The San Francisco call., 1904-11-20

RAIDER" in Harper's Bazar. wrote to
the editor of that publication request
Ing the favor Of advance proofs Of the
completed novel through fear that i'm
pending death might rob him of the
story's final solution. One can hardly
blame the invalid; it would be a mis-
fortune indeed to pass into the beyond
with the novel only half read. Nor
can one blame the publishers for trad
ing upon this unusual request. for an
advertisement so strong could not be
evolved from the most fertile brain.
"The Masquerader'' is one Of the
most keenly constructed stories pro-
duced in many a month. 1t is a story,
pure and simple, with no ethical sig
nificance. no didactio ends to be sub
served. Upon the plot. remarkably
unique and developed through battling
turns Of circumstance. hangs every
thing Despite the fact that already
readers have been raising mooted
points of ethical contention and moral
conviction anent the authors solution
OF the puzzle in her novel. the truth
remains that this is q story. only. a
story to amuse; all speculation con-
cerning the Interior purpose Of the book
is decidedly beside the mark. for thers
is none.
The author has founded her plot
on impossible premises and worked It
out to logical conclusion. Given two
men of an exact identity. the one q de-
generate under the clutch OF morphia
but possessed Of a high position, the
other unknown yet the master Of great
potentiallties for action; they change
places, each entering upon the sphere
of individuality held by the otherI
what results are possible? Mrs. Thurs
ton has conceived of results as one
could never guess at. Building up one
complication after another. following
one situation with another. perfectly
logical but equally unexpected. she has
constructed a tissue Of circumstance
whose every turning brings surprise
and feverish desire to gain the next.
The mechanics Of her story building
are perfect, yet so concealed as to be
manifested only through the super
structure of even incident which they
support.
Two lines of interest divide the
suspense OF the reader John Loder,
the man who has usurped the identity
of the degenerate Chilcote. finds that a
crisis in the foreign policy Of England
thrusts upon him opportunities for
putting into play faculties for leader
ship that are madly beating within
him. Through the seat in Parliament,
which he holds by virtue Of his assump-
ton of the part Of the degenerate Chill
cote, he is enabled to mount by leaps
and bounds to the heights of ambition.
Yet how unstable his foundationi
word, a line of writing from the en-
bodied Mr. Hyde in the strange ex-
change may wreck all. Again the love
element in the book is one admitting
of boundless opportunity for surprise
for the author. A situation Of some
delicacy, very like that in which Stew
enson's Davy Balfour found himself
with Margaret in the Lowlands. calls
for the authors neatest ingenuity.
Satisfying is hardly the word Of sum-
nation for THE Masquerader." for
after reading II one Is very likely to
be in dissatisfied unrest because Of the
fact that he Will probably go far be-
fore finding another bit OF fiction so
good.
(Harper & Bros, New York: illus
trated; price 81 b0.)