The times., 1898-11-06
novels in having no real reason for its
existence. (New York: Dodd, Mead &
Recent Fiction.

Recent Fiction.
The Rejuyenation of Miss Semaphor"
is a fanciful tale with some humor in It,
rather hastily and crudely written by Hal
Godfrey. 1t deals with the tribulations of
two respectable English maiden ladies
over bottle of magic water. The water
had the property of renewing the youth
of the drinker; it was broken; one of the
maiden ladies drank up the liquid to
save 1t and was reduced to a helpless,
squalling baby. That is all the plot. The
complications which ensued may be imag
ined. (Boston: L. C. Page & Coz
1.-THE Instinct of Stepfatherhood" is
volume of short stories by Lillian Bell.
Some are good and lsome not SO good.
and there are seven In all. The best by
all odds is Mary Louis Marryin,
quaint, pathetic, humorous and alto
gether delightful story of a Southern
Y plantation. The description of Southern
hospitality Is sympathetic and charming,
and the dialect bewitching. Lizzie
Lees Separation is another happily told
story of Southern life, and the story
which gives its name to- the book, is not
bad. while "A Study in Hearts Is psy-
| Geological romance cieverly done and full
of interest. The other tales are of indff
ferent quality. (New York: Harper &
Bros.)
"A Herald of the West" by ]. S. Alt
sheler, Is u story of the early days of the
republic. dealing especially with WASH
ington, New York and New Orleans dur
ing the war of 1872. Particular attention
Is paid to the causes of this war and TO
the state of feeling then existing in the
country-a condition not unlike that of
the present year before the declaration
of war with Spain. The hero, Philip Ten
Brock, is a Kentuckian and something
of q lay figure. being sent here and there
on diplomatic errands. which give oppor-
tunity for the description of noted places
and persons. Gen. Jackson, Henry Clay
and President Madison figure in the mar
rative. New York: d. Appleton & Co.
$l.50.)
Friendship and Folly" by Maria
Louise Pool, Is not one of the best ex-
amples OF that authors work, although
It has Its good points. The hero. Rodney
Lawrence, has been in love with a bril-
liant, dashing coquette, whom Miss Pool,
by some ironical whim. calls Prudence
Ffolliot Tilted by Prudence he engages
himself to her cousin Carolyn, but being
thrown with his old flame on the day be-
fore his wedding he elopes with her In
stead. Through fortunate property
bicycle accident, however. Rodney is set
free and eventually weds Carolyn. The
book interests one for an hour. and that
is ALL Boston: L. c. Page. & Coz
Stories of the Cherokee Hills" is
book of dialect stories by Maurice Thomp-
merit. but all have 10 do with life on the
upland farms OF Georgia. Most of them
describe some phase OF the race oues-
tion-or, rather, the relations between the
races In the South-for Mr.. Thompson
does not admit that there is any prob
lem to solve. His fdea is that the whole
business will eventually be settled by the
law of nature; and settled light-hearted-
ly and easily. like huge joke he also
gives the impression that slavery was
sort of joke in the happy highland re-
gion about which he writes. and he is
altogether most determined optimist.
These ideas are expressed In Color Line
Jocundities." a rambling preface; then
comes the book proper. Ben and Judas,
which is full of rich, roilicking humor.
Is perhaps the best of the collection and
the best tale OF It's kind which the author
has ever written; and next to this Is
"a Dusky Genius" .Hodson's Hide
Out" is study of the hermit-like .sec.u-
sion of the Southern mountaineer. Two
or three other stories are intended to
show the ethical value and essential ne
cessity OF the color-line, and they DO 1t
more or less artistfcally and effectively.
though the purpose Is so prominent as
rather to spoil the art. (Boston: Hough-
ton, Miffiln & Co. Washington: Bren-
tano)
Gross Trails" by Victor Waite is a
book of adventure, not quite like other
books Of adventure. The hero, one of
those vagabond Englist,men who pitch
their tent where the British flag is still
newcomer. becomes the possessor Of an
old parchment telling OF lost Spanish
galleon containing untold treasure. He
thinks little of this tale at first, and half
the book is taken up with stories of his
wild ventures and light loves, the latter
treated with remarkable candor on the
part of the author and with vivid de-
scriptive power. Through all of these
adventures. In the Argentine Confedera-
ton and then In Australia, he is dogged
by most unpleasant Gaucho named
Diaz, who is after the treasure; and at
intervals the gaileons tradition crops up
in unexpected places. The weakness OF
bility to womankind, but he has other
weaknesses, and he is not, take him for
all In all, a particularly heroic hero. He
is a clearly-drawn character, however
and Mr.. Waite has unquestionably the
power OF making the wild life of the
plains reality to his reader. Every
character in the book is alive Boston:
L. c. Page & Coz
''The Young Bank Messenger" is
story for boys, by Horatio Alger, jr., and
is the latest number in the Good For
tune Library" The hero. Ernest Ray, be-
gins the adventures chronicled in the book
on prairie claim in Iowa, the ward of
an old man who has been a servant in
his fathers family, but whom the boy
supposes TO be his uncle. After the death
of the old man, Ernest. having learned
the truth, starts out to seek his fortune
with comrade, Luke Robbins. He has
some lively adventures with outlaws and
bank robbers. and subsequently reaches
California, where he accumulates snug
little fortune In addition to this he
finally gains possession of an estate left
him by his father. which has fallen into
the hands of cousin, so that Mr.. Alger
seems to have treated his hero quite as
we'll as the most exacting boy reader
could ask. philadelphia: Henry T.
Coates & Coz
1.-THE Gospel Writ in Steel,' by Arthur
Paterson. is story of the American Civil
War, written from the extreme Unionist
point of view. The hero John Burletson.
is Wisconsin man, and the story opens
In the midst of the excitement prevailing
in that State after the attack on Fort