El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-11-07
Probably the Basis of the
New Book.
with HOOPS OF STtEt"
A Novel BY Ms Allan Kelly, Whose
Plot Is Laid In a New Mexico
Town, and whose Characters
Have a Strange Touch Of Fami
Iiarlty Naturally the Author
Has localized and DrdmbtlZed
Her Characters and inc idents SO
Identification Is Oi flCuit.

With Hoops of Steel. BY Flora Finch
Kelly Published by the Bowen Mer-
rill Company. indianapolis. Price
S1-50-
The still incomplete story of the
Fountain murder will linger long in
the minds of men and men Will piece
together again for many times, the
bits of fact that are known. trying to
comDlete the story and explain the dis
appearance of Colonel Fountain and
his son. Only a few weeks ago the old
interest. the hot blood. the tense spec
ulation. the angry accusations. fiared
up anew with the discovery of heap
of human bones and some scraps OF
saddle leather. found in the Sacra-
mentos.
The story. With Hoops of Steel"
is not the story of the disappearance of
Colonel Fountain and of the sensation
al trial OF Oliver Lee and his friends.
but il l. reminiscent OF II and prob
ably was inspired by it, The charac-
tiers seem TO I've character portraits of
the citizens of Las Cruces and the
ranchmen of Dona Ana county. The
town of the book. Las Plumas. is prob
ably Las Cruces as the novelist sees
il for her story. None of the charac-
tiers are exact portraits: the novelist
has rather used characteristic New
Mexican people and scenes for her
book with no attempt to be minuteiy
true to any special character or incl
dent.
Ii is a very strong story. The three
friends. the main characters, are found
together by the Hoops of Steel of
strong. tried friendship. and their ad-
ventures. their shootings. escapes from
the sheriff who is of the other political
in hn
tie and water holes. their high spirits.
brave ventures and breezy humor.
make them almost as fine a trio as
Soldiers Three.
The chief of the three cattlemen. the
hero of the book. Emerson Mead. may
not be drawn from Oliver Lee. He is !
daring quiet. strong and manly. Just !
10 give the book a goodly flavor there |
IS a love story woven through the deep /
pr plot and Il sweet voiced. bright hair /
ID heroine lends grace to the scenes. |
But the strength of the plot lies in 4
he story of the disappearance Of young /
the son of rich cattleman. 4
IF the quarrel between Emerson Mead /
md his following and Colonel Whit
-aker and his. of the accusations /
gainst Mead. the finding of a body 1
and it's Identification as young Whit
.aker's and of the final discovery of /
he young man hiding in Mexico. EN- |
arson Mead's partner. Nick Ellhorn. |
finds young Whitaker and brings him
INTO court. at the critical moment in !.
Meads trial when his accusers are in
he white heat of piling up accusations !
IF the murder against him.
As in the Fountain trial there is an
immense amount of politics mixed up
N the affair. and political strife
breeds cattle trouble. Emerson Mead !
and his following are democrats. Col
,nel Whitaker and his friends. repub
leans. Quarrels over cattle and water
loles give bitterness and the keen
'dse of personality and bring shot
gun arguments into play.
The plot is skillfully developed and
he climax is hidden until the end.
The descriptions of the catJlemen are
excellent. Mead is quiet and utterly
without buster. but occasionally hei n
lulges in Il trife of accurate shooting
hat shows his enemies where he is
md how he looks 1T tho affairs. Nick
;llhorn. the second of the three COM
lines all the fun. brogue. fire and ir-
responsibility of his Irish ancestry.
With the daredeviltry and rush that
he southwest can give to a cattleman
he he adaptable. Thomson futile.
he third. is blonde giant. as serious
nd staid as Nick is fiery. but bigger
earted than his own giant frame and .
$ good a shot and horseman as the ,
'est can produce. He is the heavy ,
'eight of the three and a balance for
he incorrigible Nick. The resemblance {
e bears to Tom Tucker may he purely
occidental: his story is certainly not
ON Tucker's--there's not enough of
:. I
The village streets. the sleepy days |
nd the days when every gun in town