The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-09

In the World of Books.


1 wanted" he said with his most affable
 smile.
 ''Yes, I think that is the name" the girl
 with the pink cheeks and blue eyes re-
 piled. It's by Lthel Watts"
 "Ohi' said the man of books, certain lyr'-and when he returned beaming from
 the shelves he bore in his hand True
 Love-" by Edith Wyatt.
 The person who reads "Despotism and Democracy" the recently published novel of Washington life, will find himself ask , ing two questions: First, who is 1t who knows enough of Washington society and politics to write so unhestatlngly about them; and second has the writer drawn from models or just imagined his people? :? The first question might be answered by attributing the work to some experienced Washington journalist-any man who has been q dozen or so years at the capital In close touch with people and things-such person as William Elroy Curtis of the Chicago Record-Herald, for instance. The second will give more trouble in the solu- ton. There are certainly characters in the book who bear resemblance to men prominent in Washington politics, as Rep resentative Crane. "The Wondrous Boy" so handsome. so engaging and with such
 gift of oratory; and Senator Bicknell,
 tse great boss from middle western state, who wields such despotic power. Anyone who knows national politics at all
 will find prototypes for these characters
 without much thinking, as well as for the humorous and round Mark Anthony IIud- gins who has so many good stories to tell. There Is scarcely character in the dram- atis personae that would not suggest some one to a person familiar with polit- ica and social Washington. but whether
 the author has any one in mind while
 wrlting-thats the question.
 Albert Sonnischen, the author of Deep Sea Yagabonds," was born with the desire for adventure in his blood. and declares that the love for wandering is hereditary, quite as much as the love for art and things similar. My forebears were such gad-abouts," he says, that 1t would be a wonder of wonders if also did not like to be moving around the world Not one of my male ancestors on my fathers side died In the land of his birth--Denmark Two of my paternal uncles died in Aus
 tralia. one in a slSrmish with bush rang
 CTS, and the other captain of a South sea trading schooner. A third fought in the Union army under Hooker against Bragg
 under whom his brother was serving. A great grand uncle commanded a small pri- vateer during the Napoleonic wars, and did some rather promiscuous plundering of ships on both sides of the controversy At the age of ninety-six the interesting old rogue could play leap frog with the boys
 "On my maternal side there is the fa- nous Australian explorAr, Luchardt, who traveled across the Australian continent and was lost with his whole expedition of twenty men turning up, alone and dement, ed, twenty years after. My father fought in Bragg's army in the civil war, but went west to Salt Lake with the Mormons He split with his party on religious grounds,
 and made for the coast, finally becoming Danish consul at San Francisco It is not to be wondered at that Mir. | Sonnichsens own career has been teem- | ing with stirring incidents. He spent two l years in the 4 .ailippines, where he was