The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1916-05-18
=. RARY REFS =.
By Mr.. c. r. S.

Lorna Doone, Call numbers 129-13O) A
Romance of Exmoor, by r. D. Blackmore, is it's
authors best-known work, and is remarkable for it's
describes. ITO Devonshire man it is as good as
clotted cream, almost" has been said of it;
and it is Backmore's special pride that as native
he has satisfied natives with their home scenery
people, life, and language But the popularity of
the brilliant romance has not been local only it has
been equally great on both sides of the Atlantic
Even without swift succession of exciting
incidents, the unhackneyed style, Astounding in
fresh simie, with it's poetic appreciation of the fair
est country in England" combined with homely
realism would make it delightful reading.
Much Harding acquaints us with Wessex,
Backmore lmpresses Exmoor upon with COM
prehensive "Englishness' of setting and character
1t is outof door England, with swift streams,
treacherous boys, dangerous cliffs, and free winds
the moors. The story is founded on legends
concerning the robber Doones' a fierce band of
aristocrao outlaws, who in return for wrongs done
them by the government, lived by plundering the
country side. Regarding their neigbbors ignoble
churls and their legitimate prey, they robbed and
murdered them at will.
John Rdd, when lad of fourteen, falls into
their valley by chance day, and is saved from
capture by Lorna Doone the fairest, daintiest child
he has ever seen. When he is twenty one, and the
taes and stoutest youth on Exmoor, great John
Rdd" seeks Lorna again. He hates the Doones
who killed his father, but he loves beautiful inno
cent Lorna, and becomes her protector against the
fierce among whom she lives If slow to think
he is quick to act: if plain and unettered," he is
brave and MOBILES and Lorna welcomes his placid
strength. Scattered thru the swift narration,
tain scenes, such Lorna's escape to the farm,
tusse with the Doones the attempted murder in the
church. the final duel with Carver Doone and 9TH
ers, stand out great and glowing pictures.
The Choir Invisible, by James Lane Allen,
(Cal numbers 23-24-25) is one of his most pop
ular and pleasing stories 1t enlarged from an
earlier story called John Gray. Its scene is the
Kentucky of hundred years ago. The hero is
John Gray, schoolmaster and idealist who, dsap-
pointed in his love for Amy Faconer, pert, pref
ty, shallow frt, gradually comes to care for Mrs.
Falconer, her aunt, noble woman in reduced cir
cumstances, who with her husband has left form
er stately home Virginia and to live in the
Kentucky wilderness. She loves him in return with
deep, tender passion that has in it something of
the motherly instinct of protection: but her hus-
band being alive, she conceals her feeling from
Gray until after he has departed from Lexington
and settled in another state. She then writes him
to say she is free-and he replies that he is
ried But he tells her IN final letter that she has
remained his ideal and guiding star to noble action.
The romantic atmosphere and the ideal cast of
these two leading characters make the fiction very
atractive and the fresh, picturesque descriptions
of pioneer life in Kentucky give the tale historical
value.