CHAPTER XIX
THE ADRIANCES
The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to thelittle red house. Masterson had been invited to come, but he neveravailed himself of the invitation. The Adriances did not speak of him,by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they hadspent since their marriage.
The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household,shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction,came quite without warning. It chose one of the first evenings of April,when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day asgracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.
Elsie was making ready for her husband, much as she once had describedto him a wife's employment at this hour, and so all unconsciously hadcleansed the temple of his heart, thrusting down the false idols to makea place for herself. The table stood arrayed, she herself was daintilyfresh in attire and mood; the little house waited, expectant, for theman's return. The soft flattery of love lapped Adriance around wheneverhe crossed this threshold; life had taught him a new luxury in this bareschool-room.
Elsie was singing, as she went about her pleasant tasks with the deftsurety and swiftness so pretty to watch; singing a lilting, inconsequentCreole _chanson_, velvet-smooth as the sprays of gray pussy-willow shepresently began to arrange in a squat, earthen jar. She was happy with adeep, abiding, steadfast content, and a faith that admitted no fear.
She was listening, through all her occupations. The crackle of Anthony'squick, eager step on the old gravel walk would have brought her at onceto the door. But the sound of an automobile halting before the gatepassed unnoticed; many cars travelled this road, day and night. So, asbefore, Masterson came unheralded into his friend's house. Only, thistime he found the door open and entered without knocking. When hisshadow darkened across the room, Elsie turned and saw her visitor.
Rather, her visitors. Masterson carried in the curve of his arm adiminutive figure clad in white corduroy from tasselled cap to smallleggings. The child's dimpled, ruddy-bright cheek was pressed againstthe man's worn and sallow young face, the shining baby-gaze looked outfrom beside the fever-dulled eyes of the other. A chubby arm tightlyembraced Masterson's neck.
"Holly!" Elsie cried, the willow-buds slipping through her fingers."Why--how----? Oh, how he has grown! Holly, baby, don't you rememberElsie? He does, truly does--please let me have him!"
Masterson willingly relinquished his charge, putting Holly into theeager arms held out, and stood watching the ensuing scene of prettynonsense and affection. He did not speak or offer interruption. WhenElsie finally looked toward him again, recovering recollection andcuriosity, baby and woman were equally rose-hued and radiant.
"But--how did it happen?" she wondered. "Did--was the agreement kept,after all? Is Holly to stay with you, now?"
The man met her gaze with a strange blending of defiance and entreaty.Now she perceived his condition of terrible excitement and that hisdumbness had not been the apathy she fancied. He was on the verge of abreakdown, perhaps irreparable to mental health. Her question wasanswered by her own quick perception before he spoke.
"I have stolen him. No! I did _not_ steal him; I took my own. It was inthe park--he was with a nurse, and she struck him. She didn't know me. Ihad stopped to get a sight of him. Well, that is all Lucille will evergive him: nurses! She never wanted him, or had time to trouble abouthim. She doesn't like children. He stumbled, fell down, and the womanslapped him--more than once."
She looked at him with a sense of helpless inability either to aid orcondemn. Every conscious fibre in her championed his cause, except herreason. How could this sick man hope to keep Holly against the world?
"You----?" she temporized.
"I've told you what I did; I took him away from her. 'Tell Mrs.Masterson that Holly has gone with his father,' I said. That was all. Icarried him to my car and drove straight here. You will keep him for me?You and Tony? I have got to go; to get back and make my last fight."
Elsie gently set down the baby. She saw what Masterson in his dazed andselfish absorption overlooked: that she and Anthony were to be drawninto a conflict surely evil for them. Mrs. Masterson must resent this,and call on the law to undo the kidnapping. She herself and Anthonywould be dragged from their happy obscurity, their long honeymoon ended.More menacing still, Anthony's position in his father's factory would bediscovered and exploited by the newspapers, with the probable resultthat Mr. Adriance would end that situation by dismissing the impromptuemployee.
But she never even thought of sending Masterson away. The baby handsthat grasped her dress grasped deeper at her heart. Also, this man inneed was Anthony's friend and one to whom he owed atonement for a wrongcontemplated, if not committed.
"Of course we will keep him," she promised, kindly and naturally. "Butyou must stay, too. You are not well and must rest for a while--it isabsurd to speak of fighting when you can scarcely stand. Sit there, inthat arm-chair. Presently Anthony will come home, then we will havesupper and talk of all this."
The serene good-sense calmed and cooled his fever. Sighing, he relaxedhis tenseness of attitude.
"I must go," he repeated, but without resolution.
For answer she drew forward the chair. He sank into it and lay ratherthan sat among its cushions, passive before her firmness.
Elsie moved about the matter at hand with her unfailing practicality.She took off Holly's wraps and improvised a high-chair by means of adictionary and a pillow. To an accompaniment of gay chatter she madeready her small guest's evening meal, tied a napkin under the fat chinand superintended the business of supping. Hunger and sleep werecontending before the bread and milk and soft-boiled egg were finished.Afterward, Elsie carried a very drowsy little boy into her room and madehim a nest in her antique-shop four-posted bed. Masterson looked on,mutely attentive to every movement of the two as if some dramaticinterest lay in the simple actions. When Elsie returned from thesleeping baby, he abruptly spoke:
"You know, I only mean you to keep him for to-night, not always. I willcome back for him. You know all I planned for him and myself. This hashurried me, but I have money enough. Earned money. Did I tell you Mr.Adriance, Tony's father, has offered me a considerable sum to stop'making a mountebank' of myself at the restaurant? No? He has. I fancyher former husband's occupation grates on Lucille." He laughed, movinghis head on the cushions of the high-backed chair. "Well, I refused."
"Of course!"
"You knew I would? Then you grant me more grace than she did."
"She? You said Mr. Adriance offered----"
He glanced keenly at her face, then turned his own face aside that itmight not guide her groping thought.
"I must go," he said, again. But he did not move, nor did Elsie.
The pause was broken by Anthony's whistle, the signal which alwaysadvised his wife of his return.
But to-night it was not the blithe hail of custom. The clear notes wereshaken, curtly eloquent of some anger or distress. Acutely sensitive toevery change or mood of his, Elsie caught both messages, the intentionaland the one sent unaware. Dropping upon the table a box of matches shehad taken up, she ran to the door.
It opened before she reached it. Anthony, his face dark with repressedanger, his movements stiff with the constraint he forced upon them,appeared outlined against the soft, clear dusk of April twilight. Helooked behind him, and, holding open the door of his house formallyushered in a guest.
"My wife, sir," he briefly introduced to his father the girl who drewback, amazed, before their entrance.
Mr. Adriance showed no less evidence of inward storm than his son. Buthe stopped and saluted his daughter-in-law with precise courtesy.
"Mrs. Adriance," he acknowledged the presentation, his voice bettercontrolled than the younger man's.
"Light the lamp, Elsie," her husband requested, dragging off the clumsychauffeur's gloves he had worn home. "It seems that we are undersuspicion of child-stealing. My father has done us the
honor of lookingus up, to accuse me of conniving at the kidnapping of Mrs. Masterson'sboy. I have not yet gathered exactly what interest I am supposed to havein the lady or her affairs, or whether I am presumed to be engaged in abandit enterprise for ransom. But I understand that there is a detectiveoutside, who probably wishes to search the house."
Elsie made no move to obey the command. In the indeterminate lightMasterson's presence had been unnoticed, shadowed as he was by the deepchair in which he sat. She was not afraid, or bewildered so far as toconceive keeping him concealed, but she was not yet ready to act.
"My son is inexact, as usual," Mr. Adriance gave her space, aiding herunaware by his irritation. "Mr. Masterson is known to have crossed theEdgewater ferry with the child, and we know of no friends he would seekin this place except Tony and you. His brain is hardly strong enough,now, to plan any extended moves. Surely it needs no explanation that wewish to rescue a two-year-old child from the hands of a drug-crazedincompetent?"
Elsie laid her hand over the match-box, wondering that the other two didnot hear, as she did, the very audible breathing of the man in thearm-chair.
"He is hardly that," she deprecated. "But, if you find him, what willyou do?"
"To him? Nothing. We want the child. If he persists in annoying the ladywho was his wife, however, he must be put in a sanitarium."
"Elsie, why do you not say that we know nothing of all this?" Anthonydemanded, harsh in his strong impatience. "Why do you feed suspicion byarguing? I don't say that I would not shelter Holly Masterson, if hewere here--in fact, I should! But I do say that he is not here, sir, andI expect my word to be taken. Elsie----"
His wife put out her hand in a quieting gesture.
"Now I will light the lamp," she stated, in her full, calm voice.
Oddly checked, the two angry men stood watching her. The flame-touchedwick burned slowly, at first, the light rising gradually to its fullpower; the circle of radiance crept out and up, warmed by the crimsonshade through which it passed. It crept like a bright tide, shining onthe figure of the woman who stood behind the table, rising over thenoble swell of her bosom, submerging the curved hollow of her throatwhere a small ebony cross lay against a surface of ivory, flooding atlast her face set in generous resolution and glinting in her gray,serenely fearless eyes. She looked, and was mistress of the place andsituation; perhaps because of all those present she alone was notthinking of herself.
"You see," she broke the pause, "there was much excuse. It is alwayswiser and kinder to listen to the excuse for actions; I think usuallythere is one. Mr. Masterson loves his little son very dearly, and thatthey have been separated is terrible to him. But he was patient, he didnot interfere until to-day; he saw Holly struck and roughly treated bythe nurse. He could not bear that, and just look on. No one could! SoMr. Masterson, obeying his first impulse, snatched up the baby, and hedid bring him here. It was only a little while ago, Anthony; a verylittle while."
Before either Adriance could speak, the third man lifted himself out ofthe shadows into the light. He was laughing slightly, all his reckless,too-feminine beauty somehow restored as he faced them.
"Here is your drug-crazed incompetent, Mr. Adriance," he mocked. "Haveyou succeeded so well in training your own son that you want toundertake bringing up mine?"
The insult changed the atmosphere to that of crude war. Elsie drew back,recognizing this field was not for her. Mr. Adriance considered hisantagonist with a deliberation cold and very dangerous.
"I think a comparison between my son and yourself is hardly one you canafford to challenge," he said bitingly.
"Now, no," Masterson admitted. He laughed again. "But a year ago--whowas the best citizen, then? Fred Masterson, with all his shortcomings,or Tony Adriance, dangling after Masterson's wife? Hold on, Tony! I'mnot saying this for you; you quit the nasty game as soon as you sawwhere it was leading. I'm only explaining to your father, here, that thedifference between you and me is chiefly--our wives. Of course we oughtnot to lean on our women; we ought to be strong and independent. But Iwas not born that way, and neither were you. Lucille wanted me down, andI am down; Mrs. Adriance wanted you up, and you're standing up. Behonest, and out with the truth to yourself, if you never speak it, Tony.As for your father, if our guardians had started us differently, itmight not have been this way with us. I don't know, but that is thechance I am giving Holly. He shall not have to pick up his education onthe road. I have brought him here, and here he stays with Mrs. Adrianceuntil I take him away with me. She has given me her promise."
"You forget that the court has given the child to its mother," Mr.Adriance reminded him, before Anthony could reply. "And let me tell youI have nothing except contempt for a man who foists off hisresponsibilities upon a woman's shoulders."
"Neither have I," retorted Masterson. "Did you imagine I had any vanityleft, or that my self-respect still breathed? You are dull, Mr.Adriance! But all that is aside from the case. Holly stays here, unlessAnthony turns him out, and then he goes with me, not with his mother. Doyou think I fail to understand why she wants him, and you want her tohave him? It is because he is a social vindication; her possession ofhim brands me as the one found lacking in our partnership. Well, he isnot to be so sacrificed."
"May I ask how you intend to enforce this?"
"You may, and I will tell you." He looked return in full measure of theolder man's irony and determination. "I can enforce it because you careabout the public at large, and I do not; because it would make abeautiful sob story: how Holly's reprobate father rescued him fromneglect and ill-treatment, taking him away from a brutal nurse in thePark; and how Mr. Adriance, _the_ Mr. Adriance, pursued and recapturedthe child. The newspapers would be interested in learning that Mr.Adriance had managed the whole Masterson divorce case; with his usualtact and success. They might wonder why he had done it. I have wondered,myself, you know. That is, I might have wondered, if I had not known howmuch you once approved of Mrs. Masterson as a possible daughter-in-law,before Tony disappointed you by marrying to please himself. You have thereputation of never admitting a defeat; and, after all, two divorces areas right as one! I beg your pardon, Mrs. Adriance."
Elsie uttered a faint cry, abruptly confronted with the hideous thingMasterson had shown her husband on the night that had changed Anthonyfrom her playfellow to her defender and fightingman.
"Fred!" Anthony exclaimed indignant rebuke, springing to the girl'sside.
She caught his arm fiercely, as it clasped her. Suddenly she was onewith the men in mood, burning with defiance and alert to make war forher own. And Anthony was her own, as she was his. Pressing close to herhusband she held him. Arrayed together, the three who had youth stoodagainst the man who had everything else.
But Mr. Adriance had reddened through his fine, gray, slightly witheredskin like any schoolboy. His dark eyes lightened and hardened to anunforgiving grimness of wrath that dwarfed the younger men's passion andmade it puerile.
"You will restrain yourself in speaking of the lady who had themisfortune to marry you," he signified, with a clipped precision ofspeech more menacing than any threat. "Since yesterday she has been mywife."
Of all the possibilities, this most obvious one never had occurred toany of the three who heard the announcement. The effect held the groupdumb. All thought had to be readjusted, all recent experience focussedto this new range of vision. In the long pause, Anthony's dog yawnedwith the ridiculous sigh and snap of happy puppyhood; ticking clock andsinging kettle seemed to fill the room with a swell of commonplace,domestic sound derisive of all complicated life. After all, men weresimple, and involved evil usually a chimera. Plots and counterplotsresolved into a most natural happening; thrown into companionship withLucille Masterson by Anthony's flight, Mr. Adriance had fallen in love.Probably at first he had aided her through sympathy, as Anthony himselfhad done. There was no mystery in the rest.
The reckless challenge and false gayety died out of Masterson's face,leaving it dull and bleak as a stage wh
en the play is over and theartificial light and color extinguished. Quite suddenly he lookedhaggard and appallingly ill. Circles darkened beneath his eyes as ifdashed in by the blue crayon of an artist. He was conquered; with hisfancied right to resentment and contempt he also lost all animation. Thefire was quenched, apparently forever.
"I apologize, of course," he said, his lifeless ease a poor effort athis former manner. "Certainly I would have been--well, less frank, if Ihad understood. Pray convey my congratulations to Mrs. Adriance. Nodoubt you will be happy, since you can buy everything she wants. Butneither you nor she can care to keep Holly Masterson in your house. Iwant him. After all, I am his father, you know, and entitled to somedirection of his future. No? Come, I'll bargain with you! Leave himhere, and I will do what I refused to do for money: I will quit publicdancing and drop out of sight."
The unexpected offer allured. The wrath in the eyes of Mr. Adriance didnot lessen, but speculation crept into his regard. His abhorrence ofscandal urged him to grasp at this escape from having his wife's nameconstantly linked with the escapades of her first husband. There couldbe no question of Masterson's genius for spectacular trouble-making.Moreover, Holly would still be with the Adriances, so that dignity wasassured. He did not believe that Masterson really intended to burdenhimself with the child. Lucille Masterson had formed his opinion of theother man; he credited him with no intention good or stable.
"Of course I must consult Mrs. Adriance," he answered stiffly. "But Ihave no doubt that she will meet your wishes in the matter, since Tonyis now the child's step-brother. That is, if my son and his wife arewilling to undertake the charge you thrust upon them?"
He turned toward the two, as he concluded. For the first time, theAdriance senior and junior, really looked at each other as man at man.For "Tony" no longer existed; in his place was someone the elder did notyet know. Indeed, he and Tony had been merely pleasant acquaintances; heand this new man were strangers.
"Why, yes," Anthony replied to the indirect question. He had regainedhis composure as the others had lost theirs. His cool steadiness andpoise contrasted strongly with the strained tension of his guests; hespoke for both himself and Elsie with the assured masterfulness she hadnursed to life in him during these many months. "We will take charge ofHolly until his father claims him, unless it is going to be toodifficult for me to take care of my own family. As you may see, sir, weare not rich."
"Is that my affair?"
"It has not been. But it is going to be."
"As a question of money----"
Anthony checked the sentence with a gesture. Gently freeing himself fromElsie's clasp upon his arm, he drew from a pocket of his rough coat thatnotebook which had absorbed so many of his leisure hours.
"Let us say a question of business," he suggested. "Six months ago Ientered your employ as a chauffeur. You will find my record has no marksagainst it. I did not think at that time of drawing any advantage fromthe fact that the mill belonged to you; I worked exactly as I must havedone for any stranger. I was not late or absent, I accomplished rathermore each day than the average chauffeur in the place. Cook and Ransomecan tell you whether I gave them satisfaction. I only speak of this,sir, because I should like you to understand that I was in earnest. Itwas not until months had passed at this work that I began to think ofchanging my position. One day Ransome fell sick. I asked for his placeto try out a better system of checking the shipping that had occurred tome. I was given this at first tentatively, then permanently. In fact,the system worked so successfully that--Mr. Goodwin came to see me." Hehesitated. "I wish you would ask Mr. Goodwin to tell you himselfsomething of what has happened."
"Very well."
The laconic assent was somehow disconcerting.
"I had to tell him who I was," Anthony resumed, with less certainty, "Ihad meant to find out what your attitude would be, before that happened,but I had no choice. He was good enough to take me into his office andoffer to teach me the management of your factory. Now----"
"Now, since it is a matter of business," said Mr. Adriance, dryly, "whatdo you want?"
"I want a stranger's chance, and your pull," was the prompt return;Anthony's smile flashed across seriousness. "That is, I want yourinfluence to give me Mr. Goodwin's position as manager, and after that Iam willing to stand on the basis of my business value to you. Goodwin isold and anxious to retire. If I hold his place for a year and fail toearn his salary, then discharge me and I'll not complain. I know thisend of your business as you do not, sir. You are brilliant, a genius ofbig affairs; I have discovered in myself a capacity for meticulousattention to detail. Will you take this little book home with you? Itcontains a collection of notes and figures for which you would gladlypay an outsider. Mr. Goodwin and I have found the plant is enormouslywasteful; every department contributes its quota of mismanagement,except the office under his own eye. I want a chance to do this work, tobuy a house I like up on the hill, here, and put my delicate Southernwife in a setting suitable for her. Will you let me earn all this?"
"I am not aware that it has been my custom to interfere with you,"retorted Mr. Adriance. He eyed his son with icy disfavor. "Between youand Mr. Masterson it appears to be established that I am the typicaloppressor of fiction and melodrama. Kindly look at the other side of theshield. Last autumn you chose to marry and leave my house. You did both,without paying me the trifling courtesy of announcing your intentions. Iknew of no quarrel between us. The rudeness appeared to me quite withoutwarrant. Nevertheless, I tied all the loose ends you had left behind.I kept your marriage from furnishing a sensation to the journals. Thelady who is now my wife helped me in convincing our friends that yourwedding was in no way unusual or unexpected, if a little sudden, andthat you had met the young lady from Louisiana at her house. In short, Ismothered curiosity, a task with which you had not concerned yourself.You choose to enter this place as a truck driver. You did not ask ifthat were pleasant to me. It was not, but I made no objection. Oh, yes;of course I have known what you were doing! Why should I not know? Now,you meet me with the air of a man hampered and pursued. Why?"
"I was wrong," admitted Anthony, simply. He had flushed hotly before therebuke, but his eyes met his father's frankly and with a relief thatgladly found himself at fault rather than the other. "I did notunderstand. I am sorry."
They shook hands. A constraint between them was not to be avoided. Themarriage of the older man had thrust them apart. Unforgiveable thingshad been said of Lucille Adriance; things that had the bitingpermanence of truth.
"I will arrange for Goodwin's retirement," Mr. Adriance remarked. "Youwill take his place, and this winter's work may pass as your whim tostudy the business from the bottom. I spent an hour discussing youraffairs with him, on my way here, to-night. I had called on him toascertain your exact address. He has agreed to remain as your adviserand assistant for a month or two, until you have quite found yourself.And of course I will be at your service. That is enough for thisevening; I have already stayed here too long. Come to my officeto-morrow."
When he turned toward the door, Elsie was awaiting him. A moment beforeshe had slipped away from the two men.
"This is the first time you have been in Anthony's house," she said, hersoft speech very winning. "You aren't going without taking ourhospitality?"
She held a little round tray on which stood a cup and plate. The actionwas gracious and graceful, quaintly alien as her own legends. Mr.Adriance gazed at her, then bowed ceremoniously, lifted the coffee anddrank.
"I think I had forgotten to congratulate Tony," he regretted. "Allow meto do so, most warmly."
Anthony closed the door behind his guest; presently the sound of astarting motor ruffled the calm hush of the spring evening.
"I want my supper," Anthony announced, practically. "I shall not haveany more of your cooking, Elsie. What are you going to do with your idletime--learn to play bridge?"
She ran into his arms.
CHAPTER XX
THE CORNERSTONE
&nbs
p; When they looked for Fred Masterson, he was not there. Elsie remembered,then, that he had gone into Holly's room while Anthony and his fatherwere intent on each other. On the bed where the baby was asleep theyfound an envelope upon which was scrawled a message.
"I'm off for the present," Anthony read. "I'll drop in to-morrow or nextday, when Holly is awake. Thank Mrs. Adriance for me. I'm going to beold-fashioned, Tony--God bless you both."
"He never will come, I know it!" Elsie exclaimed, her heavy lashes wet."Can't we do something? Can't we go after him?"
"I will go after him," her husband agreed. "But not to-night." Hecrumpled the envelope and flung it aside. "Fred Masterson is not goingunder without a fight. If doctors, sanitariums, his love for Holly andour help can set him on his feet again, he shall be cured and do all hedreams of doing. To-morrow I will find him."
"Not to-night?"
"Not to-night. Elsie, don't you understand? He loved his wife. If I lostyou so--if you married someone else----"
She put her small fingers across his lips, stilling the sacrilege.
"No! Do not let our little house even hear you say it!"
"Nor any house of ours! To-morrow I will buy the house we looked attogether, and you shall have an orgy of shopping to furnish it. Oh, yes,you shall, and I'll help you. Have lots of dark red things and brownleather in that front room where you told me about Alenya of the Sea.And--do nurseries have to be pink?"
"Of course not, foolish one. We might make ours sunshine-color, like thesatiny inside of a buttercup or a drop of honey in a daffodil.Anthony----"
"Yes?"
The rain-gray eyes laughed up at him, demure and daring.
"Please, I want a cloak all gorgeous without and furry within; ashimmery, glittery, useless brocaded cloak like those in the cloak-roomof that restaurant. I--I just want it!"
"How do you know?" he wondered at her. "How do you always know thegracious way to delight me most? What a time we are going to have, girl!I'm going to drag Cook out of his rut and start him up the ladder, forone thing. If he hadn't given me a chance, and then brought Mr. Goodwindown to see how I handled it, who can tell how much I might have missed?I shall bring him here for you to see, before we move, too. You won'tmind?"
"Try it and see."
"And we will spend my first vacation in Louisiana! Can't we take atrunkful of junk to each girl--including your mother? Let's bribe apublisher to bring out the poetic drama, if it's ever finished. Ah, beready to come to Tiffany's next week. I'm going to buy you a ruby as bigas the diamond advertisements on the backs of the magazines."
"Anthony!"
"Two of them!"
"Dear," she hesitated, "are we going to have so much money? I do notquite see----"
Her husband looked at her, and laughed.
"You haven't learned to understand your father-in-law. I have notmastered that study, myself, but I know some branches. He is not ahalf-way man. He will expect Tony and Mrs. Tony to proceed precisely asTony used to do. And we will offend and disgust him with oursmall-mindedness if we do not take this for granted. When I remember thethings I allowed Fred to make me believe of him! Elsie, I always couldhave earned our living somehow; I think the best news to-night was thatmy father is as fine as I grew up to believe him. By George, I nevertold him----"
"What, dear?"
"Don't you know?"
* * * * *
They had almost finished their delayed supper, an hour later, whenAdriance set down his cup with an exclamation and stared across thetable at his wife.
"I have just thought of something! Now I understand what LucilleMasterson wanted of me, that day, in the tea-room. She made me give myword never to tell anyone that she had been willing to marry me. I wasangry enough that she should suppose such a promise necessary. But now Ican see the reason: she feared I might tell my father enough of thataffair to prevent his falling in love with her. You do not know him,Elsie. If he had suspected her attachment to him was greed, and that shehad been willing to marry either Adriance for the Adriance possessions,he would have suffered nothing to bring them together, nothing whatever.I suppose she told him she never thought of me except as a pleasantyoung fool. Think of us!" He pushed back his chair and took an angryturn across the room. "Fred, and I, and my father--all puppets for herto move about!"
THE WINTER WAS HARD AND LONG, BUT NEVER DULL TO THEM]
"Holly has Mrs. Masterson, and I have you," Elsie demurred, her mouthcurling into a smile as her glance followed him. "And I do not believeshe has your father, Anthony; I think he has her. You know--excuse me,dear--both you and Fred Masterson were too young and inexperienced. Andyour father heard, in spite of himself, Mr. Masterson's story, thisevening. I'm going to borrow a sentence from Mike: 'She's got her aboss.' Let the mills grind; we know what grain we put in! Anthony, didyou notice that I gave your father coffee in the Vesuvius cup? If henoticed its five-cent atrocity, he will ostracize me; and you know whobought it."
"It is a good cup!" He dropped into his chair again and leaned acrossthe table to catch her hands in his. "Elsie, we will never sell thishouse, or change anything in it, will we? We can come back to it, often,for just a day. It was the beginning place, however far we go."
"Yes. Oh, yes! Anthony, our hearthstone is our cornerstone; on it we'regoing to build, build splendidly, eternally----"
Her voice faltered before the vision. Silent, the two looked into eachother's eyes, seeing a happiness strongly secured, closing them aroundlike folded wings.
FINIS
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Foreword by PRESIDENT WOODROW WILSON.
Fully illustrated. Decorated cloth. Gilt top. $1.50 net.
The American Red Cross and the name of Miss Boardman have beeninseparably connected for many years; her own story is one offascinating human interest to all who feel a bond of sympathy with thosewho suffer. To-day it is the European War, but in unforgotten yesterdaysthere was the Philippine Typhoon, the Vesuvian Eruption, the ChineseFamine, and almost countless other disasters in which the heroes andheroines of the Red Cross have worked and met danger in their effort toalleviate the sufferings of humanity. This is the only completehistorical work upon the subject that has yet been written; no one,accounting experience and literary ability, is better fitted to presentthe facts than is the author.
Joseph Pennell's Pictures In the Land of Temples
With 40 plates in photogravure from lithographs. Introduction by W. H. D. Rouse, Litt.D. Crown quarto. Lithograph on cover. $1.25 net.
Mr. Pennell's wonderful drawings present to us the immortal witnesses ofthe "Glory that was Greece" just as they stand to-day, in theirenvironment and the golden atmosphere of Hellas. Whether it be theindustrial giants portrayed in "Pictures of the Panama Canal" or antiquetemples presented in this fascinating volume, the great lithographerproves himself to be a master craftsman of this metier. The art ofGreece is perhaps dead, but we are fortunate in having such aninterpreter. There is
every promise that this book will have the samevalue among artists and book lovers as had his others.
"The isles of Greece, the isles of Greece! Where burning Sappho loved and sung,"
have never had a more appreciative and sympathetic lover.
Christmas Carol
By CHARLES DICKENS. 13 illustrations in color and many in black and white by Arthur Rackham. Octavo. Decorated cloth. $1.50 net.
All the praise that can be showered upon Joseph Pennell as a masterlithographer, is also the due mead of Arthur Rackham as the mostentrancing and mysterious color illustrator in Europe. His work isfollowed by an army of picture lovers of all types and of all ages, fromthe children in the nurseries whose imagination he stirs with thefiery-eyed dragons of some fairy illustration, to the ambitious artistsin every country who look to him as an inspiring master.
If the decision had been left to the book-reading and picture-lovingpublic as to the most eligible story for treatment, we believe that theChristmas Carol would have been chosen. The children must see oldScrooge and Tiny Tim as Rackham draws them.
Historic Virginia Homes and Churches
By ROBERT A. LANCASTER, JR. About 300 illustrations and a photogravure frontispiece. Quarto. In a box, cloth, gilt top, $7.50 net. Half morocco, $12.50 net. A Limited Edition printed from type, uniform with the Pennells' "Our Philadelphia."
Virginians are justly proud of the historical and architectural gloriesof the Old Dominion. All America looks to Virginia as a Cradle ofAmerican thought and culture. This volume is a monument to Virginia,persons and places, past and present. It has been printed in a limitededition and the type has been distributed. This is not a volume ofpadded value; it is not a piece of literary hack-work. It has been alabor of love since first undertaken some twenty-five years ago. TheState has done her part by providing the rich material, the Author hiswith painstaking care and loving diligence, and the Publishers theirs byexpending all the devices of the bookmaker's art.
Quaint and Historic Forts of North America
By JOHN MARTIN HAMMOND, Author of "Colonial Mansions of Maryland and Delaware." With photogravure frontispiece and sixty-five illustrations. Ornamental cloth, gilt top, in a box. $5.00 net.
This is an unique volume treating a phase of American history that hasnever before been presented. Mr. Hammond, in his excellent literarystyle with the aid of a splendid camera, brings us on a journey throughthe existing old forts of North America and there describes theirappearances and confides in us their romantic and historic interest. Wefollow the trail of the early English, French and Spanish adventurers,and the soldiers of the Revolution, the War of 1812 and the later Civiland Indian Wars. We cover the entire country from Quebec and Nova Scotiato California and Florida, with a side trip to Havana to appreciate theweird romance of the grim Morro Castle. Here is something new andunique.
The Magic of Jewels and Charms
By GEORGE FREDERICK KUNZ, A.M., PH.D., D.SC. With numerous plates in color, doubletone and line. Decorated cloth, gilt top, in a box. $5.00 net. Half morocco, $10.00 net. Uniform in style and size with "The Curious Lore of Precious Stones." The two volumes in a box, $10.00 net.
It will probably be a new and surely a fascinating subject to which Dr.Kunz introduces the reader. The most primitive savage and the mosthighly developed Caucasian find mystic meanings, symbols, sentimentsand, above all, beauty in jewels and precious stones; it is of thismagic lore that the distinguished author tells us. In past ages therehas grown up a great literature upon the subject--books in everylanguage from Icelandic to Siamese, from Sanskrit to Irish--the lore isas profound and interesting as one can imagine. In this volume you willfind the unique information relating to the magical influence whichprecious stones, amulets and crystals have been supposed to exert uponindividuals and events.
The Civilization of Babylonia and Assyria
By MORRIS JASTROW, JR., PH.D., LL.D. 140 illustrations. Octavo. Cloth, gilt top, in a box, $6.00 net.
This work covers the whole civilization of Babylonia and Assyria, and byits treatment of the various aspects of that civilization furnishes acomprehensive and complete survey of the subject. The language, history,religion, commerce, law, art and literature are thoroughly presented ina manner of deep interest to the general reader and indispensable tohistorians, clergymen, anthropologists and sociologists. The volume iselaborately illustrated and the pictures have been selected with thegreatest care so as to show every aspect of this civilization, whichalone disputes with that of Egypt, the fame of being the oldest in theworld. For Bible scholars the comparisons with Hebrew traditions andrecords will have intense interest.
English Ancestral Homes of Noted Americans
By ANNE HOLLINGSWORTH WHARTON, Author of "In Chateau Land," etc., etc. 28 illustrations. 12mo. Cloth $2.00 net. Half morocco, $4.00 net.
Miss Wharton so enlivens the past that she makes the distinguishedcharacters of whom she treats live and talk with us. She has recentlyvisited the homelands of a number of our great American leaders and weseem to see upon their native heath the English ancestors of GeorgeWashington, Benjamin Franklin, William Penn, the Pilgrim Fathers andMothers, the Maryland and Virginia Cavaliers and others who have donetheir part in the making of the United States. Although this book iswritten in an entertaining manner, and with many anecdotes and by-pathsto charm the reader, it is a distinct addition to the literature ofAmerican history and will make a superb gift for the man or woman whotakes pride in his or her library.
Heroes and Heroines of Fiction Classical, Mediaeval and Legendary
By WILLIAM S. WALSH. Half morocco, Reference Library style, $3.00 net. Uniform with "Heroes and Heroines of Fiction, Modern Prose and Poetry." The two volumes in a box, $6.00 net.
The fact that the educated men of to-day are not as familiar with theGreek and Roman classics as were their fathers gives added value to Mr.Walsh's fascinating compilation. He gives the name and setting of allthe anywise important characters in the literature of classical,mediaeval and legendary times. To one who is accustomed to read at allwidely, it will be found of the greatest assistance and benefit; to onewho writes it will be invaluable. These books comprise a completeencyclopedia of interesting, valuable and curious facts regarding allthe characters of any note whatever in literature. This is the latestaddition to the world-famous Lippincott's Readers' Reference Library.Each volume, as published, has become a standard part of public andprivate libraries.
_A Wonderful Story of Heroism_
The Home of the Blizzard
By SIR DOUGLAS MAWSON. Two volumes. 315 remarkable photographs. 16 colored plates, drawings, plans, maps, etc. 8vo. $9.00 net.
Have you heard Sir Douglas lecture? If you have, you will want to readthis book that you may become better acquainted with his charmingpersonality, and to preserve in the three hundred and fifteen superbillustrations with the glittering text, a permanent record of thegreatest battle that has ever been waged against the wind, the snow, thecrevice ice and the prolonged darkness of over two years in Antarcticlands.
It has been estimated by critics as the most interesting and thegreatest account of Polar Exploration. For instance, the LondonAthenaeum, an authority, said: "No polar book ever written has surpassedthese volumes in sustained interest or in the variety of the subjectmatter." It is indeed a tale of pluck, heroism and infinite endurancethat comes as a relief in the face of accounts of the same qualitiessacrificed in Europe for a cause so less worthy.
To understand "courage" you must read the author's account of histerrific struggle alone in the blizzard,--an eighty-mile fight in ahurricane snow with his two companions left dead behind him.
The wild life in the southern seas is multitudinous; whole armies ofdignified penguins were caught with the camera; bluff old sea-lions andmany a strange bird of this new continent were so tame that they couldbe easily approached. For the first time actual colored photographsbring to us the
flaming lights of the untrodden land. They areunsurpassed in any other work.
These volumes will be a great addition to your library; whether large orsmall, literary or scientific, they are an inspiration, a delight toread.
Heart's Content
By RALPH HENRY BARBOUR. Illustrations in color by H. Weston Taylor. Page Decorations by Edward Stratton Holloway. Handsome cloth binding. In sealed packet. $1.50 net.
This is the tale of a summer love affair carried on by an unusual butaltogether bewitching lover in a small summer resort in New England.Allan Shortland, a gentleman, a tramp, a poet, and withal the happiestof happy men, is the hero; Beryl Vernon, as pretty as the ripple of hername, is the heroine. Two more appealing personalities are seldom foundwithin the covers of a book. Fun and plenty of it, romance and plenty ofit,--and an end full of happiness for the characters, and to the readerregret that the story is over. The illustrations by H. Weston Taylor,the decorations by Edward Stratton Holloway and the tasteful sealedpackage are exquisite.
_A New Volume in THE STORIES ALL CHILDREN LOVE SERIES_
Heidi
By JOHANNA SPYRI. Translated by ELISABETH P. STORK. Introduction by Charles Wharton Stork. With eight illustrations in color by Maria L. Kirk. 8vo. $1.25 net.
This is the latest addition to the Stories All Children Love Series. Thetranslation of the classic story has been accomplished in a marvellouslysimple and direct fashion,--it is a high example of the translator'sart. American children should be as familiar with it as they are with"Swiss Family Robinson," and we feel certain that on Christmas Day joywill be brought to the nurseries in which this book is a present. Theillustrations by Maria L. Kirk are of the highest calibre,--the color,freshness and fantastic airiness present just the spark to kindle theimagination of the little tots.
_HEWLETT'S GREATEST WORK: Romance, Satire and a German_
The Little Iliad
By MAURICE HEWLETT. Colored frontispiece by Edward Burne-Jones. 12mo. $1.35 net.
A "Hewlett" that you and every one else will enjoy! It combines the richromance of his earliest work with the humor, freshness and gentle satireof his more recent.
The whimsical, delightful novelist has dipped his pen in the inkhorn ofmodern matrimonial difficulties and brings it out dripping with amiablehumor, delicious but fantastic conjecture. Helen of Troy lives again inthe Twentieth Century, but now of Austria; beautiful, bewitching,love-compelling, and with it all married to a ferocious German who hasdrained the cup and is now squeezing the dregs of all that life has tooffer. He has locomotor ataxia but that does not prevent his Neitscheanwill from dominating all about him, nor does it prevent Maurice Hewlettfrom making him one of the most interesting and portentous charactersportrayed by the hand of an Englishman in many a day. Four brothers fallin love with the fair lady,--there are amazing but happy consequences.The author has treated an involved story in a delightful, naive andrefreshing manner.
The Sea-Hawk
By RAPHAEL SABATINI. 12mo. Cloth. $1.25 net.
Sabatini has startled the reading public with this magnificent romance!It is a thrilling treat to find a vivid, clean-cut adventure yarn.Sincere in this, we beg you, brothers, fathers, husbands and comfortableold bachelors, to read this tale and even to hand it on to your friendsof the fairer sex, provided you are certain that they do not mind theglint of steel and the shrieks of dying captives.
The Man From the Bitter Roots
By CAROLINE LOCKHART. 3 illustrations in color by Gayle Hoskins. 12mo. $1.25 net.
"Better than 'Me-Smith'"--that is the word of those who have read thisstory of the powerful, quiet, competent Bruce Burt. You recall the humorof "Me-Smith,"--wait until you read the wise sayings of Uncle Billy andthe weird characters of the Hinds Hotel. You recall some of thoseflashing scenes of "Me-Smith"--wait until you read of the blizzard inthe Bitter Roots, of Bruce Burt throwing the Mexican wrestling champion,of the reckless feat of shooting the Roaring River with the dynamos uponthe rafts, of the day when Bruce Burt almost killed a man who tried toburn out his power plant,--then you will know what hair-raisingadventures really are. The tale is dramatic from the first great scenein that log cabin in the mountains when Bruce Burt meets the murderousonslaught of his insane partner.
A Man's Hearth
By ELEANOR M. INGRAM. Illustrated in color by Edmund Frederick. 12mo. $1.25 net.
The key words to all Miss Ingram's stories are "freshness," "speed" and"vigor." "From the Car Behind" was aptly termed "one continuous joyride." "A Man's Hearth" has all the vigor and go of the former story andalso a heart interest that gives a wider appeal. A young New Yorkmillionaire, at odds with his family, finds his solution in working forand loving the optimistic nursemaid who brought him from the depths oftrouble and made for him a hearthstone. There are fascinating sideissues but this is the essential story and it is an inspiring one. Itwill be one of the big books of the winter.
_By the author of "MARCIA SCHUYLER" "LO! MICHAEL" "THE BEST MAN" etc._
The Obsession of Victoria Gracen
By GRACE LIVINGSTON HILL LUTZ. Illustrated in color. 12mo. $1.25 net.
Every mother, every church-worker, every individual who desires to bringadded happiness into the lives of others should read this book. A newnovel by the author of "Marcia Schuyler" is always a treat for those ofus who want clean, cheerful, uplifting fiction of the sort that you canread with pleasure, recommend with sincerity and remember withthankfulness. This book has the exact touch desired. The story is of theeffect that an orphan boy has upon his lonely aunt, his Aunt Vic. Herobsession is her love for the lad and his happiness. There is thenever-failing fund of fun and optimism with the high religious purposethat appears in all of Mrs. Lutz's excellent stories.
Miranda
By GRACE LIVINGSTON HILL LUTZ. Illustrated in color by E. L. Henry. 12mo. $1.25 net.
Nearly all of us fell in love with Miranda when she first appeared in"Marcia Schuyler," but those who missed that happiness will now find hereven more lovable in this new book of which she is the central figure.From cover to cover it is a tale of optimism, of courage, of purpose.You lay it down with a revivified spirit, a stronger heart for thestruggle of this world, a clearer hope for the next, and a determinationto make yourself and the people with whom you come in contact cleaner,more spiritual, more reverent than ever before. It is deeply religiousin character: a novel that will bring the great spiritual truths of God,character and attainment straight to the heart of every reader.
_"GRIPPING" DETECTIVE TALES_
The White Alley
By CAROLYN WELLS. Frontispiece. 12mo. $1.25 net.
FLEMING STONE, the ingenious American detective, has become one of thebest known characters in modern fiction. He is the supreme wizard ofcrime detection in the WHITE BIRCHES MYSTERY told in,--"THE WHITEALLEY."
The _Boston Transcript_ says: "As an incomparable solver of criminalenigmas, Stone is in a class by himself. A tale which will grip theattention." This is what another says:--"Miss Wells's suave and polisheddetective, Fleming Stone, goes through the task set for him withcelerity and dispatch. Miss Wells's characteristic humor and clevernessmark the conversations."--_New York Times._
The Woman in the Car
By RICHARD MARSH. 12mo. $1.35 net.
Do you like a thrilling tale? If so, read this one and we almostguarantee that you will not stir from your chair until you turn the lastpage. As the clock struck midnight on one of the most fashionablestreets of London in the Duchess of Ditchling's handsome limousine,Arthur Towzer, millionaire mining magnate, is found dead at the wheel,horribly mangled. Yes, this is a tale during the reading of which youwill leave your chair only to turn up the gas. When you are notshuddering, you are thinking; your wits are balanced against the mindand system of the famous Scotland Yard, the London detectiveheadquarters. The men or women who can solve the mystery without readingthe last few pages will deserve a reward,--they should apply for aposition u
pon the Pinkerton force.
_THE NOVEL THEY'RE ALL TALKING ABOUT_
The Rose-Garden Husband
By MARGARET WIDDEMER. Illustrated by Walter Biggs. Small 12mo. $1.00 net.
"A BENEVOLENT FRIEND JUST SAVED ME from missing 'The Rose-Garden Husband.' It is something for thanksgiving, so I send thanks to you and the author. The story is now cut out and stitched and in my collection of 'worth-while' stories, in a portfolio that holds only the choicest stories from many magazines. There is a healthy tone in this that puts it above most of these choice ones. And a smoothness of action, a reality of motive and speech that comforts the soul of a veteran reviewer." _From a Letter to the Publishers._
Edition after edition of this novel has been sold, surely you are notgoing to miss it. It is going the circle of family after family,--everyone likes it. The _New York Times_, a paper that knows, calls it "asparkling, rippling little tale." Order it _now_,--the cost is but onedollar.
The Diary of a Beauty
By MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL. Illustrated by William Dorr Steele. 12mo. $1.25 net.
From the assistant postmistress in a small New England village to theowner of a great mansion on Fifth Avenue is the story told not asoutsiders saw it, but as the beautiful heroine experiences it,--anaccount so naive, so deliciously cunning, so true, that the reader turnspage after page with an inner feeling of absolute satisfaction.
The Dusty Road
By THERESE TYLER. Frontispiece by H. Weston Taylor. 12mo. $1.25 net.
This is a remarkable story of depth and power,--the struggle ofElizabeth Anderson to clear herself of her sordid surroundings. Suchbooks are not written every day, nor every year, nor every ten years. Itis stimulating to a higher, truer life.
RECENT VALUABLE PUBLICATIONS
The Practical Book of Period Furniture
Treating of English Period Furniture, and American Furniture of Colonial and Post-Colonial date, together with that of the typical French Periods.
By HAROLD DONALDSON EBERLEIN and ABBOTT McCLURE. With 225 illustrations in color, doubletone and line. Octavo. Handsomely decorated cloth. In a box. $5.00 net.
This book places at the disposal of the general reader all theinformation he may need in order to identify and classify any piece ofperiod furniture, whether it be an original, or a reproduction. Theauthors have greatly increased the value of the work by adding anillustrated chronological key by means of which the reader candistinguish the difference of detail between the various relatedperiods. One cannot fail to find the book absorbingly interesting aswell as most useful.
The Practical Book of Oriental Rugs
By DR. G. GRIFFIN LEWIS, Author of "The Mystery of the Oriental Rug." New Edition, revised and enlarged. 20 full-page illustrations in full color. 93 illustrations in doubletone. 70 designs in line. Folding chart of rug characteristics and a map of the Orient. Octavo. Handsomely bound. In a box. $5.00 net.
Have you ever wished to be able to judge, understand, and appreciate thecharacteristics of those gems of Eastern looms? This is the book thatyou have been waiting for, as all that one needs to know about orientalrugs is presented to the reader in a most engaging manner withillustrations that almost belie description. "From cover to cover it ispacked with detailed information compactly and conveniently arranged forready reference. Many people who are interested in the beautiful fabricsof which the author treats have long wished for such a book as this andwill be grateful to G. Griffin Lewis for writing it."--_The Dial._
The Practical Book of Outdoor Rose Growing
NEW EDITIONREVISED AND ENLARGED
By GEORGE C. THOMAS, JR. Elaborately illustrated with 96 perfect photographic reproductions in full color of all varieties of roses and a few half tone plates. Octavo. Handsome cloth binding, in a slip case. $4.00 net.
This work has caused a sensation among rose growers, amateurs andprofessionals. In the most practical and easily understood way thereader is told just how to propagate roses by the three principalmethods of cutting, budding and grafting. There are a number of pages inwhich the complete list of the best roses for our climate with theircharacteristics are presented. One prominent rose grower said that thesepages were worth their weight in gold to him. The official bulletin ofthe Garden Club of America said:--"It is a book one must have." It is infact in every sense practical, stimulating, and suggestive.
The Practical Book of Garden Architecture
By PHEBE WESTCOTT HUMPHREYS. Frontispiece in color and 125 illustrations from actual examples of garden architecture and house surroundings. Octavo. In a box. $5.00 net.
This beautiful volume has been prepared from the standpoints of eminentpracticability, the best taste, and general usefulness for the ownerdeveloping his own property,--large or small, for the owner employing aprofessional garden architect, for the artist, amateur, student, andgarden lover. The author has the gift of inspiring enthusiasm. Her plansare so practical, so artistic, so beautiful, or so quaint and pleasingthat one cannot resist the appeal of the book, and one is inspired tomake plans, simple or elaborate, for stone and concrete work toembellish the garden.
Handsome Art Works of Joseph Pennell
The reputation of the eminent artist is ever upon the increase. Hisbooks are sought by all who wish their libraries to contain the best inmodern art. Here is your opportunity to determine upon the purchase ofthree of his most sought-after volumes.
Joseph Pennell's Pictures of the Panama Canal
(Fifth printing) 28 reproductions of lithographs made on the Isthmus of Panama between January and March, 1912, with Mr. Pennell's Introduction giving his experiences and impressions, and a full description of each picture. Volume 7 1/2 x 10 inches. Beautifully printed on dull finished paper. Lithograph by Mr. Pennell on cover. $1.25 net.
"Mr. Pennell continues in this publication the fine work which has wonfor him so much deserved popularity. He does not merely portray thetechnical side of the work, but rather prefers the humanelement."--_American Art News._
Our Philadelphia
By ELIZABETH ROBINS PENNELL. Illustrated by Joseph Pennell. Regular Edition. Containing 105 reproductions of lithographs by Joseph Pennell. Quarto. 7 1/2 x 10 inches. 552 pages. Handsomely bound in red buckram. Boxed. $7.50 net.
Autograph Edition. Limited to 289 copies (Now very scarce). Contains 10 drawings, reproduced by a new lithograph process, in addition to the illustrations that appear in the regular edition. Quarto. 552 pages. Specially bound in genuine English linen buckram in City colors, in cloth covered box. $18.00 net.
An intimate personal record in text and in picture of the lives of thefamous author and artist in a city with a brilliant history, greatbeauty, immense wealth.
Life of James McNeill Whistler
By ELIZABETH ROBINS and JOSEPH PENNELL. Thoroughly revised Fifth Edition of the authorized Life, with much new matter added which was not available at the time of issue of the elaborate 2 volume edition, now out of print. Fully illustrated with 97 plates reproduced from Whistler's works. Crown octavo. 450 pages. Whistler binding, deckle edges. $3.50 net. Three-quarter grain levant, $7.50 net.
"In its present form and with the new illustrations, some of whichpresent to us works which are unfamiliar to us, its popularity will begreatly increased."--_International Studio._
The Stories All Children Love Series
This set of books for children comprises some of the most famous storiesever written. Each book has been a tried and true friend in thousands ofhomes where there are boys and girls. Fathers and mothers rememberingtheir own delight in the stories are finding that this handsome editionof old favorites brings even more delight to their children. The bookshave been carefully chosen, are beautifully illustrated, have attractivelining papers, dainty head and tail pieces, and the decorative bindingsmake them worthy of a permanent place on the library shelves.
Heidi
By JOHANNA SPYRI. Translated by Elisabeth P. Stork. The Cuckoo Clock By MRS. MOLESWORTH. The Swiss Family Robinson Edited by G. E. MITTON. The Princess and the Goblin By GEORGE MACDONALD. The Princess and Curdie By GEORGE MACDONALD. At the Back of the North Wind By GEORGE MACDONALD. A Dog of Flanders By "OUIDA." Bimbi By "OUIDA." Mopsa, the Fairy By JEAN INGELOW. The Chronicles of Fairyland By FERGUS HUME. Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales
Each large octavo, with from 8 to 12 colored illustrations. Handsome cloth binding, decorated in gold and color. $1.25 net, per volume.
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