The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-10

practically offers herself to a man, SUD- posed to be full-blooded. He replies to the offering by dissertating on this and that and high sounding thoughts. He ought to have been knocked in the head right there.
 The Distributors" is not very much Some parts of it are exciting, but other portions are terribly dull.
 This story ran serially, if this depart ment recalls the matter correctly. AS a serial it would no doubt do fine. For one could forget in 30 days how certain parts of an installment. dull and interest ing entirely surrounded the exciting por- tions of the story
 As a book-the reader must assume the risks himself.
 An English Honeymoon by Anne Hol-
 lingsworth Wharton. q. P. Lippin-
 colt Co)
 This is a book containing the supposed letters from one bride on her honeymoon to another bride. The two marriages were pulled off at the same time and place. to-wit, at the Star and Garter hotel, at Richmond near London.
 The bride, written to had gone, where she belonged, by the side of her hus- band. to Italy. The scribe likewise as heretofore stated a biushing bride was taking her wedding trip, also accom- panied, through England. The letters tell of the journey through the old places. with which much history has made most of us familiar
 The bride who has much time to write on this wedding journey, hard to understand, too-went to Devonshire, Can- terbury Cathedral, Winchester, to Jane Austen's house, to Rydal Water, to York, Oriel college Wordsworths study. Dove cottage, Fountain court, London, Glaston- bury abbey, Shelly's cottage, Exeter cathedral and so on.
 The bride puts new lights on things, too. as brides should; when she writes her friend long, interesting letters of the places visited and people seen. For in- stance:
 The guide of Cantebury cathedral was showing bride and groom the relics of Thomas A. Beckett.
 Here. said our guide. among the many gorgeous offerings that blazed upon the shrine was the Regale of France. jewel the size of hens egg. The King of France had come here to dis charge a VOW made in battle and knelt at the shrine with the stone set in Q ring on his finger. The archbishop who was present entreated him to present 1t to the saint (BeckeD. So costly gift was too much for the royal pilgrim, especial ly as it ensured him good luck in all
 
 he offered 100000 florins for the better adornment of the shrine. The primate was fully satisfied; but scarcely had the refusal been uttered when the stone leaped from the ring and fastened itself to the shrine, as If a goldsmith had fixed 1t there
 You may recall. or possibly like this reviewer never heard of 1t before. that Henry IT, four years after he had had at frda in, cat adr there to do penance, for he was then seeing things; he wished to make his peace with the church if possible
 Here in this Transept of the Martyr dom, the king knelt and kissed the stones," said the verger, and after ward with his head and shoulders with in the martyrs tomb clothed in a hair shirt and linen cover. he received five strokes of the rod from each bishop and abbot and three from each of the 80 monks, and afterward laid all night on the stone floor, fasting" Served Henry right. Particularly if the shaping of the rod was on the left wrist.
 If the reader can desist from wonder ing how on earth or over or under it, a bride, just married, had all the time to write charming letters in this book, there is much pleasure and profit to be gotten from this book. And too, we might understand 1t, or overlook the brides having time anyway, for some husbands are very tfresome, very try ing. and much of all that sort of thing. "F'roissarts Chronicles, Illustrated,
 The Chronicles of England, France,
 Spain," etc.. by Sir John Froissart.
 tE.P Dutton & Co.).
 This is not particularly new book. as readers may properly say. It was really published quite a while ago. if the truth must be told
 But the firm of E. P. Dutton & Co.,, New York has sent these chronicles