The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-05-11

! feduefs Dy Mary j. SaHord.
l This lis a romance OF the reign of
| Nero. 1t is not QUO Nadis" by any
| means but II commands consideration
! nevertheless as IN the front rank of the
many bits OF fiction that Nero's time
has suggested TO authors looking for q
| strong background for the work OF
| their imagination. To the Rome of
| Nero comes a young Greek sculptor,
simple In nature. pure in thought. seek
| Ing only the possibilities of advance
ment which the great city. wherein is
| the throne of the Lord OF the Universe,
| Is supposed TO offer But the young
sculptor, Metellus, Is not the hero of
the romance so much as is the Inflated
Octavia the heroine. The young scHp-
| tor is utilized 10 more pointedly accu-
rately picture Nero and the Rome Of
Nero's time by contrast.
The reader naturally falls in SYM
pathy with Metellus and sees through
his ewes the terrible. the tragic the
comedy and the vulgarlty of the period.
The young sculptor IL made the tool on
Nero's designs TO compromise his En-
press and bring about her death ana
the intimate relationship which he
comes to bear TO both Emperor and
Empress serves To contribute TO the
making OF number OF sngularly
graphic chapters illustrative OF the life
at the court. The opening description OF
the Neronian circus is hardly exceiiec
either in r2lsantic fiction or history.
Nero's character is portrayed with
broad strokes. Whether history does or
does not justify the idealzation or
Octavia produced by Walloth's skillful
pen. her part i'm this thrilling romance
is appealing Best OF all. as work OF
fiction. the story moves repidly, the IN
cidents are thrilling. the climaxes are
impressive and we nave book to read
that IL calculated to keep up up o night.
to finish it, (For sale by Preston ana
Rounds. Price $l.5oD
THE CoNSPIRATORS, by Robert w.
Chambers
THE Conspirators' Is the newest OF
the fine, sturdy, rapid and readable
stories by Robert w. Chambers The he
TO il a young American cavalry ofncer
who is sent to the Dutchy of Luxem-
borg as military attache To the Ameri-
can legation--for il appears that IN our
very time the time of The Mckinley
administration OF samoan complca-
tions and "Hoch de Kaiser, the CHRIST
mas pantomime little independent state
of LuxcmbOrg is a Disturbing factor III
our Internal lonal relations.
Lieut. Hardy, the hero of The Con-
spirators." certainly finds sufficient
ly disturbing time OF Ii. although as
he WINS a charming wife and gets
lot OF fun out of the complications, ne
has nothing 10 complain OF by the time
experiences have become remin sciences
.'It only needs a pair of Yankees in
a country To knock the romance out OF
it," according to an observation or Mr.
Chambers hero. But as a matter OF
fact Lieut.. Hardy finds no end OF ro-
nance in the Luxembory incident ana
the reader may well marvel how sue
cessful. Mr.. Chambers IN making
events and scenes. Moreover If you do
not know Luxemborg. Lieut. Hardy s
brief notes OF that quaint place are cai-
culated to make you want 10 VISIT IL.
regardless of the adventures which the
people of this book CHANGED TO nave
there.
The new novel is calculated to still
further increase Mr.. Chambers reputa-
ton as first rate story-teller. He has
a free and easy sort of a style-which,
by the way, is quite different from
slipshod style. His men are manly and
his women charming. He invests or
binary incident with all the romance
that is possible to get out. of IT. He mas
lots OF ingenuity i'm the making or plots
which strike one az clever rather than
deep. and his unbroken good humor is
hound to De shared hv his reader
1.-The Consprators" Is captivating
story. Nr. Chambers has done nothing
better. Doubtless he VIII write 1 het-.
,cr ono some day To our mlcS how
ever he doesn't need to-. publisher Dy
Harper and Brothers. Price Sl.5W.
THE FARRINGDONS, by Ellen
Thorneycroft Fowler
In THE Farringdons," the newest
novel by Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler Cd.
Appleton and Company. a most reada-
hle story of the fortunes Of several in
teresting people is provided Miss Fow-
Ier's heroine Is Elizabeth Harrington,
the adopted daughter of an old estab-
lished family in a we'll settled English
manufacturing town. Her develop
ment from childhood il made so in
teresting that she Is likelv to live a
good while in the n,e mory OF readers as
one of the most enjoyable acquaint-
ances recent fiction has introduced to
us Elizabeth develops into an admira-
bile Young woman, though her author
does not rob her Of fun share OF wom-
ans Weaknesses without which she
would not be so charming To the man
who read about her rso natural TO
the woman. Christopher Thornley,,
however Is weak only in a manly dif-
fdence about declaring himself an0 SC
permits things to drift ii Way 10 I'M :
peril both his own happiness and Eliz-
abeths.
II is about the fortunes of these two
admirable characters that the story
centres. But there are other folks III
the book who are interesting, too. nota-
bly the man whose strong willed inn
dellsm robs his wife of her religious
faith and the wife herself. who, once
having abandoned her God, II unable
10 believe I'm Him when the time comes
that she needs His help. There n much
good humor and wit In the characters
and incidents OF life I'm the respectable
old town and n plot that threads It's
way through the story reaches n con-
clusion the unexpectedness OF which
adds To the pleasure that the reader
will find In this romance. tFor sale by
Gregory. Price $3.50.
DIANA TEMPEST. by Miss Chol-
mondeley:-
The remarkable circulation achieved
for the book Red Pottagc" has nat
uralIy developed widespread interest In