The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-19

Pearson. A B. American Book COM
pany, New York. For sale by the st.
Paul Book and Stationery company;
90c
This Is clearly written and thoroughly
admirable little book for class use or prf-
vate study. designed to fit the young
scholar for entrance examination to col
lege. 1t Is based upon Xenophons An
abasis." The only trouble is that, while
it may be a successful aid to examina-
tons, 1t would not enable anyone to
write Greek prose.
s'Krzyzacf."
Those who have read "Quo Vadis,
Sienkiewicz's great novel on the days Of
Nero, will be glad to know that he is now
writing another new book. It's title looks
lie pi line from the Mergenthaler. 1t Is
''Krzyzaci'' C"German Knights'O, and the
scene Is laid at the end of the fourteenth
century. The knights of the Teutonic Or
der, or German knights, who had been
dominant in Poland for many years, were
then going fast to their downfall, and the
struggles between them and the native;
Poles afford fine theater for such
dramatic and passionate writer as Sien-
kiewicZ. That he avails himself of such
an admirable opportunity can readily be
understood. He lights up these dark
days in Poland for us in manner that no
other writer could
The story begins with the marriage of
Queen Hedwig Of Poland to the Duke of
Lithuania The people of the latter coun-
try are by this act supposed to have been
converted to Christianity, so that the task
of the Teutonic knights, whose mission
In life was to spread the truths of Chris
tianity among the heather, was practi
cally at an end. These sturdy knights,
however, were loath to remain in idle
ness. Bigoted as they were-and, If we
are to believe Sienkiewicz, they must
have been bellicose fanatics-they deter
mined to assert their spiritual sway over
Poland, and the more ambitious among
them also resolved to claim a substantial
share in the sovereignty of the country.
The great question. then, was whether
these foreign knights or the natives
should be the real rulers.
The hero of the book is gallant young
Polish nobleman, named ZbyszkO. We
first meet with him as he is on his way
to Cracow, where he proposes to take
part in the splendid festivities which have
been arranged In honor Of the expected
heir to the throne. On his way he meets
with the Princess of MaZoWse, who Is a
sister of the king. In her train are sew
eral comely maidens, and the young no.
bleman is quickly attracted toward one
of them. DanuSka her name is, and she is
the daughter of Jurand of Spychowo, a
especially interesting to US because he Is
a sworn enemy of the Teutonic knights.
70 them he owes the keenest sorrow Of
his life-the untimely death Of the one
woman whom he truly loved.
The final chapters, it is said. are not
yet entirely completed but 1t is pretty
safe to prophesy that the work will soon
be in the hands of Sienkiewicz's many
admirers, says the New York Herald.
The romance is now appearing in week
ly paper in Poland, and for this reason
some surprise has been expressed be-
cause translation Of it has not appeared
in other foreign and American periodi-
Gals. In these days of literary syndicates
almost everything that a great novelist
writes is promptly translated and offered
to the readers Of all civilized countries.
Sienkiewicz,s however, can only write
when the spirit moves him, and hence 1t
would be impossible for him to contract
to deliver a certain amount of literary
ware at any given time. Even when he
contributes to Polish periodicals he some
times does not put pen to paper for sew
eral weeks at a time, and the result is
that these periodicals frequently appear
without the promised installments of his
stories.
'The Gambling World"
1.-THE Gambling World" Anecdotal Mem
cries and stories Of personal experience
in the temples of Hazard and Specula-
ton, with some mysteries and iniquitieS
of stock exchange affairs, by Rouge ct
Noir." Dodd. Mead & CO., New York.
One Of the books of the week is by an
unknown author, who hides himself be-
hind the suggestive title Rouge at Noir. -
1t is entitled ''The Gambling World" and
is written in fascinating style. Rouge
ct Noir" takes up the theory of probabili-
ties invented by Pascal, shows that the
cries are entertaining, but often disap-
pointingly delusive. He discusses gamb-
ling hels, Crockford's famous gaming
house, bets and betting, unpleasant wa
gers. English gambling laws, the modern
passion for betting, gambling on the
stock exchange, ignorance Of brokers and
Monte Carlo. He says:
In the autumn Of 1891 one Charles
Wells astonished the visitors at Monte
/ Carlo by his extraordinary success at the
tables. Interviewed by a Times cor
respondent, he declared that he played
according to a system invented by him
self, as nearly infallible as human inge-
nuity could make it. He won indeed 1t
Is said. 100000. But those who watched
his play could not detect anything new in
1t; he simply played boldly and remained
cool, whether he won or lost. He kept on
with double stakes, following up the table
assiduously with the maximum when a
series was running, and dropping his
stances W SiIdller amounts Wnen, the cardS
or colors were persistently intermittent
All this had been done thousands of
times before, but Mr.. Wells was lucky
and won. He had a steam yacht mag
nificently fitted up, with ballroom and
music room, and capable of accommodate
Ing sixty guests. He stayed at Monte
Carlo and Nice during the year 1892, and
gave lavish entertainments on board his
yacht, which were attended by all the
elite staying on the Riviera, and the in
significant. communicating little man.
vulgar In his speech and manner. was
made much Of, for was he not supposed
to be enormously rich and to possess the
ring of King Solomon. by which he could
win wealth untold at Monte Carlo? How
the noblemen and gentlemen of high de-
gree, the fashionable ladies of rank. who
all felt themselves honored In being adj
mitted to his yacht and his presence
must have WINGED when they found
toward the end Of 1892 that their idol had
been arrested at lIavre for swindIing in
france, and that shortly after he was ex-
tradtted to England, where, in January.
1893, he appeared a prisoner at Bow street.
charged with obtaining in England nv
raise pretenses the sum of s2S. 900. he hav
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