The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-12
Thomas Nelson Pages New Book
r. II. Russell Sells Out to
Hampers q New Firm tl' Of
Publishers New Eng
y. z. 5 lands Corruption.
Dramatization1 Of
r.. ''Lady Roses
n Daughter

81
Daughter
opE RICK iTALlAFERRo. BY Georg
Cram Cook Ill The Macmillan Company
5GS publishers, New York, s1.60. n
/ Rodericl Taiaferro is the story Of {
5$s Confederate soldier, scion Of that gooe
8Sa$od Southern family, and Of other proue
VA connected lines. who, in the reckless des
pair which came TO many q brave mar =
when the Stars and Bars went down "
Sls defeat. left this country and offered his
sword 5, MS a soldier of fortune. at the
$$ Court OF Macmillan in Mexico While
rs serving in the imperial army, he fell IN
s5Floye with and won for his wife, one. OF
1.-THE genuine Spanish beauties Of the an
IS cicnt City of the Aztec emperors. "a,
8iSss3 No episode In the making Of the West
bs,tcrn Hemisphere is better suited to being
"a made the setting for n really vigorous
tale Of love and arms, than that Of the
4 brief and il-starred career of Macmillan
IN Mexico. The armed reign of this fated
q son OF the house Of Eapsburg carries
i33a with It the flavor of the true romance.
1.-The first thing that strikes us as we
VA open the book is the direct. straightfor-
# ward manner In which the author begins
It'll his story. 81 While wc are wondering what
@&itFis going to be about We find ourselves
III amid the romantic picturesque sur
r3oundIngs Of the Mexican capital and
With dash of the pen we are made TO
breathe its fragrant atmosphere We
Aiigree Mt once with tho hero, to whom We
S.lre Immediately presented, when he
says, "TIow charmngly they play their
little parts on this Pasco stage. we are
shown 'the glow of Spanish glory
At a time when It was most pic
i n
the chief feature Of the tale, that Is
maintained unto the end.
89f The work is divided into four parts, or
Il books, In the first part, The Book of tho
Isl Bull 1--WE meet the principal characters Of
the story. who are brought into contact
K with each other by happy accident. The
Isl metal OF which they are made is well por-
trnycd, and we are prepared for the more
thrilling events that follow. Don Jose de
Castro, Taliaferros rival for the hand of
tho heroine. Is precipitated into QUAR-
III rel with the latter In which the manl1er
* qualities OF his own makeup are revealed.
y While n villain, he Is not one of that
deeper dye, of whom we are apt to feel
M that he Is just what we expected to find,
while the armed man who attacks ono
IN wea ponlcss does not often throw himself
M barellandcd upon n swordsman. dc Cas-
4 tro4 does the former without shame, and
the latter without fear The strain OF
we'll sustained throughout the book, being
subsequently shown In an incident where
u lie faces death ut the hands Of his rival
with an unfllnchng courage that saves
Wa Ills life by commanding the absolute adj
* mration of Taliaferro. The first book
reaches 1t climax In the bull-fighting
h u scene which is portrayed with q vividness
Il that bears comparison with the classic
chariot race of Ben HUE
NJ In the second part of tho novel, which
II is named The look of Love. the glowing
passion of the lovers Is famed into full
flame. The hero proves himself able to
"a dash over the barriers of Spanish social
Nj form. thwart the underhandness of de-
,g signing priests. and win tho heart of his
q lady-love despite the combined opposl-
ton of parents and rivals, who arc all
NJ armed with the formidable weapons of
g political persecution. l3
s6s Here also are revealed elements upon
VI which some of the greatest struggles IN
~ the careers of the principals are hinged.
a Felse, the heroine. Is a devout Catholic,
loving the church most fervently, while
her lover entertains very liberal views
on the subject OF religion. Her struggles
~ to overcome the tendencies of belief for
the sake Of the passion that possesses
her form n most important part OF the
Il novel, and call forth some of the authors
most mastery powers of portrayal
The third division Is called The Book
;5s OF War, and war 1t Is. The storm which
u has been brewing In the minds Of the
popuace, aroused partly by restlessly am.
IA bilious spirits, bursts with terrible fury
on the head Of the unfortunate emperor
The story of the siege OF Ixmiquipan Is
ttrillingly told. and we are led by swif
~ and daring movements through the events
which make up the careers of the prin
Il cipals of the book.
" aiThe fourth and last division OF tn
2 hfcI, To ,cl
is a fitting climax to the three preceding
ones The events which lead up to Max
mlian's abdication. trial and execution a
81 Oueretaro are sketchcd with snficen
care TO make us understand them clenrl!
for the purpsse OF story Without IN
distance the reports of the rifles witt
which the unfortunate, much-pltied Haps
u burglar. with his two generals MiraInol
and Meja, are put to death.
Judged from Il purely literary stand
point. the work is we'll executed. Ever.
s. sentence has been written with care. Tn
Isl style Is terse without being choppy, Ther
4 are no wall flowers of words which seer
TO he standing about wondering to wha
sentence or incident they be
long, While no character OF the stor.
3 IS charged with the dreadful duty OF be
Il Ing funny. there are those in i who per
aPgg lceiye and often make the most OF tn
grmly humorous side Of desperate cir
# cumstances. We must in this connec
lion pause to hail Mcl3uIney, the uncouth
rugged Anssouran, who is certainly
& brick > as rough yet as solid as one.
An to the other characters, they ar
well chosen to fit story OF this kind
i. ,rhe hero Is real hero. ful! of the dasl
and daring off which heroes are made
ardent In feats OF love and arms. quick I,
detect and resent insult, and finally tri
iimphant through sheer force Of vigorop
unfaltering pluck. Nor is the heroin
Ness real. Her inward struggles betwee
her cherished belief in the teachings an
dogmas OF the church, and the instinct
OF the woman In her being, are vivid
and Interestingly brought out. Niue