The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-04

Mr.. Davis chief charm is supposed to
lie in his ability to make story move
with rapid and uninterrupted acton. TO
present a series of vivid, realistic anu
dramatic pictures and to create brave,
handsome irreprOachably hammered
heroes and adorable, unattainable nero
ines who love one another with the
most romantic ardor and almost IN
Variably marry and live happily ever
afterwards. But stronger than the at :
traction of the strong human interest OF
his stories, and the readers comfortable
confidence in their happy ending, is the
attraction of the authors vigorous,
wholesome ideals. his love for clean
ness, and manliness and high principle
and courage and grit and reSOurcetul-
ness in men; for physical loveliness, sin
cerity. generosity and womanly tender
ness in women. These are the things
that we are sure to find in Davis books
whether the scene be laid in South
S Africa or Central America or Cuba or
Paris or London or New York, and this
1t is undoubtedly which makes US begin
8 story of his with eagerneSs and finish
1t with regret. 1t may be idealistic and
exaggerated and untrue to life, but it
is so restful and so refreshing to believe,
at least for the hour or two that 1t re-
quires one to read his most oretentious
volumes, that there really are people
like that in the wOrld-alWayS young i'll
their hopefulness, in the strength of
their high convictions and the reality
of their unspoiled ideals. And for that
reason his lightest and frothiest story is
a help 1t inspires courage and honest y
and Observation-Disclosures A Davis here
may be said to be a grandstand player
and a triie bombastic. but he is q
thoroughbred. every inch of him. IF he
were presented to an empress he would
not be impressed. nor if he chatted with
a barmaid would he be familiar" And
a Davis heroine is the dear realization
of Our Lady of Dreams.
l-4N -2r-f
Macklin," as published by Scribners
lacks one thing that we have come Il
consider an indispensable cOncomitant
of a book by this author. and that is
illustra tions by Charles Dana Gibson
or Howard Chandler Christy. If thes,
two artists were not born to realize IL
pen and ink Mr.. Davis Irresistible hero
ines and magnificent heroes, then th'
fates that presided over Mr. Davis
birth must have decreed him to add t,
the charm of the Gibson and CtsristJ
pictures. So used are we to seeing illus
trations by one of these two artists ii
Mr.. Davis books that it is somethin5
of a shock to be greeted in this lates
one by a stranger talent 1t is a vel
known fact that the people who Xix,
Richard Harding Davis like Charlie,
Dana Gibson and Howard Chandle
Christy. and if Gibson and CAristy ar,
out of the question they don't want an,
pictures at all.
Except in this particular enthusias
TIC DAVIS aCmlrerS Will find very littI
fault with Captain Macklin-the book O
the hero. 1t is a typical Davis story O
adventure. Perhaps it is not quite s,
fascinating a story as Soldiers of For
tune but 1t certainly has better charac
ter drawings. The hero. who reveal
himself in the memoirs which compos
the book, Is quite the most accurate no
ture of a frank, honest, lovable. con
ceited, arrogant, selfish. courageou
young scamp in modern fiction He
the =
what an absurdly exaggerated opfnio,
of his own age and experience and i'm
portancel The vanity. self conscious
ness, self-assurance and imDatience q
restraint typical of twenty-one years
drawn to the life. You can't help loviu
Captain Mackiin'' but every now an
then you realize that some one ought t
teach him lesson. Re is Just a bic
hearted, romantic. ambitious boy TT
story leaves him when he is only % a n
there is the making of q fine and nobl
man in him whom it is inevitable tha
the reader will hopa to meet in a late
book. 1t would sim0ly be too bad
think that we were never to hear q n
more of Captain Macklin" or his vii
adventures in comic opera wars
The story is of a West Point cade
who comes from a line of famous fghi
ers and who was destined from his Dirt
to be a soldier. but who is turned OIL
of the academy in his third year e
some trivial breach of the rules. n
determines to be a soldier in spite {
everything, If not under the Unite
States flag then wherever there is ia
fighting and a good cause His first choic
is one of those continuous performanc,
in the revolutionary line in Centri
America: he goes to honduras and el
lists in the Foreign Legion of the rev,
lutionary party and of course cove
himself with glory, because he wouldn
be q Davis hero if he didn't. Tho a
of his adventures is full of exciteme.
and makes capital reading and it is a
told in the simale language of a be
unskilled in rhetoric but who know
how to put things plainly and pictu
esquely and who takes a fresh point
view and an ecstatic interest in ever,
thing novel and strange to the wi