New-York tribune., 1901-11-24


concerned with the courtship OF the Pretender
and Clementina Sobieski. The choice OF the
daughter of the King Of Poland to be the bride
of the king over the water is credited in this
novel to Mr.. Charles Wogan. one of his Irish
followers, Il gallant gentleman who can turn
you a Latin verse spit his foe upon his sword
with equal ease and expedition. The story opens
with Clementina's imprisonment at Innsbruck
and with Wogan's campaign OF rescue planned
and set in motion 1t is a daring enterprise. and
its periIs are increased during its earlier stages
by Wogan's management of it single handed,
Even when the plot thickens he has little
enough assistance. and against the devoted
quartet on whose shoulders the seyerest burdens
presently fail pitted not simply the cap
tors Of the princess. but traitors in the en-
tourage OF James. How the rescuers succeed
In their high task, what it means of mingled
iubilation and sorrow Wogan. we have no
intention Of disclosing. We merely commend
the book as one of the briskcst and most en-
tertainng romances even Mr.. Mason has writ
ten The tangled tale is carried on with a vim;
the personages in it are sketched with genuine
humor and animation; best Of ALL the very
spirit of romance and brave adventure breathes
from every page There is history in it, but
not the history of pedant 1t is to Mr Masons
imagination and fancy. to his aboundng talent.
and TO nothing else that we owe the charm of
'Clementina"
Mrs. RohIfs knows very well how to excite
the curiosity of her reader In the very first
chapter Of One Of My Sons the supposititious
narrator Of the story is brought suddenly face
to face with a wealthy stranger dying from the
effects Of poison. AS he expires he leaves Just
enough data behind him to deepen the mystery
surrounding his death Suspicion falls upon
his own sons, and from this point on Mrs
Rohlfs ingeniously weaves such a web of be-
wilderment that the reader remains literally in
the dark until the close Of the book. He re-
mains in the dark and he remains deeply inter
ested. Our old detective friends Gryce and
SWeetwater are brought upon the scene and
the author gives every possible twist to the de
Velopment Of their labors. She has her material
uncommonly well in hand upon this occasion;
in fact, this is one of her best productions both
in conception and in execution.
-he volume of short stories by Maxim GorIlv
translated by Miss Hapgood. confirms the i'm
preston received from the novel "Forna Cor
dyeef,' with which the Russian novelist was
Introduced to Us Il couple of months ago That
is TO say, it consists of Enthusiastically veracious
sincere and powerful studies Of the more griIny
aspects of Russian life studies which are rs
interesting they painful to read Indeed
the story which gives its title to the book opens
note not i'll calculated to cause MANY a
reader to put it from him with all but its first
Tage unread We are introduced to a filthy
cellar in house eloquent of the most terrible
poverty, and in this cellar drunken shoemaker
is administering an atrociOus beating to his
wife. Here is squaIOr with a vengeance. But
Gorky triunphs over the deplorable darkness
and dirt Of his material. Some of his details
could undoubtedly be spared-it is clear from
this book. from its predecessor, that he lacks
the selective instinct of the artist-but as the
dreary tale proceeds the profound feeling for