The age-herald., 1898-07-31

Robert w. Chambers is a young novelist and author of New York city. He has gained an envable reputation through his short stories, "King In Yellow" though he has written nine excellent long ones, notably '"The Red Republc'' and "A King and Few Dukes Recently he has writ ten short stories for the various maga- zines, eleven of which have been collected and published under tn title of "The Haunts of Men," These stories as whole not only sustain but advance the authors reputa- tion. Several of the stories depict the Latin quarter and life in Paris. MT. Cham- bers paints Parisian student life and at- mosphere with a master hand, for he knows whereof he speaks. He has drawn his in- spiration from the true source, as he lived and worked as a young Amrican artist for several years in the Latin quarter. These stories, An Ambassador Extraordinary "Enter the Queen" and "Another Good Man. are entirely different from the other stories in the book. This, however, but proves the authors versatility. The reader is here delighted to take up again the ad- ventures of "Foxhall Clifford" Elliott and the inimitable cocotle "Colette." It is said N~NSSt'tAOiA English writer has depicted the students life of the Latin quarter like MT. Cham bers.
 "Pickets'' and several other short sketches of the civil war are full of feel ing and sentiment. His grace of style, vivid power of charac cterization, cleverness of plot, and suggesdveness are MT. Cham bers' strong points and proclaim him mas ter of his craft.
 It would be interesting in this day, when such a numberless class of popular young writers claim our notice and favor to know in just what esteem and Veneratlon each one is held by his fellow-writers. It is said that Frank R. Stockton has most charming den at the very top of his house, placed there to assure greater quletnesS and seclusion from distracting noises and visitors. Much is being written of the or iginaity and eccentric ideas of this highly esteemed young author. as shown forth Tn the attractiveness and Individuality of his little sky parlor. Not every one is admit ted to this little sanctum, and those who are so privileged seem to regard 1t as a special honor and hasten to write about the incident as furnishing very close view of the personality of the author.
 Like many other dens, there are four walls to this exclusive retreat, but unlike any other of which we nave reau, tlese walls classify the authors which Frank R. Stockton has read and approved, for he does not believe that all men are equal in the eye of the literary law.
 On one side of this little room are ranged the authors who stand first in MT Stock toms estimation. It is interesting, tho not silrprising to know that on this side he has placed well up in the first rank Robert Louis Stevenson, Dumas and Kipling. In A magazirie some years since MT. Gosse speaks of the peculiar esteem in which Mr. Frank Stockton's stories were held by Rob ert Louis Stevenson, and when MT. Gosse came to this country to lecture he was commissioned by MT. Stevenson to lay at the feet of MT. Stockton his homage, couched in the following lines:
 My Stockton if I failed to like,
 It were a sheer depravity;
 For went down with the Thomas Hyke,'
 And up with the Negative Gravity.
 We are prepared to learn that MT. Stock- ton holds Stevenson in the highest esteem, for no one that has read Stockton's work has failed to note Stevensonian flavor in the gracefulness and huDor of his work, fin the sweetness and wholesomeness of the treatment and In the sing1larity and orig inality of the pattern.
 On the next side are placed those who fall a little below the highest standard; then come writers in the third degree of his affection, and occupying the third side of the room, while a small group take the fourth place and fourth wall. However