The times., 1898-06-19
i III ] i1}!:@l 5 ! t|t.1 t1al

of adventure. wild, exciting. often dan
gerous, and Is most skidfuiiy told. The
boy falls into the hands of band of rob-
bers, known as the Thousand Devils, and
not having the savage nature requisite
for a member of the band, becomes their
horse boy.
BY strange chance he is welded to
noblemans daughter. one Mademoiselle
Edmee. and helps her to escape from the
robbers camp. Befriended by divers peo-
pie whom he serves, he finally discovers
his fathers friends and wins his true
place in the world. Then, after several
years of separation, he meets Edmee once
more and after a somewhat stormy WOO
ing, wins her as his willing bride. The
author knows his ground, he knows his
tory, and, above all, he knows how to tell
a story. The characters are we'll drawn,
and the plot is put together in a skillful
manner. John of Strathbourne'' is well
worthy of place among historical ro-
mances.
The latest collection of Tales from
McClure's'' comprises war stories by half
a dozen different people. The book is
tiny one, not too large TO be carried in
a vess-pocket. and the stories are there
fore short. The first is The Bravest
Deeds Ever Knew by Gen, Miles; I'm
a Bowery Regiment by Capt. Musgrove
Davis; THE Bravest Deed OF the War,
by Capt. T. ]. Mackey; The Men in the
Ranks by Major Philip Douglas, and
other stories I'LL the remainder of the
book THE Escape" by Major Alfred r.
Calhoun, is story of one of the many
risky escapes from Libby Prison. One
Of the Union men, who was tailor be-
fore he enlisted, was engaged by Con-
federate officer to make full-dress uni
form for him to wear to a ball. The uni
form was made, but on the day 1t was
TO have been delivered the tailor. who
had up to that time been suffering with
rheumatism in the legs so that he could
not move put on his completed work
and walked out of the door in it. And
all the objurgations OF the disgusted Con-
federG..e officer did not avail to bring
him back.
Cornell Stories" by James Gardner
Sanderson, is a book of college tales, told
in the terse, brusque style of the college
man and interspersed with plenty of To-
cal slang The slang, however, does not
make the stories uninteligible, although
there might be little less OF it with ad-
vantage Those who know college life
will chuckIe over some of these pages
with unadulterated delight and those who
do not will enjoy them for their dramatic
force their humor and the insight they
give into the life and customs of the lth-
acan One of the brightest is THE Woo
ing of Melville r. Corydon." which de-
scribes the efforts made by upper class
men to get a particularly desirable Fresh
man into their pet societies. Corydon had
three suitors, and never was maiden
courted more delicately or persistently
than he; nor was maiden ever more coy
~, h.ar- ST NI-ni
full of the spirit of Alma Mater is "One
Who Didn't" " which depicts the feelings
Of a senior who missed graduation. Per
i haps the best of all. artistically is Lit
! tie Tyler" the story of the hunchback
/ who by his misfortune was debarred from
! all college associations with the exception
/ Of the friendship of Torresdale of the foot
! bah team. How Little Tyler won his
place as a Cornell man In good and regu-
/ lar standing IS the story. and 1t is a very
good story. Others in the book are
! Company DIS Revenge and The FL
! der Miss Archlen.'
(New York; Charles Scribner's Sons.)
/
with Fire and Sword" is a historical
novel Of Poland and Russia, by Henryk
/ Sienkewicsz translated by Jeremiah
Curtin. There are people who will Ike
! this even better than "Quo Nadis,' which
undoubtedly achieved its immense popu-
/ larity because of its dealings with the
! early Christian era. rather than on ac-
! count of its superiority over the author 5
/ previous work. II is q story of camp and
court, something IN the style of The
Three Musketeers' and so far as a novel
| can be like a picture. il is like the work
of the famous Russian painter of battles,
Verestchagin. There is grewsome pic
ture of the Tartar invasion, and there
| are some realistic and stirring battle
scenes.
The half-barbarous superstition of the
time is woven all through the book. and
| there is no glossing over of the horrors
! and barbarities of medieval warfare.
| Sienkiewicsz treats these matters with
| the cool and imperturbable ANALYSIS OF
the Hungarian Jokai. This attitude may
! be the outcome of Oriental fatalism OF
of a high artistic philosophy, but it af-
! fects the Western mind rather unpleas-
antly. A part of the apparent apathy OF
the author however. is doubtless due to
the fact that the book as we see it is q
translation. The most impassioned and
sympathetic romance suffers in the proc
ess of transplanting 10 another country.
The book is issued, in a popular edition
by Little, Brown & Co.
"Arachne." by Georg Ebers has JUS
appeared in little two-volume edition
Cd. Appleton & Coz, translated from the
German by Mary J. Stafford. Like
"Uarda," The Egyptian Princess" anC
other works of this author, its scene i:
| laid on the banks of the Nile and the
time is the third century before Christ
The book has all the power and charm
of Ebers' other historical romances, anC
should be distinct success in this coun
try.
"Ta,-ap Ron Sair I,v wa lL.ar Kennedy
CFrederick a. Stokes & Coz, is, as it:
name indicates. a historical romance O.
Judea. The period is that of the rebel
lion aginst King Rehoboam; the place, al
along the highway from Jerusalem tC
Shehem. The hero, a young Israelite,
soldier in the kings army, kills a mar
in a street brawl and is forced 10 flee FOL
safety TO one Of the cities of refuge. Aftel
some little accidents, he arrives at the
city of refuge in safety, and is eventually
cleared of the charge of murder and re
stored 10 the woman with whom he is il
love. The chief merit of the book is the
way IN which II describes the ancien
customs and manners of Judea.
The reader finds. in pursuing the story
that' certain Biblical institutions which
have come TO seem half-mythical take ol
an air of reality. The city of refuge i
divested Of the metaphorical significanc
which many sermons have given it. AM
begins to seem natural and very neces
sary device for the administration o
| justice among semi-civiliZed people
The descriptions of scenery and costume
are attractive, and the book is a particu
larly good one for Sunday school libra
| ries.
"a Duel With Destiny Orexel Biddle
PHILADELPHIA, Is the work of a youn