Amethyst. AMETHYST HAREDALE is the child of thriftless, happy-go-lucky, dissipated parents, who manage to hold their own somehow in that "fast set" which is the vicious efflorescence of the English aristocracy. Amethyst is very beautiful in the Rossetti-Burne-Jones manner, and as sweet as she is beautiful. She has been brought up in a very proper manner by a maiden aunt and educated at one of the " ladies' colleges; " but just as she reaches the age of eighteen her aunt loses most of her money and Amethyst is sent back to her family, where she is plunged at once into the stream of idle and fashionable pleasure and sees the seamy side of life with a vengeance. All sorts of intrigues are going on about her, and she is more or less involved in them, and amid it all she keeps her innocence and develops a strong and noble character. Christabel Coleridge tells the tale in "Amethyst, the Story of a Beauty," just added to the favorite Town and Country Library. It is charmingly written by an author who has high ideals of conduct and who portrays the bad in order that people may see how much better it is, even from the utilitarian point of view, to be good and do one's duty in the sphere to which one is assigned by destiny. Amethyst in the end marries the true man who has waited for her through the whole story, and is ready to go away with him to help teach a school in the Midlands; but the family jewels-the amethysts upon which the plot turns-vanish in the crash of the family fortunes from which Amethyst herself has escaped simply by knowing the right and cleaving to it in obedience to the early training received at the hands of her kindly-natured aunt. (Appleton. $1; pap., 50 c.)- The Beacon. The Troubles of the Multiplication Table. MEANWHILE the multiplication table was going very hard. It was only after he had been at work upon it for two whole weeks that Phonse "freed his mind" about it to Cherry, down behind a hay-stack in the meadow. couldn't get 'em so still if she tried a month. It doesn't help a fellow's wits any." "Phonse, I think if I were you I should ask Uncle David to let me leave off studying arithmetic after vacation. He must understand now how hard it is for you." "I did ask him," said Phonse, "but it was of no use. He said a fellow couldn't get through the world without knowing more mathematics than I did; he'd be constantly hindered and mortified. But as for being mortified, I'm getting used to that. I've found there are worse things in the world than that." Phonse sighed heavily. "He wasn't very bad about it, Uncle David wasn't; he seemed to realize more'n you'd think what a fellow had to go through with; but he said 'twas good for a fellow to go through with hard things. He needed it to make a man of him. He said perhaps I needed particularly just such an obstacle to fight against. He hinted at me that I was girly. He's always doing that, you know. Ben does, too, and that little clown of a Simmy Backup, with his pig. It makes a fellow grind his teeth sometimes. Fancy that little beggar of a Simmy Backup doing problems like the Lightning Calculator at the show, and having geometry at his fingerends, when he talks such an orfle lot of bad grammar, and hasn't any eyes! Why, he doesn't see anything but firewood in a tree, and he thinks the sky was made to fly his kite in. And a fellow has got to be looked down on and thought a fool by him! Cherry, I think I shall run away." "You can't run away from arithmetic," said Cherry, sagely. "It's all over the world. Don't you remember that the Purple Peri that Philander met floating on an iceberg in the Indian Ocean was doing sums, though I believe she said she was only doing them to get warmed up?" But this attempt to cheer Phonse was rewarded only by a faint and sickly smile, although Phonse took the greatest delight of any of them in Philander's narratives. "I think you take it too hard, I really do, Phonse," she said, trying a different method. “I've read of so many bright people who--who didn't like arithmetic. Marjorie Fleming said, don't you remember, that 'seven times eight was what nature itself couldn't endure'?" "When you get against a great high blank wall you know you can't get any farther, don't you, Cherry? Well, when my brains get against a lot of figures it's just like that; they're simply done for," Phonse explained, with a kind of "She was a girl," said Phonse. "It doesn't patient dejection, which was unlike himself, matter whether a girl knows the multiplication and which touched Cherry s heart. "And now table or not. She doesn't have her own way to the fellows have taken to snickering. Little Peckett kept 'em from it as long as she could, but they do it now, and the big girls, too, and when it comes my turn they all stop whatever they're doing and gape at me. It's so still you could hear a mouse squeal. Little Peckett make. That's what Uncle David said I would have, my own way to make; he said he thought it was not probable that he could do anything more for me than to give me an education." (Harper & Bros. $1.25.)-Extract from Sophie Swett's "Flying Hill Farm." The Vacation Club. ADAH J. TODD has written a most fascinating book and dedicated it "to the members, old and young, of the Agassiz Association, who humbly and lovingly study the works of God." It consists of twelve chapters, the first briefly giving the origin of the book, and the others teaching the almost miraculous facts about rocks, flowers, stars, the seashore, hydroids and algæ, the microscope, pond life, minerals, etc., in a manner suited to average intelligent young minds. A party of bright young people found themselves together in a roomy old farmhouse arranged to receive summer boarders, situated in one of the New England States, near the sea. A lady not so young as these bright little men and women, but whose heart was still as warm and sympathetic as in her girlhood, overheard the young boarders longing for something new to do, something "different" from tennis, croquet and fancy work. She made up her mind to offer these young minds some nutritious and palatable food, and said briskly, "Why don't you form a natural history club and explore these hills and fields around us? It would give me great pleasure to help you, and the two months will be pleasant to look back upon if we have learned something while we have been amused." The plan of action finally settled and proposed was this: twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, they should make excursions to points likely to be interesting and fruitful in specimens; and in the interval, especially in rainy weather, they should study and discuss their material and make col. lections. If, after some general work, any one developed a taste in any particular study, he could look after that, but the object of The Vacation Club," as they decided it should be named, should be to study the natural history of their summer resting-place. There were ten of the young people, and the author very skilfully keeps their several individualities in mind in the interesting, instructive and often humorous conversations, by means of which she teaches her attentive scholars, and through them a circle of readers, that should be a very large one We can strongly recommend the book to young summer boarders, and even to older ones. It would be devoutly to be wished that many young people would take interest in the beautiful things around them and fill their minds and time by something as useful and truly healthy as the occupation of these young people. The book is neatly printed and is of a size that makes it possible to add it to an already pretty full trunk. Although specially intended for the younger boarders. its bright style will please very critical readers. (Whittaker. $1.) The Rescue of an Old Place. THE author of this altogether delightful little book is Mrs. Mary Caroline Robbins, who tells us how she and her husband made a beautiful home out of a neglected, deserted farm which had gone to decay; in short, it was one of those "abandoned farms" in Massachusetts which we have heard so much about in the last two or three years. This particular one is situated in Hingham, and the only attractive thing about it when the writer took hold of it was a grand view, comprising a charming stretch of salt meadow, with a blue stream winding through, a distant glimpse of houses overtopped by the masts of shipping, while from the higher levels of the farm could be seen a strip of blue sea and Boston Light, whose revolutions were visible after sundown. The author tells us little about the house itself, but confines herself mainly to the out-of-door improvements which they made. They cleared the land from decayed trees and untrimmed shrubs, graded an unsightly knoll, built a corduroy road, reclaimed a salt meadow, planted trees, developed a water-garden on the swampy corner of their lot, restored a dying orchard; in short, made a picturesque and inviting countryseat out of what appeared to be only an unattractive, forlorn sand-hill. Their experiments, their failures and successes will prove profitable and interesting to any who are trying a like venture with only moderate means at their command. There is much in the book suggestive of Burroughs and Thoreau, showing on the part of the writer a deeply-rooted and genuine love for Nature and her works. One of the many delicate thoughts so abundant throughout the book is her comparison between trees and flowers. She says: "However fond one may be of a flower-garden. I doubt if it ever yields quite so sturdy a satisfaction as the culture of trees. It is the difference between bringing up a girl and a boy-one all light, color, sweetness, a thing to be cherished and tenderly sheltered and nurtured; the other less outwardly winning, more obstinate in development, more independent and manly in habit, but more worth while; a thing of positive pecuniary value when well grown and formed, when symmetry and breadth are fully attained, to be of service in sheltering the weak and weary who seek protection in what Mrs. Gamp would call this wale.'" The book is a most delightful record of an attempt to bring harmony and beauty out of neglect and desolation. and is well worth adding to one's list of nature books. Its chapters originally appeared as papers in Garden and Forest. (Houghton, Mifflin & Co. $1.25.)Public Opinion. Literary Miscellany. the liteRARY NOVELTY. HERE'S to the novel without any plot, Dickens, and Thackeray, and Sir Walter Scott, So drink to the hope that it may not be long The deadly romance, that dire pitfall of youth, For I would have fiction as truthful as truth, On the plain commonplace should the novelist dwell, In a way realistic he ever should tell Of the beautiful point microscopic. Then here's to the utterly tasteless and tame, And here's to each author that builds us the same Then we'll drink, as the sterilized water goes round, To the novel that fosters the snore, To the plotless, the dull, but with principle sound, Till we can't drink another drop more! -From the New York Tribune. ADIRONDACK MURRAY.-One hears comparatively little of "Adirondack" Murray nowadays, and I do not suppose that ten people of all those whom he passed on Broadway a short time ago recognized the man who, some years ago, formed so large a part of the talk of the day. Mr. Murray lives in retirement at his old homestead at Guilford, Conn., of which he regained possession only a short time ago. Although the famous Adirondack historian is approaching old age, in appearance and manners he has all the buoyancy of a young man of twenty. In the summer he travels and fishes, and during the winter he divides his time between his books and the lecture platform. Every day that he is at home he is at his desk, assisted in all his work by his clever daughter, Marguerita, who is her father's secretary and constant companion. His love for dogs, horses and outdoor life remains the same, and the trophies of his famous adventures surround him in his home. Occasionally he leaves them for a time, and with his daughter comes to New York for a brief change. Murray has made money by his pen, his published works having brought him a comfortable revenue. All during this winter he has been busy completing his series of "Adirondack Tales." Two are in the market, and upon the remaining four he has been hard at work. From these he occasionally turns to the writing of a Canadian idyl or a new lecture. Although out of the public eye, few men live a more contented life, and with his devoted daughter his days are happily passed. -Edward W. Bok in the Epoch. MR. HOWELLS' HEROINES.-There is an interesting statement made by Mr. Howells and quoted in Frank Leslie's Weekly. It is in answer to the charge that he has put no noble feminine characters in his novels. This criticism," Mr. Howells said, "always seems to me extremely comical. I once said to a lady, who asked me, 'Why don't you give us a grand, noble, perfect woman?' that I was waiting for the Almighty to begin. I think that women, as a rule, are better and nobler than men, but they are not perfect. I am extremely opposed to what are called ideal characters. I think their portrayal is mischievous; it is altogether offensive to me as an artist; and, as far as morality goes, I believe that when an artist tries to create an ideal he mixes some truth up with a vast deal of sentimentality and produces something that is extremely noxious as well as nauseous. I think that no man can consistently portray a probable type of human character without being useful to his readers. When he endeavors to create something higher than that he plays the fool himself and tempts his readers to folly. tempts young men and young women to try to form themselves upon models that would be detestable in life, if they were ever found there." He REAL CHARACTERS IN THACKERAY'S Novels.The recent libel action, Pinnock v. Chapman & Hall, has drawn attention to the custom long prevalent among celebrated writers of introducing real characters into their works under a thinly disguised anonymity. In a recent number of the London World, "Atlas" points out numerous instances of this in Thackeray's novels. Thus we are reminded that in "Pendennis' he took Foker from Andrew Archdekne; Mr. Dolphin, the London manager, from Alfred Bunn; Wenham from Croker, Wagg from Theodore Hook, Lord Colchicum from the old Lord Lonsdale, Granby Tiptof from Granby Calcraft, a broken-down swell, afterwards Post-Office mail agent in one of the colonies, and Captain Shandon from Maginn. Warrington was a dash of Edward Fitzgerald and of W. M. T. himself; Jack Finucane was Jack Sheehan, Dr. Goodenough was Dr. Elliotson, and the Marquis of Steyne was probably Lord Hertford. Further examples are cited from "The Newcomes," where we find Gandish (the Art Academy) representing the well-known Mr. Sass; Honeyman was an amalgam of Bellew and others; Fred Bayham was William Bolland; and Mr. Nabab, the only English improvisatore, was a little Jew-man called Charles Sloman. The Cave of Harmony was the "Coal Hole," in a court off the Strand, near Simpson's Divan, and, Atlas" believes, still exists, as the Occidental Tavern; whereas the back kitchen, where Pendennis and Warrington heard the "Song of the Body-Snatcher," was the Cider Cellars in Maiden Lane, next to the stage door of the Adelphi, Mrs. Cutts, the landlady, being in reality Mrs. Rhodes, and the real name of the song being "Sam Hall," sung by a Mr. Ross. Finally, in the "Yellow Plush Papers" and "The Book of Snobs," Sir Edward Bulwig was, of course, Bulwer; Dr. Ignatius Loyola was Dr. Dionysius Lardner; Captain Shindey, who bullied the servants at the club, was a Mr. Stephen Price, an American, at one time a member of the Garrick; and Mr. Spavin, the turfite, was sketched, both by pen and pencil, from Mr. Wyndham-Smith, known as The Assassin." The Literary News. EDITED BY A. H. LEYPOLDT. JUNE, 1892. NOVELS AND GUIDE-BOOKS. Books have their seasons as well defined as those of nature. Now is the season of the novel and the guide-book. They both begin to appear in the early spring, with the blue birds and the sparrows and the violets and the lilacs-only with a little more certainty. The harvest is ripe in June or July, when both classes of publications may be said to be in full bloom, waiting to be gathered into vacation trunks. The demand has naturally made the " summer reading" season, for every one who can get away from "the cares which infest the day" is, just at this time, meditating a flitting to the country or to new scenes, or seeking the mental relaxation which is to be found in the pages of fiction. With a warmer sun and a more southern breeze, men and women cease to love work and easily forget the aims and ambitions for which they have lived and struggled. It is well a playtime comes occasionally, and better when we have the wherewithal to indulge our desires for new playthings. Under the heading of "Books for Summer Travellers," elsewhere in this issue, will be found lists of charming descriptive guides to all parts of the world, containing information as to the most interesting places to visit, the most delightful summer resorts, the best and easiest methods of reaching them, and the sights best worth seeing. Or, if an unconventional trip is proposed to the New England hills, into the heart of "the forest primeval," for a short residence in camp, manuals are included which go into details regarding life under canvas, with instructions for boating, yachting, etc. The guide-book is no longer a mere compilation of dry facts by an anonymous writer. Our best authors now prepare them, and our leading publishers make them beautiful to the eye. There is scarcely anything that a traveller may want to know that is not embraced within their covers. And the journey is twice as delightful, when the traveller has read up his itinerary and adds the pleasure of anticipation to his other joys. No summer scene is complete without the novel. Whether the hero lounges on the piazza, or swings in his hammock, or drifts idly in his boat, or spends the long hours of a summer day under the shade of leafy trees, romance has always pictured him with a novel close at hand. Within its pages he finds solace and refresh ment; forgetting, in its ideal pictures, life's commonplaces and the "dem'd horrid grind " upon which Mantalini waxed eloquent. "It is natural and rational," says The National Review, that this particular form of writing should attack more readers than any other. It is so broad and flexible, includes so vast a variety of appeals to the emotions, makes so few painful demands upon an overstrained attention, and it obviously lays itself out to please the greatest number. It is commonly said in all countries that women are the greatest readers of novels. It may well be that they read more exhaustively than men, and with less selection. They have, as a rule, more time. But men read novels a great deal more than is supposed, and it is probably from man that the first-class novel receives its imprimatur." In summer. certainly, all the world reads novels, and we are glad to be able to say, truthfully as well as professionally, that it is "a year of first-class novels." You can without hesitation buy and pack any novel contained in our list this year and feel sure that your money is fully as well invested to secure summer enjoyment as that you have already put into gauntlet gloves, la ed leather belts, bewitching costumes, tennis rackets, yachting shoes, or patent self-adjusting "kodaks." "The bearings of this observation," as another of Dickens' heroes has said, "lays in the application on it." Before you leave town give your bookseller a liberal order for the latest novels, of which a list of the best is presented on the opposite page. Nothing will make you so popular with the young ladies as to have a novel to lend, or fix you more firmly in the good graces of the mammas and chaperones. If you wish to understand the conversation of people you meet you must know the books of the hour, and if you wish to be self-respecting you must buy them and not borrow them, when you are showing everywhere you go that you have everything else "of your own" that money can provide and trunks can hold. We have now a copyright law and have done away with stolen books; let us hope the summer will come when we shall do away with borrowed ones. Even if you have reached the happy time of life when you no more depend upon the smiles of mammas, and when you can see the loveliest girl walk by and turn the next page without even wondering who she is, you can still find books to interest and perhaps teach you "unbeknownst" among the excellent novels of the season. Make up your mind when to rest and where to go, and then get the right guide-books and novels for the time and places you have chosen, be you man or woman, or only a summer boarder." Eggleston, The faith doctor, $1.50 Enault, Carine, $1.25. Falconer, Mademoiselle Ixe, 50c.. Farjeon, Ties-human and divine, $1; Farrar, Darkness and dawn, $2. Fenn, The new mistress, pap., 50c.. Flammarion, Lumen, 75c.; pap., 50c .....Cassell ....Harper Crowell Cassell Harper .Appleton Little, B ...Cassell pap.. 50c. U.S. B'k C Longmans, G Lippincott Cassell Urania, pap., 50c.. •Donohue, Henneberry & Co Franzos, Judith Trachtenberg, pap., 40c.... ..Harper Fuller (A.), Pratt portraits, $1.. Fuller (H. B.), The chevalier of Pensièri-Vani, new enl. ed., $1.25... Gissing, Denzil Quarrier, $1.. Putnam Century Macmillan Glyn, Fifty pounds for a wife, $1; pap., 50c....... Holt .Appleton Cassell Grant (Rob.), Reflections of a married man, $; pap., ......Scribner 50c... Green (A. K.), The old stone house, pap., 40c.. Putnam Griffith, Corinthia Marazion, 75c.; pap., 50c. Lippincott Grigorovitch, The cruel city, 75c.; pap., 50c...Cassell Haggard, Nada the lily, $1. Longmans, G Hake, Within sound of the Weir, 75c.; pap., 50c. Cassell Hall, Far from to-day, $t.. ..Roberts Hamer, An old chronicle of Leighton, $1.50 .. Randolph .Harper Harper Harris (J.C.), On the plantation, $1.50 Lippincott ....Appleton ..Appleton ..Houghton, M Houghton, M .Cassell .Harper Houghton, M Sales, The price of a coronet, $1 Cassell Cassell Taylor Houghton, M Century Co Harper Tales by Hawthorne, Grant Allen, G. R. Sims, etc., pap., 30C.. Taylor -for a stormy night [Turguéneff, Balzac and others], $1; pap., 50c Rob. Clarke & Co of to-day and other days, 75c; pap., 50c...... Cassell Tasma, A Sydney sovereign, pap., 25c......U. S. B'k Co The penance of Portia James, $1.25.......U. S. B'k Co Thomas (A.), Love's a tyrant, pap., 25c.. ..U. S. B'k Co -Old Dacre's darling, pap., 50c ..Scribner wife, $1.25. .Harper ..Harper Macmillan Whitney, A golden gossip, $1.50 Janvier, The uncle of an angel, $1.25.. Harper Kerr (A. H.), An honest lawyer, $1; pap., 50c..Schulte world, pap., 50c Kielland, Tales of two countries, $1. Harper Woolley, Roger Hunt, $1.25. King (Chas.), Captain Blake, $1.25.. .Lippincott Zagoskin, Tales of three centuries, $1. Funk & W $1; pap.. 50c. U.S. B'k Co .Longmans, G ..U. S. B'k Co ..Macmillan Houghton, M $1.50 .. Cassell .Appleton Appleton Appleton Houghton, M Wilbrandt, Mr. East's experiences in Mr. Bellamy's |