The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-01

knows how to depict the various
phases of character and emotion.
Turk" is more of q character study
than the authors former stories. and
| while the book deals with conditions
as they existed in Kentucky during the
lies in the delineation of that sturdy,
| manly character, freckled-faced Turk,
whose constant effort was to live up
to the ideals inculcated at "Old
| Blood" a school noted for its rigorous
| standard of honor. The description
of his temptations under the midnight
stars is an exceptionally strong study.
Left an orphan as the legacy of a
/ feud, Turk was bound out to planter
Shaving and sweltering in the tobacco
fields, acquiring an education in his
! garnet by candlelight, he falls in love
with Nan, the daughter of his master,
| the girl with the devilish dancing eyes
Her scorn, her jibes and jeerS at his
freckled ''turkey-egg face" arouse his
ire but fail to kill his love. In spite OF
her apparent Indifference Nan SNUG
giles candles and books into Turks
| garnet, escaping the espionage of her
| father who had acquired a strange
] hatred of learning and education, de-
I spite the fact that he himself is a col
| lege graduate.
| Turk religiously devours the. con-
tents of his meagre library, and faith
! fully makes his mark upon the smoke
house door-a sign that he has finish
]
| Mans sister Amy as the angel whose
| interest provides him with this oppor-
| tunity for study, and not until months
of toll and mental agony have passed,
days of danger and separation have in
| tervened, does he learn that Nan has
| been the one who has served him so
faithfully during his bitter days of
| bondage.
Quaint old Champ, who is haunted
by the smell of lime from penitentiary
walls, with his invincible logic ana
healthy philosophy; old Riddleberry
Buck who took 'randumS'' of all To-
cal events. and the fiery preacher r
whose abolition principles caused his
church to be burned over his head,
are few of the characters who claim
the readers undivided attention.
The escape of frightened negroes
the rumbling of war and social dis
content, the din of conflict. the weary
life of prisoners upon the Chicago
lake 'front.' form the climax of the his
tory. The cloud and thunderlngs OF
conflict are lightened by many humor-
Gus incidents. The queer courtshlp OF
the professor, who in the guise of a
book agent sought the hand of Nan
sister, under Turks generalshYp, rs
especially amusing, and intensely in
teresting.
The romance of hidden gold, the
transformation from poverty to COM
parative wealth and the romantic de-
nouement form a fitting close to the
fascinating career of simple, noble
Turk.
Mr.. David Graham Phillips. whose
latest novel, The Cost, is for the third
time mentioned in The Bookman's list
of best-selling books, has just returned
to America from trip ABROAD MI
Phillips spent most OF his time IN Bar
ritz, in the southwestern corner or
France, said to be the most beautiful
seaside place in the world. For some
reason or other the all-but-omnipres-
ent American tourist does not go there
and the English in winter only. so
Mr.. Phillips found what he was look
ing for-quiet and a chance to work.
He is an interchangeable worker, and
it is understood that he is now en-
gagged upon a theme that would test
the toiling capacity of the least con-
scientious nOvelist-the religious side
of the war between materialism and
spiritualism in the United StateS-a
study of the extreme reactionary re-
ligious craze from the inside of one
of them. 1t is not, of course, to be
supposed that Mr.. Phillips is writing
a religious novel," The author of
The Cost evidently realizes. as few of
our younger American writer's do, that
the subject of every novel should be
human nature, and the medium taken
for picturing it-war. business, poll
tics, religion, etc.-should always be
ubordinate-merely the glass to hold
the wine-or water-or milk-or med
icine-
An interesting story is connected
with the little book of fairy tales,
'Granny's Wonderful Chair" that Nc
CIure-Phillips are publishing this
month. Mrs. Burnett tells it as an in
PRODUCTION to the volume, under the til
tie of The Story of a Lost Fairy
Book 1t seems that during Mrs. Bur-
netts first year of schooling she was
good girl. The two maiden ladies who
had her education in charge decided to
reward her and on the closing day of
school presented her with a little green
and gold book, saying that they had
bought it hurriedly and We're afraid it
was rather frivolous and that she
might change it if she chose. 1t was
book of wonderful tales that carried
the little girl far into the land of elves
and sprites, and she adored it and knew
it from cover to cover. One day it dis
appeared mysteriously, and no hunting
would find it. Years went on, and the
little girl came to womanhoOd and had
children of her own, to whom she told
stories from the lost fairy book well
as she could remember, though all the
time searching high and low to find the
volume of it for herself. For a little
girl friend one day she wrote out one
of the stories, THE Story of Prince
Fairyfoot" Later at a magazine edi-
tors request her retold story of Prince
Fairyfoot was republished as the first
of series of stories from a lost fairy
book, retold by the girl who had read
them. Letters came pouring in saying
That's a story from my fairy book
and much-hunted volume was sent
to Mrs. Burnett by one who had not
lost hers. Thus Mrs. Burnett found the
lost fairy book again and helps Nc
Clure-Phillips to put it forth again, so
that all children may know how beau
tiful it is.
BOOK NOTES.
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