The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-28
BOOKS of the Wee-Coojuors House, by Stewart Edward
White Strongly Dramatic Novel of Adventurous Life in thu
Hudson Bay Companys Far Northern Territory Notable
Pubcations-Gossip of Authors and Their WorkNew Books
Received.

Mr. Stewart Edward White whose novel,
"Conjurer's House, is published this week
by Mcclure, Phillips g. Co, has already
done such sincere work in story telling as
to have set high standard by which the
public will judge his each successive EFFORT
as 4 novelist.
In 'The BlaZed Trail" issued about 4
year ago and now in its twelfth edition. Mr..
White told an especially strong and virile
story OF the lives OF the lumbcrmen in the
great forests of the Northwest. Its plot
was dramatic and its development OF char
acter convincing and effective. But its
chief charm lay in the fact that the reader
was made to feel the beauty and glory Of
nature in the open. Its atmosphere was
BEAUTIFULLY refreshing, and one confessed
kinship with the things of the life primitive
while reading its pages. The books success
is due to this especial charm
"Coniurer's House furnishes gratifying
proof that MIR. White may be counted upon
TO grow and strengthen in the exercise Of
his gift as 4 writer of fiction, who knows
his scenes and his people and can make
them visible and real 10 his readers. In
this latest story We enter the vast and des-
olate domain of the Northern wilderness. in
which the Hudson Bay Company is the SOW
ereign power. a great commercial orSaniZa-
ton, TO whose supreme influence Indians
and trappers and voyageurs bow as to the
will of a monarch. The trading post known
as ''ConJurer'S House" stands on the edSe
Of the bleak Free Forest and the Hud-
son Bay Companys factor. grim old Galen
Albret. q proud and imperfous Scotsman.
rifles throughout its territory as might
have ruled the Lord Lieutenant OF some i'm
perial government. This station of Con
jurer's House is the one unchanging scene
Of the novel to which it gives the title.
But there is discordant note in the dra-
matte chorus with which the story opens, a
note somber in its ominous meaning of in
dividual protest against established author
ity. The MiSsinaibie brigade of voyageurs
and trappers is returning to the post from
a season of wilderness hunting, laden with
spells for the further enrichment of the
great company. which claimed the abso-
lutte hunting rights CT the entire North. The
home coming adventurers sing as their ca
noes fly through the cold Moose River wa
tiers. Women and children awaiting them
on the banks under the shadow of Con
iurers House. shout laughing welcomes to
them. The occasion is one for rejoicing
The Missinaibie Is the first of the company's
three brigades, each little army of dar-
ing souls. to report at the close of the
hunting year.
One figure on the brilliant stage. however
is not that of Hudson Bay Company's
servant, and one voice is not lifted in the
chant Of general rejoicing. 1t is the figure
and voice of Ned Trent, free trader, who
has dared to deny the authority of the
Hudson Bay Company. which forbds out
siders to deal within its territory. He has
been arrested and is brought before old
Galen Albret to answer for his sim And it
is not the first time he has sinned against