The Washington times., 1901-07-14

story, ana VINO appears to be q sort o
steward or factotum of the heroine, /!
pictured as a somewhat haughty-lookinl
individual peerIng out of an old portrait
This person, Robin Killduff by name, I.
possibly the most remarkable character il
the novel. He falls in love with Lady
Elinor at first sight, but never tells hei
anything about it, his love being Of the
useful order, and it seems to be enough
for him to be rewarded with careless
word of thanks now and then. In short
ne plays alternately the part of goose
berry and tame cat, and tells all about
II in his journal. or recollections or what
ever the book is supposed to be- 1t is not
a very dignified proceeding, but the story
had to be told somehow. When, however.
this paragon of a person actually allows
his lady to believe him guilty of a dis
graceful intrigue, in order to save her
from the knowledge that her own son was
the person concerned, it seems a little
too much to believe (New York: D. Ap-
pleton & Co. s1.50)
THE Wilderness Road" by Joseph A.
Altsheler, author of In CfrcIing Campsr
and "A Herald of the West" both Amer
lean historical novels, sustains the repu-
tatfon achieved by its predecessors. Its
chief merit lies in the vivid pictures given
OF the times and characters wherewith it
deals.
The scene is laid in Kentucky and the
tlme is the close of the eighteenth CEN
tury, when the pioneers of that State
| were fighting desperately in Indian wars
and the campaigns of St Clair and Mad
| Anthony" Wayne were undertaken The
hero is an ex-officer of the Continental
Army and the villain his cousin The
| heroine is the daughter of a rich East
| eTn man who has come to the West in
| search of more riches and the power
| which comes of developing a new coun-
| try. The way in which these two young
people are continually crossing each 9TH
| er's path without intending il is very
| funny, but IL is not an uncommon trick
| OF people who are in the incipient stages
| of a love affair. The heroine is taken
prisoner by the Indians and is, of course
| rescued. The hero is under a dark cloud
during most of the progress of the tale,
but the cloud is finally lifted and dropped
| on the villain.
The characters. with the exception or
Osseo, a magnificent red man who re-
minds one rather of Chingachgook. do
not amount to much but the descriptions
of battles. marches, and camps, and OF
thrilling adventures in general are really
superb; and the atmosphere of struggle,
doubt, and uncertainty, and of dogged,
resistless fighting, in which the Kentucky
pioneer lived, is also reproduced with
great skill. The story of 'the wilder
ness road" has seldom been better told
(New York: D. Appleton & Co. sL5O)
The Seal Of Silence" by Arthur R.
Conder, is a novel dealing with a murder
mystery. 1t IS rather long-drawn out
and mixed up, but is not bad light read
ing. (New York: D. Appleton &, Co,
81
I'm the Name of Woman" is novel by
Arthur w. Marchmont. author of "a
Dash for a Throne" and, like other nov
els by the same author, is a romance of |
love, intrigue, and adventure in Eastern |
Europe. The scene is laid In Bulgaria,
and the heroine is claimant to the /
throne of that country, while the hero is /
one of those gentlemen adventurers so /
freely sent forth by EngIand-One Of the |
legion that never was listed" The book /
would not make a bad melodrama If :. /
were dramatized. (New York: Frederic ,
A. Stokes & Coz
Ensign KeIghtley," by A. e. w Mason,
is a small volume containing a bunch Of |
short stories good and Indifferent, but
not at all bad. The first is decidedly dra-
matte, though recalling in some ways Kip
lings 1.-The Man Who Was" THE
Coward" and THE Deserter' are two
stories of soldier life which are very
good and How harrington Returned TO
Johannesburg is a South African tale of
weird and gruesome horror Perhaps the
best tale in the book however is Hat
teras. albeit the good which is in 1t is
rather unwholesome. 1t is a tale of the
African coast. and sombre in the extreme;
also uncanny. But IL is good. CNew York:
Frederick a. Stokes & Coz
1.-THE Mysterious Burglar" by George
E. Walsh, is a detective story of consid-
cradle merit. The interest is well sus-
tained and the reader kept in the dark
as to the real nature of the mystery
until almost the last moment. (New York:
f. NJ. Buckles & Co. s125)
1.-THE White Cottage" by %Zack," is
new book by an English writer who is
now fairly well known as Miss Gwendo-
line Keats. II is said that she has adopt
ed pen name through not wishing TO mix
her literary reputation with that of the
poet.
This book, which is a novel, Is by all I
odds the best work she has yet done 1t
is broadly simple in IT'S outlines. but not
crude. The characters are all rustics, ap-
people Of the Devon coast and I
each is clear-cut and individual The /
story is almost purely psychological in its
dealing with the development Of
one of those wild. untutored, and un-
teachable natures which are law unto
themselves, and to which, as by some
strange fascination, the hearts of both
men and women are often drawn, spite
" all that they may do 10 forfeit love :
and respect. This man, Ben Lupin, is by
all laws q rascal; yet the reader in
sensibly falls into the attitude of the l
people who knew him. and does not re- !
gard him as one. Exception must be
aiken to his rival Mark Tavy, who hates
lin as only quiet. administrative man
an hate the person who steps in easily
ahead of him and carries off the prize. ,
AS for Luce, the wife of Lupn, she is
borough woman, an elementary, undis-
iplined creature. ready to love, to hate,
o be angry, and to forgive. u
There are moral problems mixed up in l
his story. but they come in by the way,
md are subordinated TO, or rather iden-
flied with, the human interest. II is at |
he very least an interesting study of :
primitive English peasant life. (New
iOrlf: Charles Scribners SonsJ 5
THE Moderns," by George Trimble Dav- a