Our fourth volume began with "Nell, a Tale of Killowen Point," by Rosa Mulholland, who also contributed to that volume "The Walking Trees" in ten chapters, and "The Strange Schooner" in two. "The Walking Trees," with "The Girl from Under the Lake," and "Floreen's Golden Hair," which did not appear till our ninth volume (1881), may be had in a bright, handsome volume from the publishers, M. H. Gill and Son. More important than all these was Miss Mulholland's "Wild Birds of Killeevy which began at page 531 of our sixth volume (1878) and consisted of twenty-two chapters in Book I. and twenty-three in Book II., running through our sixth, seventh, and eighth volumes. This also can of course be had in a separate volume, as can also "Marcella Grace," whose twenty-nine chapters ran from beginning to end of our thirteenth volume (1885). The other stories contributed by Rosa Mulholland were single-chapter stories, of which, for instance, there are no fewer than eight in our fourteenth volume (1886). Most of these are reproduced in the delightful volume which takes its name from "The Haunted Organist of Hurly Burly," and others in "Marigold and other Stories," published in a popular shilling volume by Mr. Charles Eason, of Dublin and the Irish Railway book-stalls. One of the very brightest of these, by the by, "Bet's Matchmaking," has just graced the Preston Catholic News of Nov. 21, 1896; but the author's name is suppressed, and the story's name is disguised as "Jess Melaney's Matchmaking.' Has there been dishonesty on the part of any

one ?

We have strayed from the proper order, that we might name Miss Rosa Mulholland's stories together. Without the support of her name the Magazine could hardly have been carried on and would probably never have been begun. We may also anticipate a little by naming here her sister, Miss Clara Mulholland's three longer stories before their time: "The Strange Adventures of Little Snowdrop," seventeen chapters in volume 12 (1884); "A Perplexing Promise," in twenty-five chapters running from beginning to end of volume 15 (1887); and “A Striking Contrast," twenty-eight chapters in our eighteenth volume (1890). The first and last of these have been brought out very attractively in bookform.

* Yes, but not on this side of the Atlantic The Preston journal merely copied from a Cleveland newspaper.

To go back twenty years to our fifth volume and the year 1877, it was then that the holy and gifted woman who was Theodosia Augusta Drane in the world and Mother Raphael in religion, enriched our Magazine with the admirable tale, "The New Utopia" (sixteen chapters) which the Catholic Truth Society is at last going to publish as a book. A more useful and yet a more interesting story it would be hard to find. Another admirable tale from the same pen, "Uriel "--twenty-four chapters in volume XI. (1883)—has been republished by Burns and Oates.

The same volume (1877) which introduced to our readers as a storyteller the learned author of "Christian Schools and Scholars," introduced also Miss Kathleen O'Meara in "Robin Redbreast's Victory," and some shorter sketches written with great charm. She has left behind her (for she died some years ago) many excellent tales and biographies, the best being perhaps her Life of Frederick Ozanam.

The present inventory is confined to tales of considerable length. "Eleanor's Story," by Katherine Roche, with its nine chapters, begins at the first page of Volume VI. (1878). "Bracton," by the Rev. W. H. Anderdon, S.J., carries its fortynine chapters through our eighth and ninth volumes, and it is to be had in a separate volume of its own published by Burns and Oates. This was our third priest-novelist; and our fourth is the Rev. Frederick Kolbe, D.D., of South Africa, whose "Secret of the King in our 21st volume (1893) is one of the most telling stories that we have ever had the luck to secure.

An Irishman living in the United States, Mr. Dillon O'Brien, contributed two very clever tales of American life, each containing fifteen chapters, to our ninth and tenth volumes-" Widow Melville's Boarding-house," in 1881, and "Dead Broke" in 1882. Along with the second of these began "The Monk's Prophecy," by Attie O'Brien, who had already contributed some lively prose sketches and admirable verse. Her novel stretched its thirty-two chapters far into the eleventh volume (1883). After Miss O'Brien's death we published two full-length novels from her pen: "The Carradassan Family," twenty-seven chapters in volume 16 (1888), and "Won by Worth," with its forty-three chapters divided between volumes 19 and 20.

The next important item to arrest our attention in this survey of our first quarter of a century of fiction is "Molly's Fortunes,"

by M. E. Francis, which carries its twenty-six chapters through our seventeenth volume (1889). We are now allowed to know this most attractive and successful novelist as Mrs. Francis Blundell, once Miss Mary Sweetman, equally at home in Ireland and in Lancashire, as her "Frieze and Fustian" shows. She has just published a similar collection under the name of "Among the Untrodden Ways." The number of her separate volumes is now quite considerable: "Whither?" "The Story of Dan," "In a North Country Village," "A Daughter of the Soil," and the two named already. The last named was the first of The Times Novels. THE IRISH MONTHLY may well be proud of the distinction of having been the first arena in which M. E. Francis displayed her very remarkable literary powers,

We have brought our retrospect down almost to the present time. Our 22nd volume (1894) contained many delightful short stories, but only one long tale, in seventeen chapters, "Through Night to Light" by Mrs. Bartle Teeling. And then 1895 gave to our readers"Kilaveena," a story in fifteen chapters, by Rose Kavanagh of amiable memory, who died so young, and the beginning of "Peter Hunter's Heiress," by Miss Frances Maitland, who happily is still living. This extremely clever story ended with its 25th chapter half-way through our 24th volume, and will, if we mistake not, be brought out in book-form by the Catholic Truth Society, the publishers of Miss Maitland's “Ursel and other Stories," which seems to us one of the very best of its kind. Keener character-drawing and more natural conversation we have nowhere met with than this writer gives us. But one often needs a touch of Scotch to follow the dialogue quickly.

The other serial story of our twenty-fourth volume was "Bogwort," by M. E. Connolly*-innocent, genial, idyllic, with many a shrewd touch of rustic character and many a vivid glimpse of rustic scenery. And now this young Irish maiden who has but recently begun in our pages her literary career will in the coming year be followed as our novelist by a highly gifted Irishwoman whose career is long over- Attie O'Brien, author of "The Carradassan Family" and "Won by Worth." But the fictional element will of course be reinforced by occasional short stories by friends who are with us still.

By a strange oversight we have omitted her excellent contribution of sixteen chapters in our 21st volume (1893) "Meg Blake, the Story of an Old Maid."

We cannot attempt to name the shoals of bright, short stories that in the past have lit up our pages, from "Nancy Hutch and her Three Troubles," by Julia O'Ryan, in 1873, to “Feyther's Blessin'" by M. E. Francis, in 1896. Those who have helped us thus were chiefly the two just now named, with Rosa Mulholland, Frances Maitland, Mrs. Charles Martin, Katharine Roche, Mrs. Frank Pentrill, Jessie Tulloch, Mr. James Bowker, the Rev. David Bearne, S.J., Magdalen Rock, Mina Raleigh, Bart Kennedy, Michael O'Mahony, and the earnest priest who in these pages signs himself "R. O. K."

Many happy hours for the writers and the readers, many generous emotions, many a care perhaps alleviated, and even many a temptation combated indirectly, many a grave lesson and sound principle inculcated unawares, and much unselfish labour undergone for the sake of helping the cause of Irish Catholic literature: these and many other good things are represented in this dry catalogue of the stories told in the first twenty-five volumes of THE IRISH MONTHLY,

The doors are closed, the windows bright;
And in the glowing, dazzling light
The children dance with wild delight;

He looks with tear-dimm'd eyes.

He hears their laughter ringing loud,
He sees how eagerly they crowd

Round Christmas trees, with toys down bow'd;
He turns away and sighs.

His clothes are ragged, thin, and torn;
His little face by hunger worn,
Of all its childish beauty shorn,
His mother scarce would know.
All those he loved are lying dead,
There is no shelter for his head,
No helping hand to give him bread-
His home is in the snow.

His cry for help nobody heeds:

Who cares alas! for orphan's needs?
Will God, who e'en the sparrow feeds,
Leave him alone to grieve?

He slowly to a corner creeps,
And silent in the silence weeps,

While all the world with gladness keeps
The happy Christmas eve.

A prayer by his dead mother taught,
A prayer with love and patience fraught,
Back to his memory is brought

By angels watching near.

With little hands together pressed,
With head bowed meekly on his breast,

He begs the Lord to give him rest,
Before the coming year.

What was that sound so wondrous sweet,

As if all harmonies did meet

In one great song of joy, to greet
The coming of The King?
The stars with mystic radiance glow,
Like molten gold the waters flow,

Like silver shines the frozen snow;
The bells begin to ring.

Where hung the dark and dismal sky,
Soft clouds in rosy brightness lie;
'Mid them, with tall head rearing high,

He sees a Christmas tree.

The things he longs for, all are there; Such beauteous fruit, such blossoms rare No trees in earthly gardens bear,

Nor mortal eyes can see.