The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-02-10
Nj EW BOOKS,

OF the newest romance by Henry
! Slenkiewicz entitled THE knights OF
the Cross Little, Brown q Company.
the authorized publishers Of the works
! OF the Polish novelist i'm this country,
! have issued the frs, half The balance
1 s still in process OF translation by Mr..
! Curtin, and indeed. is not yet complete
/ i'm its own home. where the romance is
running as a serial publication.
"The first volume of The knights OF
| the Cross" leaves the reader on fine
! edge for the appearance OF the second
/ volume and conclusion OF the work-and
! may translator Curtin's pen run with
exceeding smOothness. lt is a remark
able work. even with QUO Nadts' in
| the scale Tor comparison. Ii Is big in
/ theme, I'm scene and In execution. IL
! is a romance of an heroic age when
| men wore armOr. fought with sword
| lance or battle axe. sought adventure
and were willing at any time 10 en-
gage in combat with the suit OF armor
or a whole estate for the prize. These
bouts made up for lack OF officially de-
/ .Clared wars 10 keep the gentlemen OF
the period active. tournaments as
| likely as not meant death to the de-
feated. Fair ladies watched the sport
as the sen0ritas of Spain do bull fights
today. To be sNe the valiant Prince
Yanush lamented, on occasion, that he
lived in effeminate times. But on the
whole the reader of these adventures
will ask nothing more vigorous. one
gallant old knight falls sick almost un-
To death. He is particularly despaired
of when his appetite fails him. All he
is able To eat for breakfast are II fried
eggs and couple OF pots of beer.
Fortunately he RECEIVERS his appetite
and so his health and something Of his
a.
equal OF half dozen ordinary men,
particularly Germans. For the Poles
are mightier than the German, and the
German than the French knights. All
are brave enough, but IN physical
strength the Polish knights are the ter
ror OF the Germans and the wonder Of
! the Adventures from the west Yu-
I rand whose castle is up on the border
! between the Polish lands and the Ger
/ man. will remind the reader of Hagen
/ in the "Nibelungenlied, especially
/ when he cleans out a castle hall full
! of the hated foe that has enticed him
/ within its castle. lurand IL finally
! subdued. however. He is one against
4 hundreds. He is cast into a dungeon
I and tortured by the only conspicuous
! member Of the band that entrapped
| him who lived through that tremen-
! dous fight i'm the castle hall. Yurands
/ daughter. Danusa. is a prisoner in the
I castle. too And Zbyshko, the hero of
/ the story, is on his way 20 rescue the
! lady and the knight when the first vol
/ ume comes 10 "A close. Zbyshko as a
I hero of romance is eminentfy worth
| while He is d'Artagnan in spirit.
| While he is nothing but boy he makes
| vow ON his knightly honor to kill at
! least three Germans on Danusia's ac-
count and the fair maiden loves him for
I it, Danusia is a mild little maiden.
nevertheless. She is sweet and
charming heroine. The author, how
ever provides a number of other wo-
/ man characters who are delightful I'm
\ their several ways Readers of Sien-
1 kiewicZ have been struck with the
charm and variety of his women. The
! creations i'm The Knights Of the Cross"
/ are wholly admirable and appealing.
We have no doubt that as well as
\ being a thrilling romance. the reader
gets i'm The knights OF the Cross" an
/ accurate picture of the kind II folk
/ who lived, loved and made war in
4 these rude times. one gets an idea of
} what il meant TO be- knight errant
4 ready 10 make or accept an issue at
any time and i'm any place for life or
7 for the sport OF the thing There are
descriptions that will take rank among
the classics. \ chapter devoted TO
royal hunt is particularly strong and
/ vivid. Altogether "The knights of the
Cross is an impressive historic ro-
The concluding volume is awaited ca
| gerlY
The White Terror" completes the re-
markable series OF romances dealing
with the French revolution written by
Felix Gras and OF which the first. Tho
Reds of the Midi" created a veritable
: sensation when it was introduced 10
! English readers by the publishers u.
/ Appleton a Co The new volume carries
the adventures of the peasant soldier
and republican .FasCalet.and the sweet
aiaiOcrat Adeliua. already follow ed
20 the conclusion Of their romantic ca
rcers and sees the mighty revolution 10
It's finish. The whole story Of the French
revolution. from the time OF the march
ms of IN men of MarSyHas tho "tjl
who knew how 20 die" through the va
rious stages OF the rel Terror" and
now the white Terror" which is the
period OF the return of the emigrants
aud their revenge upon the dcmoralized
/ masses who had drenChcd the country
with aristocrat blood. is comprehcnded
IN these three volumes in way that is
I historically faithful and iluminates
history with It's personal narrat Ve. IL
/ H. a thrilling romance of "A thrilling pc
4 rod iu the worlds life 20 be rclished
/ alilse by th 'loVo1'oT hCtionapd apprccin- -
ted by The student as side light on the
history ot the times. Given Carlyle s
History" and Felix Gras three
books Of romance and the reader may
be satisfied that he IS possessed OF a
highly satisfactory knowledge OF the
| French revolution. For ths reader who
has not read the Reds and rhe Ter
} ror.' "a CleVcrly constructed prologue In
The White Terror summaries th ~
two books 40 that the new volume Is
begun understanfngly G'or sale 10y
| n. Gregory. Price $i.j0D
When a man gets IL into his head that
the world has u IN for him" II IL q
common human disposition 10 give the
world progressive good cause for its
opinion and may ~ go hang n the
world seems seg on mi iudg ne q fellow
be is often perVersc enough TO DO his
best.or his worst 90 confirm tho world
| misiudgmcut rather than going out 81
his way 90 have 40 corrected. Of sucl