The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-01-21

wRITTBN o n SUNDAY REPUBLIC
Mr.. Francis Marion CrawTord's new book,
'via Crucis," IS finding e popularity which
this always patnstajIing author has Eone-
what missed of Iate. Mr.. Crawf0rd's
scholarship is worthy and directed worth
fly. He writes with force and conviction
and never. perhaps. more convincingly than
in this romance OF the second crusade ID
Crucis." CThe Macmillan Company
L: is in the year II45 that the story be-
gins. Though the reader IS taken TO Francs
10 Rome, and over tho troubled paths
trsversed by the crusaders, the story opens
in Old England under n clear English SKY,
at the beginning OF q fowery English May.
Young Gilbert warne. the hero OF the
story, ne who trod so braveIy the way OF
she cros-via Crucis-was a boy. proud to
Eight with his father. brave and loyal Ray
mond Wsrde. for the TiEhtful sovereign.
Maud, against Stephen the usurper. He
was q man when h brought his fathers
body homs 10 thu manor house OF Stoke
Regis, and when Ia swo-e that he would
Kill In fair eight his fathers murderer, Sir
Arnold de Curtoil. d. Crrboil ives a
neishbor Of ths wsrdss. bu. he e-poused
shs cause OF Stephen, and when III. two
ueirhbor met IN battle. Sir Arnold treach-
srously slew tho Lord OF Stoke that he
might wed his beautiful wife. the Lady
Coda When Gilbert learned that his
mother wa. false. that she had connfved
1t his fathers death. and welded his muir
ferer within a month OF the timo that her
oniy son had bean left for dead in the for
sse, HIS heart wss turned TO bitterness
Gilbert had met and oravely fought Tho
traitorurs De Curooil. and had been LEFT
for DEAD. Some kindly monks had nursed
and cared for him. when he was strong
enough to know he was told the sad story,
and informed that his estate OF Stoke Regis
had been taken by thu usurping King and
even to his mothers husband. De Curb1.l
had Q beautiful Laughter, Beatrix. with
whom Gilbert had PLAYED in childhood. lie
loved her and hoped 10 marry her. but this
wedding Of their parents brought them
within the church's decree. Such q mating
would be within tho forbidden degrees OF
sfinity.
The rood Abbot OF Cheering sent Gilbert
to France. with a purse OF gold and two
serving men. Dunstant and Alrtc. There he
came upon Godfrey Plantagenet, father OF
Henry, who wss 10 be King Of England
They were pleased with the gallant young
Englishman. and especially with his 10y
atty, so they took him to Paris and pre-
scented him to the King eni Queen. Louis
and the beautiful Eleanor. Eleanor Of Gas
cony YVES to be rid OF her monEish French
husband and become Queen of England and
mother OF Richard the Lion-Hearted. but
now sho was tho French Queen. She looked
upon the young English giant. with his
manly bearing and handsome. honest face
and she loved him, hut he understood not
the reason OF her favor. She was kind. and
she made him tell her tho story Of his life
and even OF Beatrfx, whom he thought
beautiful. Then Gilbert made a pilg1mag:
TO Rome. While there. n letter came from
Eleanor. telling him to return and that Bea,
trix was one OF her ladies'.
That brought Gilbert at once. but he az
not see Beatrix, and the Queen would not
answer his eager questions. "She had used
the only means. and the strongest means
OF bringing Gilbert back TO France; she
had foredreamt his coming. she had fore
known that from the first he would ask
for Beatr1x; but she had neither known nor
Greamt OF which she should feel when be
standing at her feet below the platform,
looked up 10 her Offering eyes with a
hunger I'm his face which she could moi
satisfy, and a desire which she could not
fulfil. His very asking for the other had
been a refusal of herself, and to be refused
IS a shame which no loving woman will ac-
cept while love is living and an insult