The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-07


 'Elsie Venner," Dr. Holmes tells of dear old lady, good friend of his, who ref dSad to read his book because, as she said, Tt is a medicated novel" And the genial doctor admits the justice of the criticism.
 There are matters lying in the border land between medical science and a dim, weird realm with which physicians of re- pute are chary of dealing scientifically. In one of these subjects-that of prenatal inf1uences-Oliver Wendell Holmes be- came greatly interested, and he chose fiction as the only proper method for treating 1t. The result was "Elsie Ven- ner'-a novel which is not appreciated as it should be.
 Dr. Holiness description of New Eng land life and character are inimitable. and the discourses on theology religion and human life which he intersperses through the book are worth reading over and over. The subject of the story Is itself a fascinating one.
 n OCKLAND would have had nothing TX to distinguish it from other fine, 4 A conservative old New England towns of Its kind had it not been for "The Mountain" at whose foot it sat. This eminence, which lowered above it and and which was never referred to by any other name, cast a sinister reputation far and wide, in which the town shared to a degree. Its forest solitudes were summed as places accursed; for they were tenanted by those frightful reptiles that distil fiercer venom under our northern skies than the cobra in the lanI of tropic poisons. So numerous were they on "The Mountain" that the heart of the forbidden place was known every where as RattlesnaSe Lodge, and the a strange. subdued lear over the town.
 The people of neighboring villages had a saying that one could not rattle a dry bean pod in Rockland without making all within hearing start and turn pale with sudden terror-especially since one fear ful day years ago when a rattlesnake had played a part in happening that made a story whose horror time could not les sen.
 In to this town came Bernard c. Lang do, a young medical student, when finan- cial stress forced him to interrupt his professional duties by season of school teaching at the Rockland Female Insti- ute. He belonged to the Brahmin castle of New England-that harmless, untitled aristocracy which an observant man set tied in that section soon learns to rec ognize at a glance by it's physical and mental characteristics. In the New Eng la d Brahmin castle a scholar is, in a large proportion of cases, the son of a scholar or of scholarly persons. Genera t. ls of this make the New England Brahmln. The millionocracy Is merely a perpetual fact of money with a variable human element which the philosopher might leave out of consideration without falling into serious error. But the Brah- min caste is a matter of families and per- sons.
 The Brahmin caste often gets blended with families of political or commercial distinction and 1t is a charming thing for the Brahmn when his fortune carries him this way. The grandfather of Ber- hard was one of those. He had married a Wentworth; but two generations of many children each and the consequent d. -1Jion and subdivision of property had resolved the grandson back into unal- loved Brahminism.
 Immediately on his entrance into the academy Bernard met and was drawn to a fellow Brahmin-pale blue-eyed over 'orn-Helen Darley, poor dependent in the hard orasp of the principal of the school Silas Peckham, who confined his scholarly labors to the commissary de- partment and conducted the institute" for what there was in it.
 He was drawn in quite another way. by another woman at the same time. It was on the first day, when he and Helen Darley were in the classroom together waiting for the pupils to assemble The room had become well filled when there was a slight pause and light step was heard in the passage. A girl of about IT entered. She was tall and slender but her figure was perfectly rounded and she walked and moved with a strange undu- lation of motion.
 She was a splendid, scowling beauty. black browed, with a flash of white teeth when her lips parted. She went to her selt, which she had moved short dis tance apart from the others and began playing with a gold chain, coiling and uncoiling it. One wanted to look at her face for it's beauty: having looked, one wanted instinctvely to look away but could not. for the rather small, black eyes had a compelling glitter in them in- humanly like the Gleam of a diamond.
 The eyes were fixed on Helen now. She turned hers away and let them wander over the other pupils, but despite herself let them turn back for a single glance at the wild beauty. The eyes were still upon her. She tried to turn over the pages of book and put her handkerchief to Ter forehead. on which she felt grow ing cold moisture. Then, following an impulse that she could not resist, she left her place and went to the girls desk.
 What do you want of me, Elsie Ven ne: = she asked.
 Nothing" replied the girl in a low voice. T thought I could make you come"
 Sle did not lisp yet her enunciation of one or two consonants was curiously i'm perfect. She offered the teacher a rare hill flower that grew in only one spot Rattlesnake Lodge, on "The Mountain" As she took it Helen felt the girls fingers touch hers. They were cold-a shocking, chilling cold, dololy strange in a girl of sue. an organization.
 Helen had to obey an unreasonoing in- st.nct to escape from the schoolroom When she reached her chamber her first act was to throw the flower into the fire place and rake the embers over it. Then she washed the tips of her fingers as if sh had been another Lady Macbeth.
 Bernard. left alone. felt the same strange influence There was something about her which both attracted and re- ,,ell d him. He could tell without looking when those diamond-like eyes were fixed upon him. The girl for her part, evil dently was strongly attracted to the new master She exerted herself to make him come to her or look toward her.
 When they were alone together Helen [ .id: "Tell mel am weak and nervous. l.now-but ar. there not some natures