The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-23
NOTES ON VARIOUS BOOKS.
Knoxville Days." .Tbe Black Cat Club,
.lrauccsca d. Rimin,' Nume.ous
Books OF Verse. Comment
and Gossip,
The co,onials. BY Allen French. Dou-
bleday, Page and Company Ne"
York. $3.50. The Bell Book and Sta
,ienery Company.

Jpnery Company
9l,is is a fascinating story. Indeed, IL
Is lard to get away from it until one mas
tI.,ished the book. l thought it must be
ali up with Alice after Captain Lotheldh
had run his sword through her brother
snd carried her off to sea, and l gave up
q Iox hunt so that 1 might read on at
oncc and find out how in the world tilal
Euperb fellow. l1llery, was going 10 cut
sch a Gordian knot.
The Historical romance" idea has been
worked SO hard of late, and the coioillai
I,ti iod particularly, that it is almost
enough to kill a book TO bring 1t out with
iii, announcement that 1t is a frontier
ard revolutionary story. The Colo
llals.' however, is not the too-too-
1 i,niliar novel of commerce." machine
rlsde mock-heroic and fugitive. 1t is
a rare good piece of work, of permanent
ya'uc. written by a trained writer. who
lras shown us in this, his first novel.
wl.at "a first-rate imagination working
on a frst-rate experience" can do. Inc
C"lonials'' has that aboutit which should
give it standing in standard literature
I, broad cumulative plot strong curr
rent of dramatic narrative, and the true
literary quality so hard to define.
The story of The Colonials'' opens on
the shores of Lake Huron, and intro
dtces Alice Tudor, the daughter of a
London merchant, who had been kid
mapped in Montreal by the Indians and
adopted by the chief of the Pottawato-
,uics. The first chapters are Of the
Juundless forest, Indian camps in win
.e.r, and the starvation of man and beast
a:iicn the heavy SHOWS come. Frank
l1rcry. a Boston-bred youth. after a
s..if-enforced absence Of years, is an eX-
pert woodsnlan, whose skill. endurance.
and bravery are displayed in saving the
l.:lsiish girl from the Indians, from
starvation, and especially from faith
less lieutenant of a British military eX-
pcdition The three leading characters
are Alice Tudor, the English girl; Frank
1.iiery, the Boston youth, who rescued
I,I in the wilderness, and the British
lieutenant, Sotheran, who wished to be-
tray her.
The scene shifts to Boston at the time
ri The dramatic beginnings of the Revolu-
tonarr war Alice Tudor was saved and
stnt home TO London Frank lGllery was
fal posed to have persisted. but he re-
tn. ned to Boston. The British lieuten-
ant also was ordered to Boston just as
lie war began. The reader lives in the
atmosphere of revolution; he goes to hear
lie speech of Samuel Adams. knows Paul
Revere, hears the news of Lexington
aid Concord, attends the tea party.
and so runs the story with historic ac-
ciracy and thrilling adventure
Put interest, first to last returns 10
tils oId E.iieTS 1HdIiS.OI. Ilelc was
grand old house in the midst OF a beau
iitul garden. The first Ellery of Boston
had built it with an eye both to grandeur
ard to usefulness. Alice Tudor comes
f,,m London and finds her rescucr whom
she had thought dead in the SHOWS OF the
fu,cst: and during the unusual times
hat follow, an old smugSlelss under
ground passage is used and becomes
,,;lrt of the thrilling romance. The VII
famous British lieutenant. whom she had
FIRST met in the forest, pays court 10 her
lu;rigues of people and of armies are be-
fore us, with the riot and pillaGe that
prccedes the Evacuation OF Boston by
the British troops on the 18th OF March
There ia a climax in the affairs OF the
I.ilcrv family, and the old house lays
bare its secrets at the crash of a can
ron ball through the foundations. Inc
story ends with two brigantines at COM
l,a, liz the fog on the lower bay; 1907
ship is overcome and vil!anianous enos
.,a frustrated. With the clearing log
Frank Eilery is at last free to return
with Alice 10 the Continental city OIL
1:eston 1t is a piece of fiction illustrat-
Ing the most interesting period and TO-
,ality Of our Revolutionary history, II
seems TO us to be entitled to permanent
,,-ace in cur literature. ]. NJ.