on the heels of THE
Secret Woman" suggests that there is
something in the air Of Devon giving a
dark tone to every Photographic plate or
fiction exposed there. Here is a story which
may be called strong 1t has the ele-
meuts OF great force. in that 1t leads
through a maze OF trials and trlbulations
TO q melodramatic climax. 1t holds the at
tention somewhat as the gaze of a serpent
is popularity supposed to fascinate the
frightened bird. The victim does not en-
Joy the process. but cannot break away
from H. Mr Phillpotts fastens the atten-
ton OF his reader by dInt Of superlative
character drawing. His personages are
distinct and individually realistic. They
are intensely human. But they all have
such hard times In life. They founder
through the circumstances Of rural COM
plexites with the desperation of souls
astray. They make the most of their trou-
bles Here in THE Portreev,e' most at
tractivc man. after passing through what
may easily be characterized ns a veritable
maeistrom OF embarrassnents, temptations
and sufferings energies to he smitten at
the end by chance log and sucked In to
death. The veriest accident serves to send
him on his final fatal course. This is rather
hard on the sympathetic follower OF his
fortunes. IL is n departure from the gem
eral law OF construction and shakes farm
In the artists fidelity 10 doctrine. Through
the story run the strains OF the Devon
love that marks Mr.. Phillpotts' previous
performances
THE ETERNAL SPRING; Novel BY
Meth Royce. author of The Forerun-
ner." sc. Illustrations by Blendon
Campbell. New York: Fox, Duffield &
Co
At first the reader feels impatient with
Barry Carleton for not fully falling in love
with the handsome, rich widow who had
been waiting for him TO come to her. Eliza
beth was surely attractive. And Barry was
willing to marry her when the proper time
had elapsed after the death of her octo-
genarian husband. But he offered largely
out of a sense of duty imposed upon him by
his harmless Irritation OF the old days The
first book closes with Barry distinctly out
emotions. even though q younger woman