Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-28

Courtesy Of Houghton, Miflin and Company.
cattle ranged free over hundreds of miles
and were sorted out by a system of round
ups based upon absolute good faith. There
were few railroads and society was print
tive. Yet there was sufficient social in
tercourse to give Uncle Lance Lovelace
many opportunities for the display of his
talents as matchmaker. He was an in
veterate manager of love affairs, encourag-
ing the faint heart, choosing fair ladies
for his cowboy SWANS. acting as 'padrino'
or matrimonial ambassador for the Mexi-
cans and generally serving in that Sparsely
settled region as Cupid's advance agent. In
the course of the story narrated by this
book he had bad luck with his matches.
The young white men whom he tried to
lead into matrimony had no success with
their wooing. and Uncle Lance's latter
days were Swallowed by the reflection that
he had succeeded in managing the heart
affairs of only his dark-skinned friends.
The twists and turns of the various ro-
mances which he undertook to develop are
related by Mr.. Adams with simple direct
ness. But the greatest interest Is awaken
ed by his descriptions of the methods of
ranching In those old days of the open
range. A vivid account of two-year
drought is one of the most effective fea-
lures of the story. The book makes plain
the customs of day that passed with
the advent of the railroad and the wire
fence, a day of free-handed hospitality and
graciousness and fair dealing between men.
The story Is vital and effective throughout
and will press Mr.. Adams other book hard
for first honors, despite Its record Of ten
editions in as many months.
NATURES COMEDIAN. By W. q. Norris.
New York. d. Appleton Co.
Mr.. Norris has heretofore demonstrated
his ability to entertain with descriptions of
the country life in England and now he
turns upon his screen of portraits that of
a popular actor, Londons matinee idol'
of the period. He draws this character
with consumrnate skill. albeit the story
itself lacks in vigor and consecutiveness.
Harold DunviIle, scion OF once rich and
landed family. has lost social caste by
adopting the stage as a profession, but
gained immensely in prestige at the capital
through his peculiar charm of manner,
both on and off the boards His fatal
weakness is a disposition to be pleasant
with every woman he meets, and he is in
volved In a desperate maze of love affairs,
which Is best solved by his tragic death in
consequence of an heroic impulse at the
burning of his theater. A breezy person.
age who adds zest to the otherwise rather
sluggish narrative is Miss Josephine Gar
diner. type of the most Independent of
the new woman of the day. Glimpses
behind the scenes of the life of a favorte
actor are given, with a touch of satire to
PIONEER HISTORY STORIES. BY. Charles
A. MeMurry, Ph.D New York: The Macmil-
Ian Company. Washington: Brentanos.
Three volumes of this valuable series OF
text books in American history have been
issued. under the titles: Pioneers on Land
and Sea-" Pioneers OF the Mississippi
Valley" and Pioneers of the Rocky Noun
tains and the West" The series is de-
signed for use in intermediate grades and
| tells the story of the discovery and de-
velopment of North America by means OF
| brief biographical chapters which intro
duce as much as possible of the human
| element into the historical narrative. In
order to present the men who brought
| the great western continent into being a
world factor in their most interesting as
pect. In the first volume are told the
| stories of Champlain. Hudson, Raleigh
John Smith, Fopham, Columbus, Magellan,
| Cortes, Ponce de Leon and Washington
( in the second. Juliet, Marquette, La Sale,
| Hennepin. Boone, Robertson. SEWER, Clark
Lincoln and De Soto; in the third, Lewis
| and Clark, Fremont, Powell, Parkman,
| Drake and Coronado. 1t will be seen from
| the arrangement of these names that there
| is no chronological sequence. Many illus
] trations and maps facilitate the reading
| and add to the interest Of the young
| student.
THE TYRANTS OF NORTH HYBEN. By
Frank Dilnot. New York: John Lane.
| Tho blacksmith shop at North Hyben-
which all the reading world, OF course, knows
| is In Hampshire. England-is conducted by
| William and Simon, surnames not mention
| ed and unnecessary. These two exercise q
| tyranny which all of North Hyben acknowl-
edges and from which, in the case Of young
Farmer Carey, arises trouble which
Tn
he rode a well-groomed horse and held his
head high and kept himself decent. and
particularly because he let his horse drink
| out of the pond over which the black
smiths exercised an assumed Jurisdiction.