The San Francisco call., 1904-06-12
YET ANOTHER
Novel of High Romance

are some or the cnapter nedQ-
ings: Monsieur Henri de
Lavnay Sets Out on Journey, The
Chateau de Lavardin. The Rope Lad
der, The Sword Of Ia Tournoire. Now
putting two and two together, what
kind of story would you say this was
upon these evidences? A historical,
swash buckling novel say you; scene
laid in France Of the seventeenth CEN
tury; sword and rapier, doublet and
casque-all the stage properties COM
plete? Good, gentle and astute reader,
take your place at the head of the
class.
Yes, here is another of the good old
romantic novels" so styled. which
kept everybody up nights some five or
six years ago. which were dramatized,
plagiarized, satirized. harried and
tumbled until the book world was
bristling wilderness of pike slaves.
swords and daggers. And still Mr..
Stephens, who was then in his heyday
with his Enemies to the King" and his
Road to Paris keeps a fond eye on
the scarlet robed vogue of the past and
delivers himself Of another child of the
same spawn. THE Bright Face of
Danger" forsooth; in the motley throng
of Rulers of Kings" The Boss" THE
Cost" THE Lightning Conductor"
stories whirring with the jangle and
rattle of the hard, materialistic present,
such o befrilled and beribboned pet OF
the past is as out Of place as a Lon
don dandy in an Arizona grog shop.
Mr.. Stephens either has great belief
in the magic of his name or great
trust in fortune that he should produce
such a gay sweet william in the modern
literary garden of garish sunflowers
and rankly hourishing nightshade.
Henri de Launay. a youth of some
what bloodless and bookish tempera-
ment, is taken in hand by the author
at a tender age and made the hero Of
adventures such as Prince Rupert
never dreamed. At the outset his fair
lady taunts him with his studiousness
and distaste for the life strenuous such
as il was lived in the France of Henri
Quatre. Stung into a fine fury, young
Henri de Launay makes a vow, assez
simple. that he will show the fair one
the stuff in him by going to Paris, and
removing from a very truculent goung
This laudable purpose set for him. the
bookish young man starts out, kills a
man in duel within ten leagues OF
home and goes to the rescue OF a fair
unknown that he surmises to be in dis
tress. She is, of course. She Is mewed
up in a grim, gray castle by count Of
the most unlovely disposition. The
hero therefore proceeds to get her out,
that proceeding occupying the full
measure Of the story.
''As could not get the dagger out OF
the other mans shoulder joint in time,
1 drew my sword. Wild with
horror at the prospect of their meeting
so hideous a death, sprang into the
air and ran my sword straight into the
painting mouth of Garoche, so that the
point came out at the back of his neck.
/ wiped my weapons on the
clothes of the slain murderers. The
Countess fell on her knees and
thanked heaven for our preservation. "
Thus runs this rarely wondrous tale of
the bookish young man, who wades up
to the top of his jack boots in floods of
red and white corpuscles. And he does
not get the mustaches, but wins the
Countess, a more substantial reward
of valor, we take 1t.
"The Bright Face of Danger is
bright enough to dazzle all that stlll
turn the backward glance to the tin
pot and long feather days of high ro-
nance. Others, not so inclined, may
not read any farther than the Rope
Ladder chapter. or The Parting.
Is. C. Page & Co., Boston; Illus
trated: price 81 SOL