The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-04-10
SOME OF THE LATEST BOOKS
AND WHAT THEY ARE LIKE

which urc eating Ike q cancer ~ Wy
verv foundations OF Ill That formerly
g made American lifo The most dighlhou'
lid most simple and the lihppest III the
world.
is very painful ana TO q ccrtnln oN' l,..,
I Illuminating. but 1t is worth tho careful
md close reading of every woman VINO
considers seriously the social problems OF
to-day and herself in relation to them
ToAtAsO's FORTUNE. AND OTHER
STORIES. BY Henry Seton Mciri-
man. Published BY Charles scrlbncrs
! Sons. New York. For sale by the Sen
Book and Stationery Company.
rho man who wrote "1'he Sewers de-
serves to be remembered gratetully ~ VIC
world he has since forsaken. Tor tl M
niece of work-thc clcvcrcst literary p'o-
duction of the latter part OIL tnc i',ne-
tecnth ccntury-wll always lena prestlso
! to anything which may appeai oNoi tie
iiman's signature.
and vet the most tolerant understanding
| ~ human nature; with the dramatic III
! st,nct IN po,trayal of incident and cl1nr-
octer developed to the highest point, Mr..
N1erriman added to these qualities the
| rof,ned instincts of an artistic, cultivated
md intellectual nature which bent every
| fling to the nttainment of climax anu
conclusion, conceived and wrought out by
| his hrain and hand.
| twentieth century novelsts are accused,
and Justly accused in many Instances, OF
n lack of the finish which Mr.. Merrimnn
possessed in so high n degree. The book
of Short Stories, with #"ramaso's For
tune" leading, turns on different people
and types, but they are all the best of
their kind, being brimful of the humor,
the pathos the vivid color and the grace
full expression which marks Merrimans
fancy. Take for instance the following
paragraphs from '.romaso's Fortune" by
wayeof Illustration:
$50 your fortune Is gone" said Rosa.
And 4the moonlight shining on her face
| hctrayed the presence of that feeting
wise smile which Tomaso had noticed
more than once with wonder.
"Yes--it is gone. And there Is an end
Of It."
| "Of what?" asked Rosa
"Oh!--of everything replied Tomaso,
| with grim stoiclsm.
| Rosa stood looking Mt him for mo-
ment. Then she took two deliberate steps
forward and leant against him just as he
was leaning against the Ftrellis, MS IL he
had been n tree or something solid and
reliable of that sort. She laid her cheek
Of Il deeper color than a sunburnt5 peach,
against his white shirt. In sort OF O
pnrenthcsis OF thought she took n sudden,
half-maternal interest In tho middle but
ton of his shirt, tested It, and found 1t
moro firmly fixed than she had supposed.
Her dusky hair Just brushedIhis chin.
"rhen you are nothing but a stupid"
she said.
THE INIPERIAL1ST. BY Mrs! Evcrard
Cotes Published by D. Appleton and
Company. New York. For sale by the
Bell Book and Stationery Company.
Mrs. Cotess latest novel Is written In her
usual clever and realistic style. and has
n Canadian political element introduced
into its makeup, which Is managed in
a very strong and interesting manner.
The Murchison family Of Elgin, Can
ada, nre+the chief pcrsonages of the story
and Lornc Murchison is its hero par eX-
| celence The charac terizatlon Of tho
| book is remarkably we'll done, and the
interest is we'll sustained. One gets
good idea of family and social Canadian
| life ana through close reading much
more than a superficial Idea of Canadian
Liberalism and Imperialism. The hero's
love story Is marred by his bestowing
| his love unworthlly, his sweetheart. Dora
Milburn. being a cold and calculating
| young woman who in the end throws
| Lorne Murchison over for his successful
| political and business rival, an English
| Liberal, Hesketh. The authoress makes
| Lorne man. however and says of him
in conclusion: 1.-THE shuttles fly, weaving
the will OF the nations, with a skein for
nvn RI n,,.
! his share in the task among those by
whose hand and direction the pattern and
the colors will be made"
Tho most interesting and picturesque
female character In "The 1mperialst" is
Advena Nlurchson. The romance of her
life and Hugh Finlay's appeals all the
moro from the struggle with which it is
ovorshadowed. and which is not happily
lifted until the very last.
WHEN A MAID MARRIEs. BY Law
inia Hart. Published by Dotld, Mead
and Company. For sale by the Bell
Book and Stationery Company.
Miss Hart has written very thought-
full serious book on questions which nf-
feet the life and the happiness of woman,
and through her of humanity at large.
The book will repay n thoughtful ana
"ttcnliNc pcfSuhl ana 6nOulQ ma Il place
on the bookshelves Of every woman who
considers the everyday questions arising
around and about her,.
In chapter entitled. "Drifting Apart"
Miss Hart writes:
The whole structure of modern So
ciety Is unreal. uncertain and hard to
reckon on That which glitters, moro
often Is not gold and the fruit which
looks most luscious is frequently bad at
the core. IL men and women would cater
less to the outside world and more to
each other, IL there were less compete
ton and more compnnlonship. there
would be less drifting apart. What we
need Is sincerity In our lives and our
loves We need to lead wholesome, order
~ lives. The lack of law, order and char
acter in home Is what unsettles its
strength, and dissipates the loye which
makes for unity"
PRAYERS WRITTEN, At yAILIMA.
BY Robert Louis Stevenson. With an
introduction by Mrs. Stevenson. Pub
1