The San Francisco call., 1904-07-17

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wrote the well-known kindred
Nd Of the wild" and several other
= good books which tend TO make
Us more intimate with our kin
folk Of the forest, comes again TO help
US 10 renewed and extended acquaint-
ance with these country cousins in a
collection OF short stories called The
Watchers OF the Trails" Roberts is
well equipped for such a task. for
from a boys eager observation up TO
mans contemplation he has felt the
lure OF the lairs, loved 10 trace the
trails. watched the haunts of the wild.
and sought under the surface Of that
which the eyes can see and the ears
hea-, for the mind and heart, the mo-
tives. hopes, terrors and happinesses
Of these beasts whom Darwin has
taught us believe are but ourselves
In lower stages Of development.
Roberts IS greatly aided in thus in
tensifying our interest in his animal
creations by the splendidly sympa-
thetic illustrations Of Charles Ldv-
ingston Bull. The text Of the book IS
made clearer and more pleasant by the
aiding work OF the artist in so force
fully and powerfully assisting the
Imagination TO picture the subject
matter OF the stories. No small share
Of the success OF the book is due TO
the work Of Mr.. Bull. Here we
see the bear, who always seems
intended by his peculiar make
and motion 10 play a comic part
IN creation so that even his ferceness
seems a sert OF farce; the 1.-THE grace
ef the cat tribe, beautiful in their
play. passion-suggesting in their
csress, terrible IN the crouch that pre-
cedes the prey spring. fascinating al
ways; the horned ram, bravely guard
ing the lamb from the wolf; the wolf
himself In all his hunger-suggestin
gauntness; the birds OF the air soar
ing far above US humans, toiling on
earth's surface; the Iordly beasts with
Rnuered heads, who I'LL the October
woods with romance by their love and
war, their restless wanderings In
search OF lovemates. their love calls
and fierce battles to the death for q
disputed doe-au these are so well pic
tured for US by the artist, Charles
Livingston Bull. that the illustrations
help wonderfully the words Of the au-
thor In bringing closer home to US the
est
Although this beck would be inter
esting 70 al, Il viii be especially pleas
ing TO the boys. Even II we older
folks can't care 50 much for the ami
mails as the keen curiosity Of youth
does. yet we all can al join in their
enjoyment Sf the stories and pictures
and we can hope that this contempla-
ton VIII make them kinder TO the
brutes. II children love to consider
the ways Of the animals Of the wild
let parents permit them TO do so, for
1t is true. as the poet sings:
he prsyeth best who loveth hest
AL things. both great and small
For the good God who loveth Us
he made and loveth all.
For after AL We are linked, more
ulystically perhaps than a Darwin
could demonstrate IN scientific prose,
10 the lower creatures of the various
and vast creation.
There are more good stories IN the
collection than We have space TO de-
scribe, but like al good things, when
you taste OF one It makes you want
another, and so we try TO give synop-
tically some samples.
First, there is the story OF the
Freedom Of the Black-faced Ram" /"
staring out with a picture OF the ram
on the top Of Ringwaak Hill, guard
ing, sentinel-like, his beloved eve and
her lamb, who lay at his feet content
with their protector. Note how that
single statement gives imaginative ma
terial for q picture fit 10 frame.
This black-faced, heavily horned ram
comes frol-l a white-faced hornless
flock by a freak OF nature. He is
what naturalists know by the name
OF a sport; and before the tale is
hallway through you fnd eut that