The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-23
NEW BOOKS

MARY NORTH. BY Lucy Rider Meyer. Chi
cago: Fleming II. Reyell compsny. Minncapo'
oils: N. Mccarthy. Price $3.50.
Some people who read this story will say
that Mary North is entirely too innocent
and paradisaical character to live on the
earth. But she isn't. Thousands Of girls
who have to enter the struggle for self
support encounter the same pitfalls, at
first strange to their unsophisticated ma
lures, and, like Mary, are deceived, but
do not all, like Mary, escape, the conse-
Quences Of q misstep sof ignorance.
BEFORE THE DAWN, "A Story of the Fall Of
Richmond. BY Joseph A. Altsheler. New
York: Doubleday, Page & Co. Minneapolis:
n. Mccarthy. Price $1.50. !: .
This is romance Of the last days OF
the southern confederacy, when the SOL
diers of the, expiring government were
largely finding out that they had been
fighting thru wounds, famine and sickness.
not for freedom, but, as one Of them ex-
pressed. it, s'for rich mems niggers. The
rich men had generally become poor and
only spectators and army contractors who
currency into gold or greenba cks were
feeling at all happy. The author has
given a very graphic account Of the situa-
tion at Richmond when Grant was arrang-
ing to enter the Wilderness and fight
those awfully bloody battles which result
ed in the capture of Richmond and sur
render Of Lee. Society in Richmond kept
up it's careless play until word came that
the union armies were approaching the
bellies took to the woods. The hero, Cap
tain Prescott of Lees staff, was an ardent
southerner, but at this juncture not in
clined to find cause for much jubilat1on
over the situation, as most OF the non
combatants in Richmond did. He had ro-
| t., 1T fo Inc ha 10.
nance Of war. He chivalrously attempt
ed to befriend two northern women in
Richmond, one Of whom was suspected as
a northern spy by the secretary Of war.
With this lady he fell In love and came
under suspicion himself. The affair Is
admirably treated by the author, who
mingles its happy consummation with the
tramp of Grants veterans In Rtchmo mond.
e. -. @'
THE soUTHEREERs. Story Of the Civil war.
By Cyrus Townsend Brady author Ct For
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. hinnc-
apolis: N. Mccarthy. Price $1.5o - =,
Mr.. Brady comes nearer 10 being a
| master Of the art of telling a love story
than he does in any other OF his books.
The incidents in southern private life dur
| ing the secession movement and its Sc
quel the civil war, have often served the
purposes of romantic writer's but Cyrus
BTdOy ndnUteS llleIQ III q peculiarly cl-
| fective way and shows. with more force
| than others the infatuation Of the south
ern people as to their ability to whip the
! north and establish the -confederacy, and
| the hardships of those who were loyal to
the old flag and union. Boyd Peyton, the
hero, was an ensign in the United. States
| navy, and was on leave Of, absence at
his home near Mobile, Ala, when South
Carolina passed the first ordinance Of se-
cession and fired the hearts Of the people
Of the other southern states to do the
same. Peyton was elected captain of q
Mobile artillery company, but renounced
the position and refused the advice Of his
father, who was a union man, to follow
| the fortunes Of his state, If she seeded
| There was a woman, too, in the case-a
beautiful girl, Mary Amman, whom he had
| half won, but who execrated him when he
declared his fealty to the union, and went
| to join his ship at Boston. His Mobile
! friends denounced him as a traitor. The
author describes with great power battle
scenes and other incidents and his hero
finally wins great honors under Farragut
in Mobile bay, but is wounded severely
and by Farragut's permission is taker
| to his home by his brother, q confeder-
ate who was one of Farragut's prisoners
on parole. His survival Is attended by
peculiarly happy circumstances In which
| the woman he loved and who had once
| spurned him shared. The authors ac.
count of Farragut's great naval battle Il
a fine piece Of writing and he shows thru.
out the book how q brave man can wir
who stands by the right, with his state
| and his own father, brother and sweet.
4 heart against him.