New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-07-20
TWO QUAINT GIRLS.
Studies Of american and English
Femininity.

BY THE LIGHT OF THE SOUL By Mary E.
Wilkins Freeman. Illustrated by Harold NJ
Brett. i2mo PIP. ass. Harper & Brothers
A DULL GIRLS DESTINY. BY Mrs Baillie Reyn-
ODDS Rno. PIP. 3S1. Brentano's
The heroine of Mrs. Freeman's novel IS a girl
born TO trouble. She is still a child when her
mother dies. and within a year of this
event her father marries again. Poor Maria
cannot develop any affection for her steprnother
but she finds some consolation in the baby which
presently comes to enltven the household and
the reader surn1ises that under normal condi-
tons this unhappy young person would before
dong achieve contentment. A maintenance Of
normal conditions. however would not Of
course. suit the authors purpose The baby is
lost. Maria rushes off to the city in search of
the missing treasure with another girl and O.
schoolboy friend Their search is fruitIess and
to make matters worse they think the last train
nome has escaped them. Whereupon the member
of the party who reJoices in the name of Gladys
but has withal a rather stufy Imagination
points out the risk OF scandal they are running
and. without more ado. Maria and the school
boy get married. Then they discover that the
last train is stIU catChabIe They take il. pledg-
ing themselves to eternal secrecy. The whole
episode strikes forced and tasteess, but
the story must be carried on somehow, and with
out this amazing matrimonial transaction there
would be little tell about Maria.
She wakes into womanhood. and her half sis
They are both lovely girls, and in the fulness OF
time the sChoOlbOy husband is much impressed
by the fact Indeed, he winds up by falling
head over heels in love with the half sister.
Here is a pretty kettle of fish. What is the
wretched man to do? lie and Maria might put
their heads together and arrange about di
vorce, but that would mean publicity, and Maria
would be dreadfully annoyed Besides she has
fallen in love with her husband. Again Mrs.
Freeraan's ingenuity comes to the rescue. She
hoe s-ssr Yzd mir hat gtar 10 a in
unselfshness about Maria, and so, when ii is
obvious that the husband and the half sister
cannot live without one another she puts II into
Mara's head 10 1y, and ultimately TO have her
death announced in the newspapers. our little
martyr comes 10 feel somewhat anxious after
she has accomplished this stroke OF genius, for
she rerceives that since she has actually con-
tinued 10 exist . marriage between the lovers
she had left behind her would necessarily be
bigamOus. After years absence in Europe
with the wealthy spnster who has forwarded
her scheme, she concludes TO go back and eX-
plain. She goes back and peeps IN at the win
dow. There sat Evelyn at work at some en-
broidery, while opposite 70 her sat NoAaston
aa reading aIoud She questioned no
longer the right or wrong OF what she had DONE
as she hurried on and reached the utt!e Ahi'y
station i'll time for the last train
rhe plot OF Mrs. Freeman's story speaks Tor
itself and we viii gently pass 1t by. Inc merit
OF the book lies in its minute and VIVID preseh-
2 =
ouently luminous passages on traits OF char
acrer. Maria's parents and her stepmotheF arc
portraved with very plausible realism. Inc
faratlS life Is studied with Al accuracy tHet
excltes the readers admiration, even though AT
the moment he may be fairly staggered ~ the
preposterous incidents OF the plot. Mari" t'e'
SELF down 20 the time OF her marriage. Is apS"-
lutely convincing and even after that uhha'-
rral experience she has moments IN "hl'h Siie
wins our sympathy. It is unfortunate that ,ie
authors invention was not equal 70 1"S
ner heroine with credible career. for n ma
tors ~ observation she is singuiariy acute. ana
~ she had made her study Of Maria all OF
niece. -" it would have possessed high value.
Mrs Reynods's heroine also has sohle'hIis -
conceal. Beneath her placid exterior theIe 4ui
r,rodigous potentialities. To the uhlhltialei on
ee-,-er sha is pretty enough no doubt, but rather
,i,I cho &c writing novels over an assumed
80 ahout yynicn everybody in London is talk
i,,,, but she is so demure, and her conservatism
"a so discreet, that the romantic ADVENTURES "a
the book openly patI onz,as her ana me
who plays the part Of the nero taxes an 49,.
scIorable time about learning her true character
-, - ,ers Of her extremely philistine tanlHy
,,.La light of her as though she we're merely q"
i,etfectual child. Her father has d4ll no lon
4ba+ she IS not what she teer's 70 oe' put nv "'
without grasping a full knowledge OF her pr''l-
lance II goes without SAVING '''"t " -
-, the other hand perceives almost al 'Ae oUt-
%. ,i,a+ .,,ril Eden ia ultimately 10 triumph III
l.
o,,ch a manner as 70 put comoIete4y III liiv "
ell her kinsfoIk, big and Mite, -Na'alo -,
TTya+tia corisande and Archie Gi'@s anu anu 80.
Judith and Joyce. to say nothing OF Aiwy NE
The hero. professor OF geology Is nv
tI conf IN the book. He falls into the net OF .ie
sar+r,ess with ridiculous pronptltuHe' Du'
SC +ests her influence upon him once too -
IIIt,ar her little Maltese terrier" called buiN'ie'
saIs seriously III, and Kenrick' the geoioslSl,
d1ss rbe best he can TO save the pie OF tlie
,,t.,. heestie she practically filings herseh 'I'o
- ~ .sxciaiming Have you not beeh tue
one the very out Of all TO De VIZ .J
ono' The professor IS really Responsible
TINS go EARNING question, for in the madness
Of the moment he has kissed the asb ' he sees
e., tiToes. but as in lightning ndsn ~ 10
t tSaf he has gone far and there by the the
stfenng of Bundle g ne rspt quite Ike
sire siren one Yet, doubtful as it may seem ,,,n
Dull Girls Destiny is not by IAN, any ' The heroine
-, O the contrary. 1t is clever me ,,ah+
noon. and the dialogue throughout - ~ ~ ~
in hand and amusing Atogen niece re- Of simmer
fiction.
,nrIy nv CTFRIES