The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28
8'.rhc Shutters Of. Silence,' by.
4 Burgin.STs One Of the Strong
est and Best Writer, 5.
Stories Of the
Season.
MRS. B0sHER's NEW BOOK

& Bs{ Lee lt,NdllS-- q iiis'~' - :, 1865
A Sketch Of the Famous
Gcorgianby Harriet G, Cooper.
Magazine Articles and Notes
Of Books and Their Makers.
.TIIn SHUTTERS OF SILENCE" Writ
ten by 6. B. Burgin, published by The
Smart Set Publishing CO., New YORK..
Il For sale by Miller & Rhoads, Richmond,
& Va. !. sf
Imagine a dashing young English wo-6
mnn. the daughter Of a vicar, and, SO In
. discreet as to cope with young man IN
the neighborrood; imagine such young
woman III disgrace, with child either
to conceal or provide for, and yet refus-
ing point blank to marry the man VINO
had stolen her away; imagine TINS wo-
4 man afterwards accepting the attention
Il, or mn elderly man Of means and finally
becoming his wife; and imagine her also
as having spirited her child away TO q
monastery in order to save herfteputatlon
/ and to enable her to live life OF luxury
1t ia hard to conceive Of such q woman
IN real life, yet 1t Is about such Wo-
man and the circumstances OF her mo
3 and tho characters involved that the au
thor OF this book has builded his story.
II IL an unnatural situation. yet it must
4 be admitted that the story Is intensely
interesting, that II does not seem to lack
plausibility as ono follows It's sdeVeloia-
,,,ent and 1t must be confessed IN conchl-
4 sion that s"The Shutters of Silence IS one
OF the strongest books OF the day. When
i the reader IS introduced to the characters,
4 he finds tho man in the case, Bruce Wlll-
,y1, deter
mined at last to. find his son and to, 40
by him fathers part He finds the
woman in the case. Lady Geste, a nand.
some widow, rich and attractive. but Ut
ter,y hcartlcss ard bad lie mas tho
hero of the story a lad in his teens IN a
B Canadian monastery, about TO take MS
final vows as brother Colombo @
4 "I BntS 4 ~ boy IS rescued from tho monas-
tery BY his father. taken back to Eng
Land, introduced into fashionable society
s md completely dislllLsonlzed. At first
no is in doubt as to whether or not ne
should give up a life of solitude and PEN
ance for a life Of pleasure and luxury. But
mis- doubts are finally set at rest by
beautiful English girl, to whom his faith
er has presented him, and who soon wins
his affections. Cannot one do good
works In the world as well as out OF ltIs
s. she asks him In her first interview 1t
always seems 10 me it wants much more
courage to live in the world than out
OF it,
Brother Colombo was easily convinced
4 that this was the true view OF Ire ana
determined to devote himself to good
works outside OF the convent. All had
gone well until young lord without
principle, who was In love with 1hls
Young woman, discovered the secret OF
Brother ColomEq's birth. and was ABOUT
to make scandal, when Lady Geste ap-
! I .r i ~, Srt of a o.
ouired of him promise that ne Woulu
forever thereafter hold his peace.
This is tho most dramatic scene IN the
book and 1t Is the work OF an artist.
'rhe up shot Of 1t all is that the young
Winchester runs away and the elder goes
to the monastery in search OF him, ana
there remains In delicate health for
months Finally, there is a reunion, he
and Lady Geste are married, ana the
heroine. who has followed Lady Geste
to the rnonas tery. gives her hand and her
heart to the hero in the presence OF the
sync father. THE Shutters of Silence"
is a book that commands Interest,
Tr3E JEWEL OF SEVEN STARS. BY
Bran stokcr Published by Harper
Brothers. For sale by the Bell Book
and Stationery Company.
Some years ago Anstey. an exceedingly
c,ever lshglish novelist. wrote book
called .rrhe Fallen Idol" which imme-
diatcly became popular. Tho well intro
duccd touches Of Indian mysticism ana
,ranscendentalism which it contained
we're leavened and Heightened by very
real substratum ot sound, common sense
and humor,
Ansteyl ola rather more than write a
lively and original book, however; he set
a fashion which has been followed with
varying success by writer's Of fiction since,
one of whom. Mr.. stoker, has just pub
lishcd. 1.-THE Jewel of Seven stars
Now '"rhe Jewel of Seven Stars pllr-
ports to be a wonderful and flaming ruby
which has been taken by an Egyptolo-
sist Or. Treluwney, Of London, England
from beneath the mummicd hand OF
Princess Terra, of Egypt. about whom the
story revolvcs The book Is too Wildly
Improbable to gain by the outlining OF
Its story. 1t makes the most extraordl
nary demands upon crcdulity without
adequate support for such demands,
Tho first chapters lead ono to infc'
that they preface Il first.class detective
romance. Ones interest Is rather awak
ened, but when one IS called upon Il
believe that female scion Of the roya
house of Pharaoh has built herself I
rock-hewn tomb with every aid for lie
resurrection at the end of several thou
sand centuries, and then resigned her
self 10 temporary death, imagination
falters and is ohstinately unbcl!cviEg.
More especially il this the case whe'
one is informed that the Princess, ever
during her trance, was powerful enopg
TO ayenge herself on all WHO dared t
interfere with her wishes WITH her re
incarnation she causes the death Of al
who are the Instruments in bringing
about, sparing only The man who Is LEI
alive to tell the story, and who sees n
woman he loves and his friends peris
before his very eyes.
JAMES OGLErHORPl2, BY Harriet G
Cooper. Published by D. Appleto
. ~, 1. ln,,,. ~