The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-02
MARJORIE BOWEN'S
ITALIAN ROMANCE
Young Mans Efforts ut Fac.
tory Reform and His Love
Difficulties.
SOME OTHER NEW BOOKS

vsa Little curious to say If a beau
.,,ul creature such as Aprilis VAS in
Marjorie Bbwen's story of THE Car
.iyal Of Florence" tE. =. Dutton and
rompanyj that she was very ex-
ouisite. Andrea, a cautious youth
aha hcsitated n good deal in his amor
al. inclination, said that of the fair
one who. according to the story, was
veil qualified to make a young mans
s,ad swim. For her beauty ! cared"
Andrea is reported as saying to the
aim hui, far more sensible Cristofano.
she is very exquisite. wanted her.
Young and immaculate as she is: I
wished To possess her. as one wishes
10 possess a white rosebud and crush
II open TO the heart" C~ristofano had
more audacity than Andrea had. He
married Aprilis notwithstanding her
scandalous though really innocuous
adventure with the bad Medici.
The romancer likes the Italian
nsmes and titles. Astorre della Cher
srdesca, Messere degli Albizzi. Ma
donna Aprilis di Ser Rosario Fiorivanti
the pages of the tale are thickly
spangled with these glittering and con-
siderable appellations. Ser Rosario.
father Of Aprilis. lived in the 'Fiori-
yanti mansion; this was u palace
but Ser Rosario. who was a money
lender. could afford the expense. Piero
del Medlci's villa, whittier Aprilis was
spirited off on the first night OF the
San Giovanni carnival. was at Cafag-
giuolo. The Conte della G~herardesca,
who was afiianced to Aprilis. refused
10 marry her after that dubious Incl
dent in her eventful career. Happily
for the deserving parties Immediately
concerned. Messere Cristofano degli
Albizzi was too wise to object to the
beautiful and rich young lady on this
score. The Italian names are long
enough to reach to Tipperary.
II was II strange spell that the de-
bauched Piero del Medici cast over
Apil!s. 1T is no USE she cried at
last, aloud. i love the Medici. and II
ne calls | must go to him The thun-
der drowned her words. but there vas
relief in the outspoken confession
She was cured of a quite unreasonable
infatuation at last when she saw the
Medici in particularly sordid and dis
graceful circumstances. Savonarola is
q chief character in the story. The
gloom and terror OF his personality are
effectively pictured in many OF these
vivid pages.
+. Charles Nivian's story Of THE
Young Man Absalom" &c. p. Dutton
and Company tells OF the efforts Of
young Paul Crawford to improve ron
d!tions among the people employed in
his fathers great factories. Paul loves
Joan and tells her of his plans. He
describes his impressions on first look
Ing over tho factory town: 81 saw all
his as waste and muddle. mean aims.
a hidebound autocracy. and things
crawling in the gutter under that per-
petual smoke cloud. In every house a
tragedy OF blind cropping. hand against
hand. my father a step removed from
an oppressor. myself n who would
carry on the commercial prosperity
built on lives" There was his task,
10 lift the moral and mental smoke
cloud from Bennington. to make
those gray lives tolerable." to give the
workingmen time and room to think"
10 pave the way for a bigger minded
generation" that should sweep all this
evil away.
Mrs. kennaird. the handsome young
wife Of one OF his fathers partners.
was Of more help to Paul in his work
Of reform than Joan was. We And her
urging him to action in his project
OF removing families from the crowded
,enements Of Gray's lane to the more
expensive habitations Of Ottweli road.
stand still, and you rank yourself
among the dilettanti. the dreamers.
long haired. impractical people, the
!ools who ruin cause by lukewarm
adherence. Assent. declare. and you
set your face honestly forward" That
was Mrs. kennaird, but Joan grew
faint in unfolding Paul's work. II
was alien to her interests; she felt that
she did not come first in her lovers
thoughts: she gave him back her en-
eagement ring.
Paul was expected at the great meet
Inc Of the strikers. when il was to be
voted whether or not they would go
back to work. He could not attend
because he was called away by "A tele-
gram purpOrting TO have been sem by
Mrs Kennaird. The strikers put a
wrong Interpretation upon this. Be
Uayed,' they cried. the master has