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 Rh among the abandoned farms of New Hampshire. •• Letters of Dr. Holmes to a Classmate," edited by Mary Wake Morse, are for the first time printed. There is a short story by Lucy S. Furman, entitled "The Flirting of Mr. Nickins," and one by Louise Herrick Wall, " The Heart of a Maid."

PROMINENT among the articles of special interest in APPLETON'S POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY for Oc tober is Prof. William Z. Ripley's paper on the "Racial Geography of Italy," in which he takes up the much-disputed question as to the origin of the ancient Etruscans. " Franklin's Kite Experiment with Modern Apparatus," by Alexander McAdie, de scribes some interesting electrical phenomena, and shows the importance of the kite in modern meteor ology. Guglielmo Ferrero, the eminent Italian an thropologist, has an article on " The Idea of Murder among Men and Animals," in which he attempts to show that it is man alone who has any clear idea of the distinction between life and death, and that the comprehension of this difference was probably one of the earliest and most powerful forces in giving him ascendency in the animal world.

WHAT SHALL WE READ?

THE early fall publications offer a tempting array of new stories, and the reader who cannot find among them matter suited to his taste must be hard to please. Bret Harte's latest novel, Three Partners^ shows this gifted author at his best. He is never so happy as when depicting scenes of California mining life, and the plot of the story gives him full scope for the ex ercise of his inimitable humor and touching pathos. Another very readable book, especially for those who delight in dialect, is Rowland E. Robinson's Uncle Lishcfs (Jilting.1* Those who have read the author's " Danvis Folk's "will welcome the reappear ance of many familiar characters whose sayings and doings they will find as entertaining as ever. A book which will appeal particularly to lawyers is The Federal Judge? The judge, the very person ification of honesty and integrity, unwittingly becomes the tool of a great railway magnate, who uses him to further his own interests. The book is powerfully written and aside from its interest as a story is l THREE PARTNERS, or the Big Strike on Heavy Tree Hill. By Bret Harte. Houghton, Miffiin & Co., Boston and New V'ork, 1897. Cloth. $1.25. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, 1897. Cloth. 3 THE FEDERAL JUDGE. By Charles K. Lush. Houghton Mifflin & Co, Boston and New V'ork, 1897. C|0th. 51.25.
 * UNCLE LISHA'S OUTING. By Rowland E. Robinson.
 * i.2j.

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really an exposé of the manner in which mere politi cal influence is often allowed to be a factor in the appointment of our judiciary. One of the most charming books we have read for a long time is Paul Leicester Ford's The Story of an L'ntold Lore.' It is written in the form of a journal, and is a delightful poem in prose. Unlike most modern love stories the tone is pure and elevating, with no tinge of the insipidity and mawkishness with which so many writers seem to find it necessary to treat the subject. Boys will find a treat in The Secret of the Black Butte,* a story which is interesting from beginning to end. The two boys who succeed in decipher ing a cryptogram and discovering a rich gold mine have no end of exciting adventure, but all difficulties are successfully overcome. Another mining story which will interest the older reader is entitled The Golden Crocodile? The plot, which is somewhat complicated, is well worked up, the pictures of mining life are graphic and well con ceived, and altogether the story is one well worth the reading. The Revolt of a Daughter ' is the story of a girl whose mother, desiring to spare her the troubles and trials of life, brings her up with the idea of keeping her a child as long as possible. Naturally, however, the daughter as she grows older revolts, the principal in centive to the revolt being a love affair. The story is well told, the characters are well drawn, and the reader's interest is kept up to the very end. Diaries, as a rule, are not the most entertaining reading and but few in the English tongue have at tained to much fame. Among these few may be in cluded that of Samuel Sewall, the sometime business man, councillor and judge. Taking this diary as the basis of his work. Rev. N. H. Chamberlain has writ ten a book of exceeding interest entitled Samuel Sewall and the li'orlii he lived in.* The reader is given an insight into the old Puritan life and cus toms and, best of all, a graphic picture of that staunchest of all Puritans, Samuel Sewall himself. The work is one which appeals especially to the legal profession and we commend it to their attention. It is beautifully illustrated. 4 THE STORY OF AN UNTOLD LOVE. By I'aul I^icester Ford. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, 1897. Cloth.?i.2,. 6 THE SECRET OF THE BLACK BUTTE, or the Mysterious Mine. Ry William Shattuck. Roberts brothers, Boston, 1847. Cloth. $1.50. 6 THE GOLDEN CROCODILE. By F. Mortimer Trimmer. Roberts Brothers, Boston, 1897. Cloth. 31.50. "THE REVOLT OF A DAUGHTER. By Ellen Olney Kirk. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and N. Y.( 1897. Cloth. 51.25. 8 SAMUEL SEWALL AND THE WORLD HE LIVED IN. By Rev. N. H. Chamberlain. DeWolfe, Fiske & Co, Boston, 1897. Cloth.