The Washington times., 1901-11-03

others are unexpectedly embarrassing;
but they are all highly interesting. The
illustrations are by the author. and there
is plenty of rollicking fun in the story.
Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 81
THE Fickle Wheel" by Henry Thew
Stephenson, is a story of London in the
time of Elizabeth, and. Of course. the
plays of Shakespeare ere interviewer with
the development of the plot The chief
character of interest In the book Is one
Peter julie, a half-caste adventurer, who
is not. however, the hero. indianapolis:
The Bowen-Merrin Company. SL3)
"A Fearsome Riddle" by Max Ehr-
mann, is fantastic story with decided
ly original motif. II deals with the al
legged experiment of a scientific man
relating to the laws of life and death
The idea is so curious and so essentially
out of the way of ordinary thought and
experience. that it would be impossible
to give anything like a clear outline Of
the book in paragraph. There are only
two or three characters Of any conse-
quence the figure second in Importance
to the scientist being his negro body
servant, who assists in the experiment.
1t is well written, and Of an interest en-
tirely different from that of most fiction
of the day. Its style reminds one of some
of The mystery tales of Poe or Hawthorne;
at any rate, it is wholly out of the class
of intrigue ana detective romance. dn-
dianapolis: The Bowen-Merrill Company
"The Marriage of Mr.. Merivale," by
Cecil Headlam, is story of modern
English life the hero of which Is very
much the kind of person one would sup
pose from his designation. Heroes OF
novels are not called Mr." in the title
unless they deserve it. The heroine is
sweet and self-sacrificing English maiden,
considerably superior to the hero. but the
most charming person among the char
acters is a little French woman called
Ii-Li 1t is the sort of book that one
either reads and forgets in a day or is
unable to read at all. (New York; G. P.
Putnam's Sons.)
THE Wage of Character" is book by
Julien Gordon, in which one searches In
vain for something to justify its title.
There is not very much character in it,
and what there is seems not to receive
any appropriate wages. (New York: d.
Appleton & Co. SLED
sylvia; the Story Of an American
Countess" is the Laura Jean Libbey-like
title of a novel by Evalyn Emerson. The
book is mostly rubbish, but there is
sort of fictitious interest connected with
it, from the fact that there are as frontis-
pieces twelve portraits of the heroine, by
twelve well-known artists, and the reader
is invited TO select the one which most
nearly expresses his idea of the young
lady There is a prize for the successful
Euesser Boston: Small, Maynard &
Co. sl.5O)
For Love or Crown" by A. w March
mont, is story of adventure and in
trigue, much resembling "A Dash Tor
and 9TH r works by the same
author The inevita BILE German princl-
pality is the scene of much of the action.
and the plot suggests that it may have
been taken partly from the recently pub
lished Love of an Cncrowned Queen,
the pathetic story of Sophie Dorothea,
ancestress of the four Georges of Eng
land. There is plenty of excitement in
it, and some cleverness Of construction.
CNew York; Frederick A. Stokes & Coz
"The Alien; A Story Of Middle Age"
by f. f. Montressor, is a novel Of new
type. The hero and heroine are both
people, and il there is any
love interest, II is kept very much out
of the way. The plot is original and in
teresting, and the scene ranges from
England to South America and back
again. But 1t is in the character-drawing
that the merit of the book is chiefly TO
be found. The characters are all skill
fully drawn, and there is not false note
anywhere. They are not types, but indi-
Just such persons as one meets
in everyday life. They remind one of
some of Jane Austens quietly humorous
sketches and there is thread Of rather
humor through the whole book,
despite the fact that the theme is not
at all that of comedy Perhaps the best
drawn of all is old Cousin Becky Nor
daunt, the spirited, passionate, eccentric
old lady, whose unsuspected past fur
nishes the complication Of the plot. The
book is capi,ally written, at any rate.
lNew York: d. Appleton CD
Teddy: Her Daughter Is a story for
girls by Anna Chaplin Ray, author OF
Teddy: Her Book and "Phebe: Her
Profession The same characters who
figured in the other books are introduced,
and the plot-what there is of it-takes
jumps from one stage
to another. II is not remarkable book,
but there is nothing harmful in it. (Bos-
ton: Little, Brown & co. $l.2OD
THE Youngest Girl in the School," by
Evelyn Sharp, is story for girls of from
ten to fourteen. The scene is laid in an
English girls school. where apparently,
the same system Of tagging and the same
zeal for athletic sports prevail as at sim
liar English institutions for boys. The
heroine, "Babs," is a spirited little body,
and the general tone is fresh ana whole
some (New York: The Macmillan Com
pany)
miscellaneous hooks.
'Neighbors Of Field. Wood and Stream"
by Morton GrinneiI is a book Of nature
studies somewhat IN the style Of Ernest
TO be exact, it is
Seton Thomson with the individuality