The Green Garland. By Frances E. Crompton. (A. D. Times
and Co.)—The title of this story is unnecessarily mysterious, and when its mystery is cleared up it can hardly be very satisfactory to the ordinary boy or girl to find out that "the garland of life is labour." The story itself, however, is undeniably a bright and simple one. It is that of two children who, having lost their mother in India, are sent home by their father to an uncle and aunt in the old country, who bring them up rather "strictly," but with the best intentions. GAtty and Hendrik—the boy's name indicates that he is of Dutch descent—make the acquaint- anceship of neighbour children, the McIlisters, and their games, "larks," and quarrels are described with genuine and quite un- forced humour. Then there is a tragedy within a tragedy,—the melancholy story of a female servant of Hendrik's aunt, who has a husband in the background, and loves him intensely though ho is an inveterate nomad. Finally the father, who has been after a. fashion a prodigal son, returns wealthy and repentant, and the fatted calf is killed with perhaps rather too much fuss. The chief characteristic of this study of child life is its humour, which has the special charm of being quite intelligible to children.
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