The times., 1898-10-30

fishing vessel. With the aid of u crew
OF Chinese the two manipulate the vessel,
the captain having been eliminated by
one OF those devices known to romance
| railing in with a set of beach-combers
or the most degraded Chinese type they
/ make "A bargain-or rather Moran docs
Tor part OF the carcass of a sperm
whaie FINDING In this carcass lump OF
| ahipereris worth a good-sized 70. tune
they determine to secure it, and, to save
their lives as well as their fortune, are
iorced to fight pitched battle with their
haI-human, savage allies. 1t is return
TO the primitive life of humanity 1t is
lhe story of type of high civilization
OF the nineteenth century-a man NOR
any. mentally, and physically thorough
| pred-thfown head first into the condi-
| IONS OF the Middle Ages, or even of the
me peiore the Middle Ages-the days
when Thorfin Karlsefne sailed among
iceperss IN a sea-serpent galley. So wild
ana uarlng a conception would occur to
/ tew writers, and only one in hundred
10 whom 1t might occur would be able
to work ii out. Mr.. Norris seems to be
equai to his task. The story is vivid.
| s'fohS, forceful, the hero himself
fhisht nave told 1t. The man who can
| write such a tale as this should be able to
40 other good work OF an unusual sort 1t
Is one OF the best sea tales OF the year
tNew YORK: Doubleday * Mcclure Com
pahy. Washington: Woodward Lo-
throp.)
Anglo-Saxons, Onward by Benjamin
husf Davenport, is described as "A Ro-
nance OF the Future" 1t frankly adyo-
Gates the alliance of America with Eng
/ iand, and the author allows his imagina-
ton to run wild in picturing possible (or
ihipossible) invasion of Palestine by new
army of Western Crusaders recruited
from the armies OF England and America
ihe story is written with considerable
| power and has IA certain spirited move
ment and audacity of Imagination which
interests the reader. AS a serious work it
cannot be said TO be worth much but in
this time of transition almost anything
may be Interesting a mere speculation.
cleveland: Hubbell Publishing Company)
Rex Wayland's Fortune; or, The Secret
or the Thunderbird, is a story of adven-
ture for boys, written with fair amount
OF skill and d large amount of interesting
material The scene is laid in and near
Seattle, and the boy Rex, together with
an old prospector and pioneer, goes on a
search for some Indian treasure secreted
| IN the days of Spanish dominion. There
Is plenty of incident in the book. a fight
bruin being among the adventures of the
hero. There is a good deal of local color.
sk!lItuIly laid on, and the boy who reads
TINS DOCK is bound to learn a considerable
number of Chinook words. though he may
have a very haZy idea how they are pro-
nounced. Almost as prominent as the
hero is the hero's mother, and the dedi-
cation leads one to believe that the wife
OF the author sat for the portrait of that
In ma fla. LODI l.
manly young fellow and one becomes in
terested in him almost at the first With
the book comes recommendation from
Melville l. stone, of the Associated Press
Whlch Is rather amusing in Its naivete
The gentleman in question says that he
has not read the book. but that he is sure
that it should have a large sale because
the author is "a loyal newspaper man
loyal to good principles and has given per-
ception' whatever that may be sup
posed TO mean. Chicago: Laird & Lee)
AS Man Lives by Mary c. Ferris. is
an old-fashioned love story, with a pret
ty, poor and somewhat prosecuted hero
Inc, hero who loves her in spite OF all.
and plenty of accessories In the way of
minor characters and appropriate sur
roundings. The scene is laid partly in
America and partly in England, and, of
course, the fairy prince marries the prin-
cess and both live happily ever after. in
endless English comfort, by county-folk
caressed" 1t is just the book for girl
IN the corner of couch, with box of
caramels in her lap and nothing to do for
several hours. (Cincinnati: The Editor
fubhshins Company. rs cents.)
THE Story of a Yankee: His Advent
ures Ashore and Afoat" by Herbert 4,
Hamblen. is another of the numerous sto-
ries for boys which are usually turned
out In holiday season. 1t is rather mvs-
terry why this book should have been
written, unless because other books for
boys nave been written without much
material, and the author thought he could
do 1t as well as any one else. 1t begins
with an interesting account of the way in
which two boys undertook to insinuate
an animal of the species known politely
as Mephitis Americana into the hen-house
of respectable maiden lady. and how
they were caught in the act and received
a well-deserved flogging afterward. The
language is not particularly classic, nor
are the characters of the boys in anv
way remarkable, either for good or bad.
Mr. Hamben has done some rather good
things in the way of recording the ac-
uons of grown people, but the truth is
that almost any person knows of what an
amount of unmeaning and simian foolery
the average boy is capable, and the re-
cital of 1t is not entertaining even to the
boy. Most boys, in fact can remember
adventures in their own lives or those of
their companions which are more enter
tanning than those related in this book.
1t is one of those books whose existence
needs explanation, and needs it very bad
ly. (New York: Charles Scribner's
SonsD
THE Widower," by w. E Norris. is
cleverly constructed story of English
life, involving a young lady and her
adopted father, who occupy the position
of heroine and hero, respectively. The
maiden, who goes by the somewhat mys-
terious name of Cuckoo. Is a wistful, af-
fectionate, wayward and lovable little
body, and the Honorable James PEN
nant, who has been led by a succession
Of circumstances to bring her up as his
own child. is a person of quite dissimilar
nature. Not having the intuitive sympa-
thy of blood kindred for each other
faults and failings, they are continually
misunderstanding each other despite the
most laudable intentions. The situation
is further complicated by the fact that
Cuckoo has no suspicion that she is
really not born Pennant, and when
she discovers this fact, toward the end
of the volume, there Is quite naturally
disturbance. The storm of injured feel
ing, resentment, contrition and good
resolutions, which follows, however, suf-
fees to clear the air, and the happy de-
nouement is further assisted by the good
Offices of certain Fitzroy Pennant,
adopted cousin of Cuckoo, who plays a
sort of knight-errant role. There is
OH in, ha