The Washington herald., 1912-03-24
Literary Review of Latest Publications


itself out to every reader, and no doubt
many OF them will shed secret tear
upon reading The Old Nest" reminding
them OF what and whom they have neg
lected. To some OF them, alas. this knowi-
edge may come too late. They may md
the dear old mother-the best friend they
ever had-succumbed to the yearning for
her hedgiing. and the, simiie made use
Of by the author-the old lady sitting at
her window apostrophizing the birds
whom she feeds, some Of whom win ny
away to their own destruction-is emil
nently well chosen. The ending, OF
course. is exceptionally happy and sat
isfying.
There are but few stories that ever
have been conceived or written that grip
the heart as this one does. Success to
the author, and may he write more stor-
les like THE Old Nest
A KNIGHT IN DENIM. By Ramsey Benson.
Charles Sc1ibners Sons. New York City.
Bill Harbaugh. the Knight IN Denim,
IS a Iovable simpleton. In denim be-
cause he is a farm hand; 4 knight. be-
cause without the intellect OF a iaborer
he had the chivalry and quick perception
of an ideal gentleman, and pronounced
instinct for helping women in trouble.
To do Bill Justice, to show the reality
Of q man 50 inferior to the run of men
in the ordinary functions of the brain,
yet so far superior in all those finer
comprehensions that emanats from the
feelings. and yet SO genuine that the
reader begins to wonder II too much i'm
portance is not ascribed as rule 20
memory and the reasoning powers. seems
impossible. Let US have glimpse at
him.
Nsbr.sL. farr,In., eo,,ntr, {s the
basis for the novel. It contains a pretty
love story as well, though BIZ dominates
every Important scene. He drifts there
after the civil war, works on this farm
after he has gone through the form OF
a purely imaginary purchase Of II. on
the principle that man Is a fool 10
work for some one else when he can
just as well work for himself. In fact,
the book opens with the fictitious bar
gain.
consider the Nebraska country dia-
lect rather a drawback than otherwise,
for. to begin with, the great bulk Of
the readers do not understand II, nor
do they care TO be bothered with trying
to make out its meaning. There is too
much of II in the book, and II has not
even the merit of originality. / should
think that a little OF this Jargon goes
a great way as an entertainment in q
novel unless chock-fuIl Of wit and orig
inal breezy. fresh rural humor.
MOTHER. By Kathleen EOriS The Macmillan
Company. New York
In Mother" Kathleen Norris has
drawn a picture OF real value. The hero
inc, Margaret, the eldest daughter, one
of a family OF eight, coming face TO
face with the great problems OF life.
finds her horizon bounded by the wall
OF the seemingly hopeless. The daughter
of a hard-working, industrious father,
who has failed TO rise above mediocracy.
and whose earnings barely sufi1ce to
keep his growing family, she takes up.
to exc out the family resources, the
thankless task OF school mistress in the
little Western New York town where
they live.
It is after a year or 80 OF this work
that she realizes the apparently empty
vista OF the years before her. A happy
accident throws her IN the way OF q
ern conditions, rich, handsome, with
husband and an establishment. but bound
to the wheel OF her social obligations.
Margerets experience with Mrs. Carr
Bolt, both In New York and abroad as
a companion (more friend than employee.
serves to give her an insight into and
knowledge OF the luxuries and exactions
Of life as lived by that lady and her
friends, where social obligations, amuse-
ments, friends, and a Thousand and one
things take up their time TO the detri-
ment Of home life. And It Is only after
an absence OF some length the girl. re-
turning to her home through realization
OF startling contrasts, appreciates the
genuine, loving, sacrificing, true woman
in her mother, the selr-enacing, loving
wife.
The hero Of this charming rrttle tale is
a clean-cut, capable young man. who has
his part in bringing home TO the daugh-
ter the full realization OF a mother.
FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE STORIES. By Zou.
Gale. The Macmillan Company.
In the love affairs of the young people
of Friendship village. Miss Gale again
demonstrates her power to interpret in a
delightful manner the simple. homely.
village life that she sees with the eye
of a true lover Of romance and presents
it to US with its reality unimpared,
though clad in the garb OF humbleness,
the beauty Of which is not always ap-
preciated in this striving age OF, COM
mercialism.
The author. with q, philosophy all her
own, possesses the happy faculty Of pre-
senting a charming phase of modern life,
detached from the wear and tear OF the
struggle, and has produced these delight
full little stories filled with sweetness
beautiful in ideal.
THE BURGUNDIAN By Marion Polk AnseIotH.
The Century Company.
A stirring tale OF the days when Charles
VI, that pitIful figure, a mad king, often
called "the well-beloved." strove to rule
over the disunited nation Of the French.
The scenes are laid In a beautiful prov
ince and In Paris. The heroine, Rosa
monde, is proud, ambitious, and hand
some. She rebels at the restrictions i'm
posed upon her sex. Donning male at
tire, she makes for herself the reputa-
tion of the best swordsman in Provence
carrying all before her.
Other impulses stir her. and putting
aside the masquersding she goes to Paris,
where, in her proper person. she wins
the hearts Of men OF all degrees by her
wonderful beauty.
Like a queen, Rosamonde plays for high
stakes, till through tumultuous expert
alone cannot I'LL a woman's life, nor sat
isfy the longings of her heart Through
trouble and turmoil she comes to the real
understanding Of the fullness of love.
A MAN AND HIS MONEY. By FREDERICK Ishrn.
The BobosMerin Company. indianapolis
A young man, having been reared
in luxury. suddenly and through no fault
of his own, finds himself pennIless. He
answers a newspaper advertisement in
New York. and finds that he Is to be-
come the keeper and caretaker of the
canine pets OF a rich and eccentric old
lady. He further discovers that this old
lady is the aunt of his sweetheart of