The Saint Paul globe., 1904-10-23


surd sort of thing of which this book
is type, is not to be denied. AND
the appetite for it grows by what 1t
feeds upon. "a Chicago Princess is
perhaps the most outrageous and RI
diculous of any of its predecessors, but
that will not prevent its being read and
enjoyed by large numbers of persons
who wish to be entertained for an hour
or two. When the story opens Ru-
pert Tremorne, an EngliShman, once
rich and a diplomat, is discovered
spending his last sou and stretching
his credit to the breaking point at
Nagasaki. Here he has been stranded
for some months looking for work.
Just as his amiable Japanese landlord
is about to ask, as politely as possible,
to see the color of his money, Mr.. Tre-
morne discovers at anchor in the har-
Dor the yacht of rich American ana
decides to seek employment on board
of her. OF course its owner, Mr..
Hempster, of Chicago. is richer than
anybody ever was before, and equally
of course he takes the hard up Mr..
Tremorne as his private secretary and
pays him enough on account to allow
that gentleman to withdraw honorably
from Nagasaki. Here the exciting
events really begin and keep up unin-
terruptedly until the end Of this de-
lectable volume. Mr.. HempSter has
daughter Gertrude, the most detesta-
bly, rude and iIbred young woman
who ever posed as heroine, and the
main events of the tale come from the
fact that she has a mania for meeting
kings and emperors, and it is to in
dulge this desire of hers that her meek
old father is going around the world
seeking those whom she may deVour.
She has a companion, Hilda Stretton,
whom she browbeats and bulldozeS in
the same way as she does her father
and also the secretary, Tremorne,
when the spirit moves her. The chi
cago princess has an abominable tenn
per and when fits of anger possess her
she breaks the furniture and throws
dishes indiscrinlinately at her fathers
head or that of anyone who happens
to be nearest. She has made up her
mind to have an audience with the en-
peror of Korea, and when he does
something she does not like she
promptly slaps him in the face and
CONSERVATION enSueS. On account OF
this little pleasantly of hers the entire
party is imprisoned in the palace, and
the emperor asks for the hand of the
strenuous young woman How they
get away and the dangers they en-
countered are among the exciting ad-
ventures of which the book is full. Ii,
the end the impecunious secretary
marries Hilda Stretton and the OBJ
strepereus daughter, after having been
kidnapped by the emperor of Korea,
who wants her very much, gives her
hand to a sharp Chicagoan, who should
have the sympathy of all readers. The
book is interesting, but entirely pre-
posterous and unique in that the hero
inc is. so intensely disagreeable.
o
Dickens Christmas StorIes-Edited by
Jane Gordon. American Book company,
New York, Cincinnati and Chicago.
These nirth- provoking and yet pa
thetic stories, written when Dickens
was in the full maturity of his marvel
Gus powers, are now issued in the well
known series of Eclectic School Read
ings They are repeated as originally
published, except that some of the de-
ScriptionS have been left out others
abridged and allusions unfamiliar to
,, American readers have been omitted
All the qualities that have made the
name of Dickens a household word re-
main. 1t would be well if all school
children could be introduced through
this book to the master of English hu
morists.
Burke on Conciiiation-Edited by VIII
liam Macdonald, Phi. d. American Book
company.
The Gateway series, of which. the
general editor is Henry Van Dyke, is
designed to furnish schools with re-
prints of famous literary masterpieces
in convenient form. In his preface the
editor says that Burke's speech on con-
ciIiation is rightly considered as a
masterpiece of logical exposition and
elaboration, plea for reasonableness
put forth during the struggle Of the
Revolution. The book opens with an
introduction or sketch of the condi-
tions in this country and in England
at the time the speech was made, with
out which it cannot be properly under
stood. There is included also brief
accounts of the early life of Burke and
his subsequent career, as well as ex-
planatory notes.