The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-10

scrupuous in this respect, 1t Is not sur
prising that he is equally interruptions in try
ing to make out that Burr was model citizen
and that he shrank from the duel with
Hamilton, although, as matter Of historic
fact, he sent the challenge to Hamilton whom
he hated heartily. The volume of Mr.. Todd
is no stronger as a vndication Of Burr than
was Mr.. Pidgin's "Blennerhassett." The
Burr Legion" pledges itself to prosecute
every one who dares to question any of the
assertions touching Burr's life and character
made by 1t, and reiterates it's purpose to
have millions Of school textbooks destroyed
and reprinted with it's version Of Burr's
career substituted. That means that the Burr
Legion will have to possess much money to
carry on this war.
Next to the Ground. Chronicles Of
Countryside. By Martha McCulloch-Wil-
lians. New York: Mcclure, Phillips &
Co. Minneapolis: N. Mccarthy. Price,
$1.2o.
Probably some people will be disappointed
when they open this book and after reading
e. chapter or two, find no intmation of a. tale
of blood curdling horrors. a detective story,
| or a story of incandescent love or green eyed
jealousy. 1t is better than any Of these. Mrs.
Williams is a of nature and what she
means by Next to the Ground Is getting
next old Mother Farth's bosom and learning
Of her the secrets Of the life of the animated
|
and of trees and flowers. There are some
people in the book Joe and Patsy, the boy
and girl who we're Next to the Ground,
| and Major Baker and old man Shack. the
| poor white (for they lived on "a Tennessee
| plantation) who was a philosopher In his
way and dreadfuly superstitious. There
were others. but the people sink in compare
tive otscurity beside the really fascinating
| flow of information impaired about animated
nature, and few people can read the book
without getting Next to the Ground with
their eyes and ears alert to observe. AS Mrs.
! Williams says. 'There are no playmates like
| grass and orchard trees, colts in the pasture,
chickens in the yard, nor any story tellers to
| match the winds when they play with the
| leaves, or dance sword dance through fields
| Of following wheat. The fields, too, rare
gossips if only you take the trouble to I'M
derstand. The pity Of 1t is that one can
never write down the charm Of their living
voices! They have something almost epic in
their gossping, yet always something new
to tell" In this volume the reader will hear
those voices telling something new. The
chapters on insects. the oaks, the horse and
COW, the big snow, are fine specimens Of the
authors entertaining style, and might
Noises has the flavor of prose poem. 1t
suggests Wagner's correct theory of the thar
mony of natures variant tones. There is q
new orchestra Of bird. insect, animal, water
and wind voices every month of the spring
: summer and autumn. -..-
The Hound of the Baskervil1es. An
/ other Adventure Of Sherlock Holmes. BY
Il A. Conan Doyle. New York: Mcclure
Phillips & Co., Minneapolis: N. Mccarthy
! $3.50
. It is- to be hoped that DR.. Doyle, having
once laid Sherlock Holmes in his grave, and
then resuscttated him to enjoy another thrill,
ing adventure, will keep him alive long
! enough to have as keen an experience as he
L had in solving the mystery of the tragic
death of Sir Charles Baskerville and OF the
Z curse OF the Baskervilles in the shape Of {
huge hound, which the superstitious endowed
! with dreadful and malign powers. The prog
ress to the solution of this problem by Sher
t lock Holmes and his coadjutor, DR.. Watson
was painfully slow. for it was an extraor
} dinarly difficult case. even for such an ex
pert detective as Holmes. In preparing fol-
the investigation of the circumstances attend
ing the sudden death of Sir Charles Basker
VILE Holmes fine instinct for clues Is seer
in the interview with DR.. Mortimer. a resi-
dent near baskerville Hall. and one can Sc.
him as Watson describes him, leaning forward
in his excitement, his eyes having a hard
dry glitter which shot from them when h,
| was keenly interested. After Holmes ant
r Watson got to work on the case they had
| very perplexing time following trails which
led to dead walls at the end of devious alleys
and Holmes admitted that they had at las
met {. foeman worthy of their steel. TIL
intense interest Of the reader seizes upo1
each clue. At one time DIR. Mortimer himse1
is by him suspected, and the Barrymore in
cident looks as If Holmes had a sure. thing
t but Barrymore wasn't the murderer, Will
I the aid ne gave in his wife's behalf to be
: brother, the escaped convict who was In hid
ing in the desolate and terrible moor. wher
e the air was heavy with portents, led ulti
9 mately to the discovery Of tho author of al
hsofo f1oo1
: Of the supernatural hound. Dr. Doyle intend
Y ed to make this story the creepiest of all til
o stories he had written. and he certainly ha
: succeeded in doing So. When Holmes decide
: that the traces must be found among th