The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-21
NEW BOOKS
LEES AND LEAVE

LEES = AND 1EAvEN: A New York Story of
-"Chinlnie Fadden'' and ''Major Max" etc.
New York: Mcclure. Phillips & Co.
Isaac Bunton, who dealt in coal and pig
lron,, borrowed $4,000 one day from DR..
Paxton and made a deed of some land to
him as security The doctor went off
without taking his deed, and BuntonS
when he discovered the fact, sent it by his
clerk, Harry Lawton, to deliver at Pax
tons house, and with it some money to be
given to the village minister for his sal
ary. Harry went forth, but not on his
errands : At the railway station he found
his employers daughter Daisy waiting for
him, and the two took the first train, and
at town near by they were married. A
few days after, Bunton went for them;
sent Harry off, giving him $500 to stay
away, and took his daughter home. Harry
took> a train for New York, having the
Paxton deed in his pocket. :. DR.: Paxton
was killed by accident few hours after
he loaned the $4,000 to Bunton. Bunton
had the money; Harry had the deed, which
Paxton's family should have had. These
incidents form the basis of an elaborate
story. Bunton kept silent and, learning
that Harry had been reported killed in a
railway wreck in which the cars were
burned Ulp, he thought his secret was Sc
cure. The Paxton family thru detective
ingenuity entered upon a search for the
deed, discovering that Harry had not been
Killed, and the story chiefly relates there
after to the following of clues and the ul-
innate righting of wrongs. The author
has introduced almost too many charac-
ters and, has so confused himself, and he
gets a little tiresolne. Harry and Daisy
are very forlorn and repulsive characters.
The author of "Chimmie Fadden'' might
have done better.
THE REAL BENEDICT ARNOLD. By Charles
Burr Todd, author Of ''The True Aaron Burr, -
siao.i' S.: Ne" YORK: ' =. 5. Barnes. Co. Price
The author. believes that Arnold has not
been fairly treated in the histories of our
| country and he proceeds to exercise. his
ingenuity in vindicating him, while he ad-
mits his atrocious treason. The first
chapters Of the book are biographical, ex-
| tolling the splendid patriotism Of Arnold
thru several years Of the struggle against
Great Britain, demonstrated, in his heroic
march thru the wilderness, the Quebec
campaign and the battles of SaIatoga
When Arnold was military governor OF
Philadelphfa he was dazzled by the beauty
of Miss, Peggy Shipper, of a. leading Tory
| family, and a strong British partizan, and
married her. Soon after, the supreme
| council Of Pennsylvania brought serious
| charges against him for dereliction in
duty and Tory tendencies A court mar
| tial sat on the case and recommended that
he be reprimanded by Washington, who
mildly carried out the finding His wife,
meantime, had carried on secret negotia-
tions with Clinton, the British general at
New York, and hoped to persuade her
husband to betray the postsof West Point
the command of which Washington had
intrusted to. him. Arnold yielded to the
solicitations OF the beautiful Peggy and
his treason became a matter Of history.
The author thinks that Peggy Shipper,
who was ambitious to have her: husband
made a British peer, was the party to be
blamed more than Arnold. The fact of
Mrs. Arnold's aboninable conduct does
not abate one iota the severity of the
Judgment of history upon Arnold. To at
temptato lay the responsibility at all on
Mrs Arnold Is like the attempt of Adam
to saddle his delinquency upon Eve The
author says the treason would not have
been accomplished had Arnold married a
patriotic wife. How does he know? The
effort to whitewash Benedict Arnold is as
lame as the attempt to perform that
operation ON Aaron Burr. s.:..- -..
YOUTH ard Two Other Stories. By Joseph Con
rad author Of '"The Children OF the Sea-
etc. New York: Mcclure, Phillips & Co..
Mr.. Conrad stands in the front rank of
present-day writer's of sea tales. Clark
Russell does not surpass him in de-
scriptive power and appreciation of the
mysteries of the sea. The title story re-
lates to the career Of a ship which
seemed to deserve the epithet "unlucky.' .
Starting for Bankok from an English
port with a load Of COAL she made several
efforts to get there, each time being bat
tered by storms and pestered by leaks,
and, having to turn back. When she
neared Bankok her cargo ignited and the
unlucky craft was destroyed Such in
cidents are common, but the author makes
a very thrilling narrative of it. The old
"Judea' was a sailing vessel, and that
kind of craft is decreasing in numbers be-
fore the growth of the steam merchant
marine there would seem to be more
romance about the sailing ship. Herman
! Melville's books embody much Of this
quality and bring out the mysteries and
superstitions of the sea in a very fascinat
| ing way. Mr.. Conrad's familiarity with
| the technique Of sailing ships and sea life
is breezy feature Of his style. But in
''The Land of the Tether'' he introduces
| the steamer Sofula. which steamed in ori-
| entail waters and gives us an atmosphere
| Of romance and tragedy and q notable
| character in Captain Whally, who had
walked in darkness to the very verge OF
| crime and insistent1y went down into the
| deep with the. black mass, which repre-.
| sented the old Sofula. The Heart OF
| Darkness is more Of d land than sea
tale, with spurts of fighting in 1t and a
| love episode In far-away Burmat.
l . u o.