The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-25

pr,.f Reviews Of Important and Intero.tlne
New Publications.


Mr.. a. Rider Haggard. who conducted us in
,he most interesting manner to the mines Of
solomon and the cave OF She. who set before us
,ba love history OF Montezuma's daughter and
,,ov easilylfor us in NADIA the Lily more than
ian under the guns OF Napoleon. has now writ
Ton A novel about the smallpox. DIR. Therno"
uongmans. Green 4 Col tells a curious story.
and no reader will be likely to say that Il is
nninteresting. though some MAJ make reflec-
lions upon It as a work OF art, 1t may be. fur
Their. that IL serves q benefcent purpose as q
nrophecy and a warning. Many were startled
when the English Government. a short time
AGO. decided that vaccination should he no
longer compulsory. DIR. Theme" sets forth
that this was a most unhappy and criminal
concession to the obstinate and the fool
,sb. The story opens with a picture OF
the ravages OF the smallpox among the
upvacciuated people OF Mexico. OF course Mr..
UaReard Is too picturesque n historian to allow
Il to be thought that all the thrilling dangers at
large in Mexico are dependent upon the small
pox. DR.. Theme, travelling by coach from
Vera Cruz to the capital. encounters fret the
danger OF love. and Is afterward set upon by
bandits. He escapes from the bandits. but 10
happy to succumb to the girl. We we're eight
in the coach. which was drawn by as many
~mules-four merchants. two priests. myself
anu IHt ldu1 Nho "olu HI VIII
That is a venturesome way to put II. but we
dare say that the meaning will not be mis-
apprchended except by the conscienceless.
Her name. I soon discovered. was Emma
Becker. She was a blue-eyed and fair-haired
American from New York; She was good
looking. and It must be that Mr.. HaR-
CARDS brother. Capt. Andrew Haggard. never
saw her. for he once wrote In Bldcktoood's Mag
anne that he had wake from one end OF
Broadway to the other looking for a pretty
face. and. being unable to find one. had salts
fed him self that there was nothing OF the kind
IN the city. Emma Becker. looking from the
window Of the coach. was attracted by the vol
cano Of Orizaba. DR.. Theme was asleep. his
head reposing on the shoulder OF one OF the
priests. who snored tempestuously. but she
did not hesitate to waken him. Forgive me
for disturbing you. DIR. Therne." she said.
but you really must look" He admired the
mountain. and then. turning his eyes upon
Emma Becker's face. fell In love with it. The
bandits arrived presently. They forced the
passengers to alight and stood them up in a
row along the roadway 1t was at the edge of
a precipice. The great chasm below was
filed with mist. Eye could not penetrate
It. One OF the merchants tried to run
away. The bandits pursued him with jeers
and laughter and put him to the sword-tot the
10TH VI I vi NoulSCs hIOWh DO Vic hluCllSlC.
The doctor and Emma Becker were left for a
nom ent alone. This was their opportunity.
They leaped over the precipice. AS they stood
painting at the bottom, a dark object rushed
through the mist from above. 1t appeared:
1t drew near: II struck and fell to pieces like a
shattered glass;" 1t was the coach. The other
passengers had been shut up in 1t. This was
the common bandit way OF disposing Of prison.
ers after their valuables had been secured.
"'Come away moaned Emma" and the two
ran. or rather reeled. into the shelter OF the
trees upon the plain" When they came to the
village where the smallpox was raging. Emma
Becker. who had come from a community
where everybody is vaccinated. failed
at first to understand. Look at all
those people sleeping" she said. Why.
there are a lot more Just lying down
over there. What funny folk to go to bed in
public in the afternoon" Here we must take
leave to think that she really said folks" in
stead OF folk" Americans almost invariably
insist upon the plural Of thisw word. Speaking
from her heart. and giving unconsidered ex-
preston to the conclusions OF her education. Il
must be that Emma Becker said What funny
folks Still. this is a fine point. very easily to
he overlooked. even by the scrupulous. Mr..
Fipiing, who has mastered many American ex-
pressions, and apparently been delighted with
llbW. III ole VI ll5 CildI say
Both gates! Step lively" in the solemn bush
Of Westminster Abbey. permits his Cape Cod
Captains. we believe. to speak Of folk" Per-
haps Mr.. Haggard considered it to be "a-suitin'
and a-httin'" to allow Emma Becker. whom
his brother, Capt. Andrew Haggard. overlooked.
to talk like Mr.. Kipling's Cape Cod Captains. 1t
is not our intention to reveal in anything like
detail the plot that Mr.. Haggard has provided
for this unusual story. How it came about that
Dr.. Theme. returning to England. hypocriti-
cally gave countenance to the characterization
lists the reader should ascertain for himself.
thereby assuring to himself a pleasure inevita-
be but not foreseen. We say pleasure. but OF
course it is a grim pleasure that such a story Is
calculated to give. The chapter entitled The
Coming OF the Red-Headed Man" and showing
how the smallpox was brought into an unvac-
cinated English community. is certainly a
shocking chapter. The red headed man drank
at the public fountain. He "knelt down and
drank copiously, making a moaning sound as
he Gulped the water. which was very peculiar
and unpleasant to hear. When he had
satisfied his thirst he sat himself upon
the marble edge OF the basin and suddenly
plunged his legs, boots and all. into the water.
It's touch seemed to please him. for. with a sim
gle swift movement. he slipped in altogether.
sitting himself down on the bottom OF the
IL bucH III tIdO ohiJ lie iaSS ehS
fiery red head. from which the hat had fallen. re-
NAMED above the surface. wherein they seemed
to float like some monstrous and unnatural
growth OF course this red headed man had
the smallpox and was trying to allay the fever.
The children gathered about the fountain and
Knocked him and pelted him with sticks and
pebbles. He came out of the water and chased
them. catching many and kissing them. The
result may be imagined. for nobody had
been vaccinated In that community for
twenty years. As FOR DR.. Theme. his only
daughter. beautiful and trusting. sue
cumbed to the disease. and he himself.
h~ypocrite to the last. vaccinated himself prl-
vltely whil' running for Parliament on the
characterization ticket. Here is the end OF
him. DR.. Murchison. who was engaged to be
married to his daughter. exposed him at a
great political meeting in the town hall. Muir
derer OF your own child" cried DR.. Murchison.
Il reveal that which you hide!" Then. says
the narrator. who is the culprit himself. with
his right hand he suddenly caught me by the
throat. with his left he gripped my