The sun., 1903-04-18

archaeological exploit that does honor
TO the University OF Pennsylvania and TO
America as well as to the explorers. by
the side of Prof Hilprecht's two exhaustive
articles. the careful summaries by the Ger
. .nvai professors OF the results In other iandf
aeem tame, and il might be we'll to remove
them from q Later edition.
-Four People In the Desert.
There is much that is attractive in 'The
Voice In the Desert by Pauline Bradford
Mackie Mcclure, Phillips q CO.. The
author succeeds In conveying an impree
sion of the scene In which she lays her
story and gives the reader some impress
sion Of the desert lands OF the West with
their dry air and their vastness and their
loneliness. She Is successful. too, with
her characters and makes two Of them, at
least, very interesting. There are two de-
hghtful boys Of whom we are sorry We do
not see more; there are Western capitalist
and o station master for local color and the
four chief actors in the story.
The picture OF the young wife chafing
against the loneliness and hopelessness Of
her life, stranded in the desert, is az true
TO life as any feminine picture Mr.. Howells
has drawn. She is delightful in her home
hfs, In her coquetry and in the way she
treats the man whom she Tilted and who
had never married. There was no need
Of the physical desert to account for her
discomfort; that chatting against the bonds
that hold them in is the state of countless
women throughout America. and the author
has described the state Of mind remark
ably we'll Plenty Of humor is shown in
the dissection of the Tilted mans feelings
for the woman to whom he has held true
for years. but would hardly care to marry.
Keen observation and delicate touches
mark the dealings with this pair.
The real hero and heroine, the husband
and young woman brought up in the desert.
are much less satisfactory. The authors
purpose Of showing how the spirit Of the
desert has entered into them Is clear but
We are not satisfied with the result. They
are only masks for picturesque theories.
while the wife and her former lover and
the boys are real live people. The story
might have ended before it does. The
account Of the sandstorm is well done.
but Is unnecessary to the story, and the
husbands death at the end Is a wholly
unprovoked homicide. His living or dying.
% far a. We can see. could not in the least
Affect the story. or the relations OF the
persons told about. The book is well written
and well worth reading even by those who
remain deaf to the voice Of the desert.
Mr.. Dawi<ins. Buccaneer.
We may be pardoned for entertaining
some slight suspicion Of the accuracy of
Mr.. l.. Cope Cornfords romance, The
pany Philadelphia We cannot avoid
A. xkas h,,o ztiM
to come, and to speak Of a last bucoaneer
seems to US to put forward an impossible
proposition. But II the buccaneers persist
forever as seems to Us moro likely. we can
find nothing but Joy In the prospect Our
case as lively and good . story - this one
Of Mr.. Cornford's.
The further We arc removed from the
buccaneers, it seems to IN, the more en-
/joyable they become. We can fancy that
there might be limits to the pleasure Of
anything like immediate and intimate
association. We should hate. We arc sure.
to be unburdened Of our doubloons and
forms and pleasant pieces-of-eight. and
Knocked about with . handspike. and ma
rooned In Panama or Yucatan. The flies
and mosquitoes in those places must be
terrible. II 1t was not Humboldt it was
somebody else who left with US . most
terrifying impression Of the power Of an
noyance possessed by the insects Of the
tropics.
But the buccaneers are only a joy from
the secure standpoint OF this century.
We love to hear one Of them shifting the
table with his mighty fist and swearing
by the bones Of the deep over his tot Of
rum. We consider that Mr.. Dawkins. In
Mr.. Cornford's story, is exceedingly good
company. Mr.. Dawlins had sailed with
Morgan as Q boy. and he was a fine speci-
men Of his sort Of bringing up. He had
been present at the sack Of Panama and
knew where Morgan had buried his spoils.
II he sold Mr.. Pomfrett, supercargo Of the
Blessed Endeavor, to be q slave to Mr..
Jevon Murch Of Barbadoes, it was because
he had no use for q supercargo himself
and could think Of no way to dispose Of
him more prohtably. Pomfrett remon-
strated with Capt. Dawkins regarding his
manner Of sailing the ship. He considered
that Dawkins carried too much sail in hard
weather. well. now. you surprise me; you
do, indeed returned Dawkins. Il wasn't
sware Of 1t. do ossure you. Why, must
take q reef on the mainsl, see that. I
been all wrong I reckoned the owners
was wishful to get their ship into port as
soon a. might be- that was my mistake,
dye see? And take 1t very kind Of you
to pint it out. And on my own quarter
deck, too. by the bones Of the deep!-
II will be seen that Mr.. Dawkins was
facetious. Pomfrett saw that he was
Il must request you to take this matter
seriously" he said. stifiy. Later he said:
sCome, don't let US quarrel. Mr.. Dawxins'
and the answer Of Dawkins to this shows
that he was, further. an appreciative man.
sQuarrel!' said he. oheerfully. Not q
mite Of 1t. And tell you what. Mr.. Pom
frett, there's very few agents. - I've ever
seen, as would have the marrow TO do what
you done. Why, they'd be afraid But
you-you don't give q penny piece for the
captain. not you. Duty is duty, says you,
and you ups on the quarterback like a
Queens admiral I admire you. sir. do,
indeed. And III bear your words In mind,
don't you fear. / shan't forget. shan't.'
He didn't. He sold Mr.. Pomfrett to MIR.
Murch as soon a. he touched at Barbados.
Mr.. Jevon Murch was doubtless greater