The Washington times., 1904-01-02
Ut DAUGHTER OF A MAG
NATE" is a railway novel,
by Frank Fl Spearman, and

by Frank II. Spearman, and
IL is characterized by the
breezy vigor and picturesque style which
have made Mr. Spearman known as the
author of the best railway fiction in
our literature. Readers Of Held for
orders" will find in its pages many IA
miliar names-Bucks. Doubleday, Gala
han. Duffy-and the scene Of the story
is the authors old stamping ground
Medicine Bend 1t is the romance of
the wickiup. 1t is. moreover. the first
railway novel Of any account in Ameri-
can fiction.
The heroine is the daughter of the
president of the road. and the hero is
the construction engineer of the noun
tain division. Mr.. Spearman. like Kip
ling. approves Of the men who do things.
and Glover does things on the Titanic.
otherwise the American, scale. He is
precisely the man
To shake the iron hand of Fate
And match with Destiny for beers.
II the twentieth century hero is the
man who does things the twentieth CEN
tury heroine is the woman who gets
In his way and transforms his task
from the difficult to the impossible, and
stincts OF his kind. woos Gertrude
Brock is that sort of girl 1t is a
curious but not unaccountable fact that
men who bridge chasms and tunnel
mountains and scale precipices are apt
TO choose for their mates such women
as grow in lighthouses and have the
delicate strength of a cultivated bloom
rather than the robust virtues of the
open air. Alb Glover. true TO the in
stincIs of his kind. woes Gertrude
Brock. the girl who orders out a special
in blizzard and shudders at the con-
sequences; and. what is more. there is
every reason to suppose that the mar
riage was perfectly satisfactory. 1t is
another proof OF the old saw that on
posites attract.
Very well. In the process Of remodel
ing his world for Gertrude Brock.
Glover finds his greatest happiness. and
Mr.. Spearman his story. II is a good
story. 1t carries the reader along with
tne rush Of an express train behind
time There is humor in it-witness the
party or sightseers lowering around
Glover at his work. demanding chairs
and in default of these sitting on blocks
OF dynamite. to the anguish of the en-
elneer. Witness the quaint and denure
croilery of the love scenes at the end.
II is sailed with humor just enough
10 relieve the intensity of the dra-
matte incident.
The description of the blasting of tho
cats Paw TO remedy the destruction
caused by Rat River is one of the tell
Ing episodes of the book. and would have
made a good story-( Sleepy Cat: the
engineer Story il might have been
called If told all by itself The descrip-
ton OF the ride of the lovers through
the blizzard on an engine is as good a
thing as the author has ever written.
The book is in fact fun of incident
and there is nothing slow about IT. If
you want 10 know what the strenuous
life really is Mr.. Spearman seems To
say. go TO Medicine Bend.
Here is example of the way in
which he handles as commonplace an
incident as the blasting OF a few hun
dred yards OF rock into a hole. The
mountain in the case, be IL known. was
called by the Indians Sleepy Cat. be-
cause overhanging Rat River. IL let the
Rat run away. Now. the Rat had wash
ed out "A large hole under an outcrop-
ping ledge, which hole Glover purposed
TO MI by blasting off the ledge and