The Saint Paul globe., 1897-07-18

duty" and that man is Amos Wickiff,
the sheriff, whose great heart and sim
pie nature most of us have known and
loved since the first of these sketches
of his life appeared in Harper's Maga-
zine.
The title story, 'The Cabinet
Organ" His Duty" THE Hypnotist,"
THE Next Room" and the Defeat of
Amos Wickliff," are the six stories in
cluded in this volume, they are all of
Western life and naturally-considerin
the hero's profession-deal largely With
crime and criminals. Even So it is not
the seamy side of life that gives them
their absorbing hold on the reader, but
the quiet heroism and simple honesty,
which are equal to every emergency
in a life in which every turn is crisis.
Miss French is as free from mock
and morbid sentiment on the subject
of evil as she is optimistic, and there
fore it is that her influence is as sane
as it is hopeful.
Thanet. Harper & Brothers. New York.
N.25. For sale by the st. Paul Book and
Stationery company0
Conan DOyle'S "Uncle Bernac" has
at last appeared in book form 1t
has been enlarged, since it appeared
as a magazine serial, over One-third.
while this enlargement has certainly
added to the force and apprOpria teness
of the volumes subtitle, "a Memory
of the Empire it has detracted from
the story as story. One is ready
to admit, however, that the additions
are interesting in themselves and deX-
nf FOL
the story lending itself readily to rem
iniScence of all kinds.
Louis de Laval is q young refugee.
the descendant of one of the oldest
and proudeSt families of France His
heart, in spite of royaliSt training and
tradition, goes out to the victories OF
Napoleon; he leaves his quiet English
home in response to a doubtful invita-
tiOn from yet more doubtful uncle
whose career in the past has been
marked by the betrayal of others and
ACKNOWLEDGMENT. Just before Ma
poleOn's proposed invasion of England,
de Laval is landed by a smuggling
vessel, in darkness and doubt, on the
unfamiliar coast of France. He sees
the signal lights of Nelson's frigates
on the sea and the camp-fires of Ma
poleon on the land-"the two great ri
walls face to face, the powers of the
land and the power of the sea, for the
scarcely touches the shores of his ma
tive land before he falls into most
blood -curdling adventure, in which his
Uncle Bernac" plays an important
part The last half Of the book does
not make good the promise of these
chapters, so far as swift movement
and adventure are concerned, NapO-
Icons peculiarities and Josephine's
dresses and quarrels with the emperor
taking the place of heroic action. The
book is interesting and doubtless viii
go far with its own momentum, but the
name of A. Conan Doyle will carry it
much farther.
('Unclc Bernaes>a Memory OF the Empire, 3"
by A. Conan Doyle. D. Appleton & Co: New
York. l.50. For sale by the st. Paul Book
Rnd Stationery companyD
Zone Mans View is a simple quiet
tragedy, unpretentious and contained.
Leonard Merrick writes from the Eng
lish point of view; the hero's line of
conduct is, according to ideas prevalent
on this side, not so unusual as to merit
the title zone Mans View" which is
the implied apology which Mr.. Merrick
offers his English readers for the I'M
conventional development of his plot
The hero is an elderly batchelor
whose life has been taken up with the
pursuit Of the law and has been un-
frightened by romance. The heroine
Is the daughter of former friend of
his whose career as an unsuccessful
English artist has been merged into
that Of a very successful hotel keeper
in Duluth. The young lady is stage
struck and comes to England to find
al opening. She does not become an