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signs of public mourning meant. An Italian, stand ing near by, made answer,— " The Christman is dead. " The story is feelingly told, and will add largely to the author's reputation.

French Revolution, and is something quite different from anything Dr. Mitchell has heretofore favored us with. The volume is a delight to the eye and its contents furnish the reader with a rare treat.

The Wise Woman. A novel. By Clara Louise Burnham. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, 1895. Cloth, Si. 25. The Wise Woman is a delightful old lady who seems to be the confidant of all who are in trouble or perplexity, and who has the happy faculty of straightening matters out to the satisfaction of those concerned. The story is quite an interesting one and will serve to pleasantly while away a leisure hour.

The Coming of Theodora. By Eliza Orne White. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, 1895. Cloth, Si. 25. There is one thing to be said in praise of Miss White's stories, the tone of all she writes is perfectly healthful and wholesome. "The Coming of The odora " is a simple story of home life, told in a simple and unpretentious manner. A sister gives up her vocation to enter her brother's house as a mem ber of the family because she feels that she is really needed, and then, of course, finds that she and her brother's wife cannot get along amicably, and so finally goes back to her duties as a teacher. There is a love episode in Theodora's life which comes to naught, and this is the only incident outside a rather humdrum existence. Out of these slight materials Miss White has made a very readable story.

The Village Watch-Tower. By Kate Douglas Wiggin. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, 1895. Cloth, Si. 25. Six stories make up the contents of this volume, all of them told in Mrs. Wiggin's inimitable manner. Pathos and humor are skilfully blended. Nothing could be more touching than " The Fore-room Rug," while " The Eventful Trip of the Midnight Cry" is brimful of genuine humor. No one, Miss Jewett, perhaps, excepted, can depict New England life and character as does Mrs. Wiggin, and there is a charm and freshness in all she writes which endears her to her readers. The Life of Nancy. By Sarah Orne Jewett. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, 1895. Cloth, Si. 25. Several of the stories which make up this volume have already appeared in print, but they are all worthy of preservation in book form. Miss Jewett is a story-teller par excellence, and her readers are in debted to her for many an enjoyable hour. "The Life of Nancy " will add to their debt of gratitude, for it contains some of the best things she has yet written. A Madeira Party. By S. Weir Mitchell. The Century Co., New York, 1895. Leather, Si .00. This dainty little volume, the latest issue in the "Thumbnail Series," contains a sketch and a story, neither of which has been heretofore published. In the sketch, which gives the title to the book, Dr. Mitchell quaintly narrates the history of Madeira wine, through the lips of a party of Philadelphia gourmets. " A Little More Burgundy. " the story which follows the sketch, is a thrilling tale of the

Clarence. By Bret Harte. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, 1895. Cloth, Si. 25. This is a story of absorbing interest. A husband who espouses the Union cause in the Civil War, and a wife who becomes a spy in the interests of the South are the central figures. Dramatic incidents and situations abound and the reader's attention is held to the very end. The book is one of t]ie best Bret Harte has yet written. From Jerusalem to Nicvea. The Church in the first three centuiies. By Philip Stafford Moxom. Roberts Brothers, Boston, 1895. Cloth, Si -50. The eight lectures contained in this book were delivered by Dr. Moxom under the auspices of the Lowell Institute, in Boston during the past winter. They contain, described in an interesting, scholarly manner, the story of the rise of the Christian Church during the first three centuries of its existence. The lay reader will find much that is valuable and instruc tive in this volume, and the pulpit will benefit by a careful perusal. Church history is a subject that neither minister nor laymen are generally well versed in, but by Dr. Moxom's aid they have an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the early years of the Christian Church without wading through the vol uminous and sometimes not easily obtainable church histories. Dr. Moxom's style is delightful, and it is a pleasure to receive information from so interesting a teacher.