The times., 1898-04-24


it has been heralded as even greater in
realism, strength and pathos than Tom
Grogan." which was certainly a great
book. but the reader who begins il witt
any such expectation is likely TO be dis
appointed. in the first place, the title
Is not exactly appropriate. The book
might Just as well have been called
Henry Sanford, Civil Engineer. fol
the movements Of Sanford are chronicled
with even more particular care than
those of Caleb West. who Is rather a
shadowy character for a hero. Mr..
Smith has evidently drawn on some of
his early experiences for material for
this book. and to a certain extent has
put himself into il. The anXieties. am
billions and successes of Henry Sanford,
the young engineer whose first really
important contract is the building OF
Sharks Ledge Lighthouse, are de-
scribed with an exactitude which sug-
Eests memory rather than imagination,
and The interest of the reader through
out is given to this young man quite as
much as TO Caleb West, the big-hearted,
gentle. intrepid diver who has married
a wife too young for him. TO be effect
i've a work Of this kind should be simple
II construction.
With less OF Sanford and more Of
Caleb and Betty il would have teen ar
tis,icaHy fine. but in attempting TO carry
along side 10y side the two plots one
having TO do with Sanford's own circle
Of friends. the other with the sailors and
yvorllmen engaged in the building Of the
lighthouse. Nr- Smith has made slip.
There is too much Of Sanford's own love
story to be merely a foil for that Of
Caleb. and not enough to be really salts
fying 10 the reader. This mixing OF m
terest IS especially noticeable al The eli
max. Instead of laying the book down
with a feeling of satisfaction Al the good
fortune Of Caleb and Betty, the reader Is
plagued with an anxiety TO know what
became of the friendship Of Sanford and
Mrs. Leroy. which is left at a most un-
comfortable and badly poised angle in
short one receives The impression that
Mr. Hopkinson Smith started this book
with the thought, Go to, l viii now
write a story with a workingman for
hero and before he had gotten half
through. having settled the fate Of the
woI kingman became so much interested
ia The fate Of his other hero, as personify-
ing i'm some measure his own past, that
he forgot how much space he was devot-
ing 10 that young man till too late to DO
ANYTHING about II. And the result Is
curiousIy unbalanced story.
This Is the more sorrowful because the
idea cf Caleb Nests character is really
as original and interesting as that Of Tom
Gro2an. caleb is a solitary man, wild
over, engaged IN "A dangerous and alb
sorfing business, in which heroism Is
daily incident and courage. patience ana
self-cantrol traits to be taken as mat
ter OF course. He InarTies, late in life,
bright ana Wilsome young girl, ana Is de-
voted to her. although the eXisencies OF
his business require him to be much away
from home The young wife, through a
sudden emergency. l. called upon 10 nurse
q handsome and reckless young scape-
grace who has met with q serious and al
most fatal accident, and compassion, that
most insidious ally Of love, assists MIN
10 win a sort of affection from her The
Pruff old Captain Joe, Betty's best
friend. and one Of the most live and low
able characters in the book describes the
affair by the laconic remark that she
was hoodOOed. The interest Of the story
centers in the question whether, when
Betty appears cOntriJe and miserable,
and longs TO return TO her husband, the
rericent and deeply-injured man viii be
willing TO receive her. There is moral
problem involved here which. If the story
Were further developed, would make the
book something like novel with pur-
pose" In its present undeVeloped form
the story is ragged There are points here
and there not clear 10 the reader. The
character of Betty is not developed with
tie skill which should have been used with
so attractive and womanly a creature as
she appears in the first chapters. There
are fine passa ges but there should be
more Of them. In a word, the story lacks
power TO convince.
II the two principal characters in this
'longshore drama had been drawn with
half the ciearness and power with which
Captain Joe and Aunty Bell, his wife, are
portrayed; if they had received even the
care which IS bestowed upon Sam, San
ford's valet or Major Slocomb the Po-
cornokian. no fault could have been found,
for these last two people, especially, are
as good as anything in that immortal
character study, Colonel Carter Of Car
tersvilIe" As il is, the whole story Is
Incomplete.
The characters Of Sanford, the engineer,
and Mrs. Leroy, his friend, and their al
most loVer-like relations, are scarcely
more satisfactory. Mrs Leroy is rather
an enigma creation Of lace. satin, hot
house roses. moods and high principles
which crop out in queer places. Sanford
IS an equally curious combination. The
author takes considerable pains TO inform
Us that the young man could, on occasion,
devOur with relish a meal sucn as this:
Fried eggs. sizzling in squares Of pork: ha=hed
potatoes, Drowned IN what left OF the slzzlei
saleratus biscuit full Of dark spots; and coffee
IN tin cups. long years OF association had
familiaFizcd Sanford with certain Tlles OF eu
ouettc 70 be observed at a meal like this HC
know that 10 leave anything on his plate would
have been regarded as evidence Of extreme lad
manners, suggesting moreover reflection upol
tie skin of the cook. It was also part Of the
code 20 wipe ones knife carefully upon the last
piece ~ bread, which was 10 be swallowed i'm
Tnodiately thus oblteratIng all traces Of the re-
past. except, Of cOuTse the bones, which must
lie picked clean and piled the side Of the
plate lie wiped his knife and cleared hls
plate as carefully as any Of his men. He drank
from bis Tin cup, and ate his eggs and irled pork,
too. with Tie same zest TINT he would have felt
before one Of Sans choicest breakfasts
Mr Smith. however. takes particular
pains 10 inform US what Sanford had tC
eat when he reached his bachelor apart
ments He had cucumbers smothered
in ice, soft-sheI crabs and a roll ot
cream cheese. wiki dash Of kirsch
and sugar. il Is not out OF place In a
character study OF an epicure like Col.
Garter TO describe the cuisine and the
menu Of that gentleman. and his mem
orable discourse on canV2sback duck
could III be spared from literature; but
IL ought not to be necessary TO remind
Mr.. Smith that q novel is not intended
Tor 4OuhB HouSeheeper fIlend,
and that IL is not necessary to
inform the reader on every
occasion Just what the guests
at q dinner had 10 eat. and just what
kind Of a vase was used for the center
piece Of flowers. IN fact, whenever
the author ge-s into Sanford's bachelor
apartments he seems TO be seized with
q sort Of frenzy for eXpatiating on their
furniture. He tells US how they looked
when the owner was entertaining his
friends IN them and how they looked