New-York tribune., 1903-05-23

FELICITAs BY Felix Dahn. Translated by Mary
J: Stafford. limo. PIP. XIV, S4l- Ciii0"e' a.
McClurg & Co.
i2no' pp' T 2s5 G. w W piIiinghan Company.
AT THE TIME APPOINTED. BY Maynard Bar
bour. 12mo. pp. 81. Philadelphia j. b. Llpplh-
colt Company
iustrated. Emo, pp. sil Dodd Mead & Co
BREwSTER's MILLIONS. BY Richard GreaVes' yes
l2mo, pp. 325. Chicago: Herbert s. Stone q TO-
RED-HEADED GILL. BY Rye Owen l2mo' pp'
3H. Henry Holt & Co
THYRA vARRICK. By Amelia E. Barr. 12mo'
PIP. 343. J. F. Taylor Co
MARJORIE By Justin Huntly, Mccarthy. 12mo
pp. viii, 292. r. H russell
THE DEEPs OF, DELIvERANCE. BY Frederik
Van Eeden. Translated from the Dutcn by
Margaret Robinson, With an dntroGucIo4p y p,t Uy
Will H Drcks. limo, PIP. VI, 3oi u T. Fut-
nams Sons.
1.-THE Grev Cloak is a rather formless but
nevertheless interesting romance, through which
various figures known in French history move
at Spanking gait Mr.. MacGrath, though
crude in his painting of panorama OF LIE N
Paris the provinces and New-France. in the
time of MaZarin, at least has falr luea oi
story. The book opens well, with gallant IN
gray cloak abstracting from great Partisan
mansion a. paper bearing the signatures or GER
tain conspirators He is discovered at his task
and uses his sword with results that start the
narrative off in approved fashion The clang of
steel is again and again in our ears, ana, OF
course we are also hearing at regular Intervals
..the low Iutes of love" We witness an exciting
scene between Mazarin and the hero, another
between the latter and his father, and another
and still another, till the book seems alive with
drama and adventure When the scene changes
of he anti
ments are forthcoming. THE Grey Cloak
lacks BODY so to say. The author is miles in
the rear of the masters. But he tells rafting
romance. and for summer reading his book may
be cordially recommended.
Encouraged by the success OF "A Captive Of
the Roman Eagles" Miss Stafford has prepared
translation of another one of Professor Dahns
historical romances. based on the early strus-
giles between Germany and Rome. In order of
precedence "Felicitas is the first novel of the
group to which "A Captive Of the Roman
Eagles belongs and will be followed by a third
which the translator has in preparation The
story of "FeIicitas' is symbolical of the temper
and disorder of the time when the simplest lie
of the citizen was the mask for the greed or
distrust of those higher in power The happi-
ness of Fulvius in his beautiful wife Felicitas
and their child arouses the envy and hatred OF
the tribune Leo and his tool Zeno, the argen-
tarius Together they plan the ruin of the IN
nocent home, and meet with diabolical success
which is interrupted ere it is completed by the
appearance of the Germans before the gates or
Juvayum. From there on the story loses its
idyIlic quality and plunges into scenes of bat
tie and distress. till, like Nemesis. the motto
Hic habitat Felicit
Nihil mali intret,
carved On the threshold of his home by Fulvius
in the earlier days of peace and contentment,
bears out its prophecy and restores their dis
turbed happiness to the stone cutter and his
wife.
The author of 1.-The Mystery of a Hanson
Cab" has long list of detective stories to MS
credit many Of which have been sufficiently in
tricate and entertaining to place MI Hume
among the more welcome writers of this class
of fiction. "a Coin of Edward VIZ neither
adds to nor detracts from his reputation II
concerns itself chiefly with unravelling murder
mystery exonerating an innocent young woman,
and bringing tardy punishment t. the guilty
The motive of the murder is presumably
jealousy. Two girls are in love with the one
man. He is pledged to marry Daisy, when in
reality he cares for Anna. One morning Daisy
is found murdered and at the same time Anne
has flown thus clearly proving her guilt in the
eyes of the jury, the neighborhood and several
'seuths'' who have made remarkable rep
utations in tracing great diamond robberies
and other heinous crimes. Giles the bereaVed
lover, is the only one, with the exception of a
village gossip, who believes Anne to be innocent,
and he sets forth to find her and to prove the
charges against her false In showing how this
is done the author creates the interest of his
story and supplies the reader with plots and
far t7a a
for mystery and intrigue. Not the least of the
surprises kept for the closing chapters is the
discovery that the prosecuted Anne is the long
lost daughter of a Greek prince.
Mr. Barbour's recent detective romance, THAT
Mainwaring Affair." enjoyed something more
than mere success of esteem" and in its sue
cessor, AT the Time Appointed" find sew
eral of the qualities pertaining to the former
book; the mystery is so well sustained to
keep one puzzled to the end; the tone is un-
sensational and the style picturesque: there is
nothing grotesque or wildly improbable about
the characters of the dramatis persona. For a
story Of mystery. this is written with reserve
and moderation which altogether commend
able. The fact that very serious affair of the
heart is spun out through the tale will no doubt
make it the more acceptable to many a reader.
A train robbery opens the book. friend OF
Darrelrs-the hero-is killed after making re
sistance against one of the desperadoes, whose
image stamps itself indelibly on Darrells mind
by reason of a peculiarly shaped scar on the
face, a portion of which had been revealed
through the mask being partially pushed aside
in the struggle with the victim. 1t is this scar
and pair of snguarly piercing, malignant.
steel blue eyes that lead to the ultimate identi-
ication of the murderer by Darrell That OF
course is conventional, but the story possesses
many good points to offset the weakness.
By no means uninteresting is the scene setting