The San Francisco call., 1908-10-25
'ifIOwer of the Dusk"

By Myrtle Reed, author Of Lavender and Old
Lace, etc. Published by G. z. Putnam's
Sons, New York and London.
-HE daintiness that has dis
tinguished the former work Of
Myrtle Reed is present in her fall
contribution. Flower of the
- DUSK This is a love story pure and
simple. with theme so unusual that it
should attract wide attention.
Lame Barbara, the beautiful and pa
thetic heroine, is remarkably well
drawn character. She was born a few
months after her father was stricken
With blindness and born lame short
time after this her mother takes her
own life for no apparent reason. so the
poor blind man and his little lame baby
pass into the care Of a sister of the
wife
Each one Of these characters has
marked individuality. The father has
never ceased grieving for his dead wife
pui he never complains about his blind
ness His only grief on that score is
that he can not see his daughter.
Misfortunes have crowded upon the
lainlly- Possessing an ample fortune
before his blindness. it is all swept
away later. but so much do his daugh-
n
(eep it from him and lame Barbara
sews constantly to support the family
All the evidences Of their wealth have
long ago been sold to buy the neces-
saries Of life, but one service of fine
china and silver and a few pieces of
damask are reserved for the father so
that he viii know no difference.
Eloise Wynne is the embodiment
OF sunshine and brings life and hope
and JOY into the life Of Barbara. She
is tender hearted. but practical, and all
she does is accomplished with good
judgment and common sense. Her
fance, DR.. Allen Conrad, is just the
mate for her-fne, big and skillful=
and he enters with the keenest profess
sional interest into Barbara's case Her
own appealing nature makes DR.. Con-
RAIDS interest largely personal and he
accOmplishes wonderful results.
decidedly humorous note is intro
duced in the mother of Roger Austin,
Barbara's lifelong playmate and friend.
With the humor Of this commonplace
and Iliterate woman is mixed also
pathOs. Here is a description Of her:
During the winter she wore black
knitted slippers attached to wooden
inner sOles which had no heels. She
was well past the half century mark,
but her face had few lines in it and her
gray eyes We're sharp and penetrating.
not show the gray in it, was parted
precisely in the middle. Every morn
ing she brushed it violently with a stiff
brush dipped into cold water and twist
ed the ends into a tight knot at the
back Of her head In militant moments
this knot seemed to rise and the pro-
truding ends OF the wire hairpins to
bristle into formidable weapons Of Of
fense. She habitually wore her steel
bowed spectacles half way down her
nose. They might have fallen off had
not a kindly providence placed large
Hrart where il would do the most good.
on Sundays, when she put on shoes,
corsets. her best black silk and her
gold bowed spectacles, she took great
pains to wear them properly When
she reached home. however, she always
took of her fine raiment and laid her
spectacles aside with a great sigh Of
relief Miss Matties disposition i'm
proved rapidly as soon as the old steel
bowed pair were in their rightful place,
resting upon the wart."
The devotion which In the days gone
bv had existed between Rogers father
and Barbaras mother almost uncon-
. scfously draws Roger and Barbara to-
eether and the dear old blind mans
..Flower Of the Dusk" becomes Rogers
Flower OF the Dawn"
The great character Of the book is
Rarbara's AUNT Miriam. whose whole
life has been wrecked. and who has
nothing Of comfort either forward or
hack 10 contemplate. She is so good
and SO human the pathos in her life
will appeal to every one.
An of Myrtle Reeds work has re-
cei,-ed praise on the same ground
mat it is simple, delicate, exquisite,
nafbetic. wholesome-and this is no
exeeption TO the rule. She has style
which she has made quite her own and
viii always command the highest ap-
probation.