The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-12

probation are in the story; which is so
good that when you read it you do not
lay it down, but turn right back to the
beginning and read it over aga1n-at
least once more 1t is one of the best
of the animal stories now published,
and recalls the breadth and sympathy
of kipling while writing of our brothers
of the Jungle OF course this bull ter
rier, Wyndam Kid, has to have
millionaire background to satisfy his
artist, but such a setting does not spoil
the dog as it often does the people who
possess it. The dog has the loving,
true heart and simple manners still, as
evidence of his greatness.
The strongest OF these five stories is
The DerelIct-" It is the most pro-
found. most touching. the one which
real emotion Newspaper men in the
Spanish-American, or rather American
Spanish war, are it's characters, and
among such Bohemians can be little
Snobbery or convention The hero-nO.
not the hero. the chief Characters
Heating "the star man of the Console
dated Press Syndicate who writes for
seven hundred newspa pers. Heating is
a cad, hard. cold, narrow, self-seek-
ing egotist, endeavoring to down every
other man in order to rise, and scram-
bling over the bodies of those he had
beaten back with no sign of recognition
for the lift they offered. Such men
men and women-exist, and some of
them hate those who have furthered
their ambition. Charming, upon whose
native gifts Heating rose, was the I'M
selfish, helpful, generous, large-souled
being upon whom the human leach is
always fastening and feeding beyond
his natural proportion. The battle of
Santiago came Then in the end is the
figure of Claiming pitiably pathetic, as
dereliets are apt to be having both his
tory and poetry in their past.
The two remaining tales of the book
are. laid in London. and evidence the
authors globe-trotting propensities,
and that other quality we mentioned
The first, La Lettre d. Amour" is
quite minor The first violin, whom the
others would have scorned socially, is
the only creature in it that is not a
weight to the earth. Both the Warrin-
ers and Corbin are enormously rich, and
enormously stupid and sodden- 1t is
we'll for them they inherited money,
otherwise they would have been what
nature meant them to be-the mother a
Iaundress turning out reasonably white
clothes, the daughter teacher of tat
ting and Corbin a well digger
The last story, exceedingly dramatic
and well told, is of a London fog. Its
rapidity and Fictitious earnestness, its
concealed jest and masquerading to the
end, bring some of Pee's methods to
mind. Perhaps the ELUSIVE blood does
this also; and the weirdness that is in
part of the tale. 1t is not as well done
as some of Poe's best, but perhaps it
something as genuinely distinguished as
Poe's tales.
Not only the putting together of these
stories is better than much Mr.: Davis has
hitherto done, but the English is better
and clearer; There are fewer haphazard5
sentences that a college professor would
jeer at If Mr.. Davis were to offer them in
a freshman theme; sentences. for instance,
like this: When the Indefatigable.s let.
machine broke he had loaned the. officers
mess a hundred pounds of it from his
own boat" Probably lit refers to ice,
and not. as all the laws of language
would insist. to the ice machine Upon
page 2S7 Sir Henry" is doubtless a mis-
axe for Sir Andrew and upon page 80
post orbit can hardly refer to bone
of the skull but stands for post-obit,' q
bond One or two other minor errors will
doubtless be corrected later on
Five artists have illustrated with many
pictures the five stories Their work Is
worth comparing The frontispIece of Mr.
Remingtons is admirable-the night scene
of the stage coach-and next after are the
illustrations of the last story In the
Fog" The atmosphere of these last pic
lures giving the shut-in, hreside, cosy
feeling mortals have when in genial com
partnership on a foggy night or a might
one would rather not venture out. and rep
resenting Sir Andrews moods, Is admira-
BILE KATE STEPHENS