The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-18


| IN Hearts Importunate," by Evelyn
| Dickinson, a new field Of fiction has been
| opened, iDasmuch as the scene is laid in
/ New South Wales. No novelist has hith-
erto attempted to handle the life Of the
! Bush in this particular region. but it
| seems not TO be very different from that
Of Victoria, Queensland and the other
Australian States which have been de-
scribed in fiction. IN fact. the local color
| is very unobtrusive the main interest Of
The story being emotional
The heroine Avis Fletcher. is . strik-
ingly beautiful maiden of the Diana tvpe
who. We are given TO understand has left
England on account Of a scandalous love
affair When the story opens she has
been living in retirement for seven or eight
years in the care Of friends of her moth
or Then appears on The scene Ralph Ha-
zell. eX-ofiicer Of the British Army. anna
teur Bushman, and Halter Of women be
cause one woman had played him false.
The emotional crisis is developed from tn
fact that Avis. hating men on general
principles and HAZEL distressing all
women. are still drawn together by an
imperative affinity between their Two ma
tUres. which is stronger than the effects
OF their separate personal experiences The
situation is decidedly novel and rather in
terCstinE The story meanders along for
several chapters. involving the chastise-
ment of q mean little rat OF a peasant who
attempts TO spread Avis story abroad ~
sydney society and We are finally informed
that the love affair was not so very scan
dalous. after all This. considering the
intensity Of feeling and violence Of action
found in previous chapters, is rather in the
ma q al ny 81 ba7 4a-
ment might have been more sensational
and would no doubt have been more diff
cult to manage but il would have been
more in keeping with the general character
Of the story. tNow York: Dodd. Mead d
Coz
"A Maker OF Nations" by Guy Boothby.
is A story Of some adventures and South
American Republic. II has Nj BOo.hbys
usual vigor Of action and originality o.
conception. but lacks the gruesome inter
est OF "Pharos, the Egyptian" whicn is
unquestionably the authors high water
mark thus far The hero. who bears the
somewhat dime novelist name OF Dick
burlington is engaged by Jew named
Spielmann. to assist in getting up reyO-
luton in a small South American country.
which has enjoyed peace and prosperity
for some years. Others associated in the
scheme are pretty American adventures
twho is in love with Dick and a soldier oi
fortune. named MacCartney. besides yaTi-
Gus revolutionists Of native manufacture
burlington and MacCar:ncy who have
been engaged in this sort Of thing for sew
eral years, enter into the scheme with
gusto. partly for the love Of adventure ana
partly for the money there Is TO be in Il.
The course Of events is considerably inter
ferCd with by he fact that Dick promptly
proceeds to fan in love with the daughter
~ the President which naturally hampers
the movement Of his sword arm. anu
eventually leads him To turn traitor To
Spielmann and save the Republic. one ex-
poets the Jew TO take some horrible re-
yenge. but-and this IS a sort OF ana
climay-he does nothing Of the kind. bui
accepts defeat philosophically and sails
peacefully away 10 find new fields VI