The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-22
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allowed ID TO be published under his name
but certainly something was. This writer
has made himself q name by writing books
with a sort of hashliEht brilllancy about
them. interesting because Of their style
and bizarre originality. The King in Vel
low was clever; The Hauuts Of Men
remarkably so. and the authors other
works did not disgrace him at all. But
this latest romance is packed with blum
ders Of pretty nearly every kind that the
proofreader would allow to pass. 1t does
not appear that anyone but that individual
has exercised a kindly supervision over
the book
To mention all the discrepancies, errors,
social anomalies freakish improbabilities.
and other peculiarities of this astonishing
work would require another book nearly
the size Of the original. II is only neces-
sary TO notice a few Of the more obvious OF
these in order to excite the wonder and
awe Of the reader at the audacious liberties
which the author has taken with his repu-
tation
We end. in the first place. a good-look-
ing Young bachelor living out in the middle
county Of nowhere. apparently. all by him
self. engaged in scientific study Of butter
flies 1t is later explained that this is in
the State OF New York He has as his as
sistaut a pretty girl of eighteen or nine
teen. who spends the greater part Of each
day alone with him in his laboratory, or
al his house. She pTesides at his table on
Cccasion-oue Of the occasions being for
NAL dinner at eight in the evening, at
which the guests are two men. and a mar
ried woman whom the girl meets for the
first time that day. We are informed that
the young lady had "a fresh cool boudoir in
the house. although she seldom used it, "
and il was In this room that she dressed for
dinner II is also in this room that after her
fathers death, she STAYS for a month, while
she is making mourning to wear for him.
And nobody in all that Arcadian region
seems TO think that this is a peculiar ar
rangement. especially in a maiden who'has
announced TO her father that she means to
marry a man who has, apparently. never
taken it into his head even to iirt with
her
We also find that the young bachelors
land is worth half a million dollars or
Whereabouts. although he does not know
il. and nobody tells him of it. On account
Of very miXed-up collection Of reasons
connected with this land. some mysterious
kuklux individuals known as the White
Riders. apparently wish to assassinate the
bachelor. The girls father is one of the
leaders OF the band, and with the perspicac-
lNe Ia " -AhA SUN a man NtNiA Vi Nbul ot
be guilty. he gets his daughter to make
him a mask for the occasion. and lets cut
TO her the fact that an attempt is 10 be
made on the life OF the man whom. as she
has previously informed him. she means
to marry. The only way which the young
woman can see to warn the man is to dis
guise herself as a White Rider and 90 with
the crowd-which would commonly be CON
sidered a somewhat risky and entirely IN
necessary proceeding. We are given 10 IN
derstand that the young woman is auffi-
ciently educated to know how TO read and
write. but for some reason or other writ
ten warning is impossible. While in her
disguise she encounters the young bache-
Tor He begins a wrestling match with the
supposed White Rider. and wipes mp the
very wet and swampy ground with the fig
u-e, which never, in all this to-do. utters
one word 10 warn him or disclose its iden-
uty. This book is as good as a Chinese
puzzle for mysterious motives and the like
There are numerous minor points involved
in darkness, such as the finding Of a girl
floating around in a boat at midnight by
herself for 10 conceivable reason. and
dropped from nobody knows where to meet
some eZigencies in the plot. Altogether
Mr.. Chambers latest romance is fearfulIy
and wonderfully made. There are
some literary magazines which
publish short letters by authors
Of the day Oh Why wrote"
such and such a book. An account, by Mr.
Chambers. Of the precise reasons and cir
cumstauces attending the writing OF this
book might be interesting, if not edifying
The average reader will feel. when the
work dawns upon him, something like the
farmer who discovers that he has bought
a gold brick, or the absent minded one
who, in walking down stairs. lands upon a
step that is not there. tNew York: Fred
erick A. Stokes Company