THREE NOVELS

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5288, 28 May 1904, Page 10

THREE NOVELS

“Myra of the Pines.” By Hermann K. " Viole. T. I’isher Unwin, London.

Tins is a bright, clever and withal restful story of a happy and sunshine spreading girl. The author ■ has ram powers of description, and the scenes of the burning pine forest and of the-pig-breeder’s domestic lifo are remarkably realistic. Myra Bale’s troubles are not serious ones. Her father in somewhat eccentric, and Myra has a trouble with him, hut more over a vulgar land agent, who desires her to wife. She is rescued from this fate hy a Swedish speculator, and the end is pleasing. The style and merit of the author’s work may be noted from the following dialogue between Myra and her mother:—

“To ray mind we were guided here/’ declared her mother, piously. “Oh, no!” protested Myra, undismayed; .“our obvious destination was the poorhouse, and I am not at all sure it might not have been tho best. Father would have invented a reversible coffin for paupers worth a fortune in itself, and you, mother, might have stamped yourself upon the age. Think of the copy for the “Ingleimok” right at hand—- “ Poorhouse Papers,” “Letters from a Lazaretto,” “Chats with .the Criminal Insane,’ Oh, it was a sacrifice, pur coming here. Even I might have caused ill-feeling between the junior warden—if there is such a person—and the assistant visiting physician—if they have one; now I shall never have another chance' to be thoroughly interesting.” “Myra,” said Mrs Palo, becoming thoughtful, “of course whar you say is absolutely idiotic, but I wonder we never thought before of the poorhouse as a scheme of local colour.”

“Mother,” rejoined Myra, gravely, “if yon should study local colour in the poorhouse the result would he an intrigue of court life in the time of Charles the Second. When our surroundings are the shabbiest, your characters are always most refined,” “And slummy things are always in demand.” reflected Mrs Pale, pursuant of her former train of thought. “Let US sit down here and talk it over," The roadside bank was smooth and clean, and springy with a mat of dead brown peedles fallen from above; tbs low sweet droning of the autumn Wind among the pines a stimulant to fancy, About the cross-roads tlm forest stretched a pounty’s breadth pu every side, its trees all young and lusty, and of oqna! size—an aftermath without history or

tradition, but not .without possibilities of its own. Hero one was tree to imagine anything tiiat had ever been in any forest.: and b-.Uor, other things that do not belong to forests. “Listen I lam sure something is coming.” cautioned Airs Dale, jf.vra shook her head. “If you listen in the woods, mother,'’ she replied, "you will always hear somethin'' coming. I hear it every day and every night, always nearer and nearer, hut never here. .Sometimes it is like the paddles of the Sound steamers that used to pass tho end of our old street in Astoria; sometimes a train of Pullman ears upon a bridge, and sometimes only a funeral jolting over -the cobble-stones from the Ninety-second street Ferry. ’ “No, net like that,” the other cried in protest. "Let us hear nothing but pleasant things.” "1 don't care much what they are, if they would only come.” said Myra, recklessly. In all the silent autumn day nothing could really happen in tho pinelands, so it was safe’to thrown a challenge down to chance. And other days would ho tho same —tho patient shadows and tho patient sun, and in tho trees a ceaseless mimicry of life and death. Nothing would ever come —except Air Ramsey in his buggy. ‘•Wait till you father sells one of bis inventions,” admonished Mrs Dale, as one recalls (ho cheerful fiction of the expected ship.

“The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rugen.” Ry tho author of “Elizabotli and her German Garden.” Macmillan and Co., London.

“The Adventures of'Elizabeth in Rugen” show Elizabeth transported from her Gorman Garden and on the enterprise of driving round the island of Rugen. Her original plan of enjoying solitude, tempered only by a silent maid, was carried ont for some days, in which period sho bad ample time to describe her impressions of the scenery and the less perfect inns. Then the scheme was shattered by the advent first of a strenuous woman-cousin, wedded to a Professor of European celebrity, but for the moment in revolt against the Professor; nest of the wife of an English Bishop and her son. passionate admirers of ‘the Professor; a’nd lastly of the old Professor himself. These personages in thoir mutual relations develop many complex situations, and Elizabeth’s failure to evolve a complete harmony is treated with her habitual lightness of touch. Tho old Professor especially is a new and charming addition to her gallery of German types. A charming story delightfully told.

“Eulers of Kings.” Ry Gertrude Atherton. Macmillan and Co., London.

Airs Atherton’s novel is an audacious experiment. She ha.s written a historical romance, blending imaginary personages with real; but the kings ofTicr romance aro the living Emperors of Germany and Austria, and she lias done her best to giro a vivid, portraiture of both in imaginary circumstances. To contrive her plot she invents for heroine a daughter of the Austrian Emperor young and beautiful; wliilo her hero is an idealised American, born to countless millions, with brains .and ambitions to use them,. The .conflicts in t.he book are not fought with weapons', but with money on the one hand, royal power and prestige on the other, forces wielded by strong and passionate character. The action centres about, tiio over-present Hungarian crisis, and the heroine is shown using iior personal . charm' first to subjugate the Hungarians, then to detach from t|ie Emperor William his

America i) ally, who can furnish the funds of war. Mrs Atherton has conveyed the atmosphere of romance which hangs . about the ill-fated Hapsbm-g lip use not only by tho figure of tins imaginary princess, but by her presentment; of the dead Archduke. Rudolf’s personality.