The sun., 1904-12-10
NEW BOOKS.


cited historian y eAuoeiah' a'N
story telling. He can pile adJeotives with
much effect. He can establish scenes vari-
n,,sy lovely and terrible. AT times ne IL
in no hurry. and we dare say IL VIII DO
thought here that he lags so-newhat TOO
consistently in unimportant plaoes'
This is a large and ornate story. The
srene Of it is the South American hepupho
~ Costaguana, which the reader may try
,o find on the map il he pleases Ihe tale
,akes in a native revolution, and, Tor foreign
features. a railroad and line OF steamships.
I, also takes in silver mine; and the sharp
dramatcs involved in the association OF the
r,i,e and the reyolutionists will be readily
understood
Nos,romo, hero OF the story, was one
time boatswain OF an Italian merchant
shin, and afterward captain OF the steve
dores in Sulaco, the Costaguanan port
where the foreign steamships came IN
We NAV glance at him moment, proving
his notorious magnifcence. at page liS.
One Of his sweethearts, an audacious spit
FIRE of girl pestered him for present az
esst on his horse at the fair. The interested
people we're laughing at her. We read;
The girl went of a pace or two, con-
fronting the mocking curiosity OF the eyes,
them fung back to the stirrup. tiptoeing,
her enraged face turned up to Nostromo's
with pair Of blazing eyes. He bent low
TO her in the saddle.
Juan she hissed, I could stab thee
to the heart
sThs dreaded oapataz de cargadores,
magnificent and carelessly public In his
amours, flung his arm round her neck and
kissed her epluttering lips. A murmur went
round.
"a knifep he demanded at large. hold
ine her firmly by the shoulder.
Twenty blades flashed out together in
the'circle young man In holiday attire,
bounding In, thrust one In Nostromo's
hand and bounded back into the ranks,
xsrv proud Of himself Nostromo had
not even looked at him.
.'stand on my foot he commanded the
sirl, who, suddenly subdued, rose lightly,
and when he had her up, encircling her
waist, her face near to his, he pressed the
knife into her little hand.
.No, Morenita! You shall not put me
TO shame he said. You shall have your
present; and so that every one shall know
who is your lover to-day, you may cut all
the silver buttons OF my coat
There were shouts Of laughter and
applause at this witty freak, while the girl
passed the keen blade, and the impassive
rider jingled in his palm the increasing
hoard OF silver buttons. He eased her TO
the ground with both her hands full.
At page 2ss we find Nostromo and that
Young philosophical sceptic, Martin Decoud,
setting OF in lighter with load OF silver
ingots which it was wished to preserve
from the rapacious political adventures
who we're about swooping down on Sulaco.
With the two. though they did not know
1t Immediately, was Hirsch, the hide mer-
chant of Esmeralda who in his terror Of the
revoutionists had not hesitated to make
Of himself a stowaway. The revolutionary
ship came along, showing no lights, and ran
into the lighter, and the catheaded revolu-
tonary anchor, dragging across the abject
person Of Herr Hirsch, caught him up
and delivered him to the enemy. Perhaps
the most dramatic and terrible part OF the
tale is concerned with what happened to
Herr Hirs ch afterward. SotelH, hamboy-
ant revolutonist, tortured him to mako
him tell what had become Of the silver,
something that the Unhappy merchant Of
Esmeralda did not know. Hirsch had been
suspended by the wrists for several hours
when Sotillo went in to take q look at him.
We read:
The sun had set when he went In once
more A soldier carried in two lighted
candles and slunk out, shutting the door
without noise.
Speak, thou Jewish child Of the DEVIL
The silver! The silver / say! Where is 1t?
Where have you foreign rogues hidden it'
Confess, Or
A slight quiver passed up the taut rope
from the racked limbs but the body OF
Senor Hirsch, enterprising business man
from Esmeralda. hung under the beavy
beam perpendicular and silent, facing the
Colonel awfully. The inflow Of the night
air. cooled by the SHOWS OF the Sierra,
spread gradually a delicious freshness
through the close heat OF the room.
eak-thef-scoundrel- -picaro-or-'
'Sotillo had seized the horsewhip, and
stood with his arm lifted up. For word,
for one little word, he felt he would have
knet, cringed, grovelled on the floor before
the drowsy. conscious stare Of those fixed
eyeballs starting out Of the grimy, dishev-
lied head that dropped very still, with
Its mouth closed askew. The Colonel
ground his teeth and struck. The rope
vibrated lesurely to the blow, like the long
string Of a pendulum starting from a rest
But no swinging motion was impaired to
the body Of Senior Hirsch. the well known
hide merchant of the coast. With a con-
vulsve effort OF the twisted arms it leaped
up a few inches, curling upon itself like a
fish on the end OF line. Sehor Hirsch's
head was flung back on his straining throat;
his chin trembled. For a moment the
rattle OF his chattering teeth pervaded the
vast, shadowy room, where the candles
made patch Of light round the two flames
burning side by side. And as Sotillo, stay
Ing his raised hand, waited for him to speak.
with sudden fash Of grin and strain
ing forward Of the wrencbed shoulders he
spat violently into his face.
The uplifted whip fell, and the Colonel
sprang back with low cry Of dismay,
as il aspersed by jet Of deadly venom
Quick as thought he snatched up his re-
volver and fired twice. The report and
the conclusion OF the shots seemed to throw
him at once from ungovernable rage into
idiotc stupor. lie stood with dropping
jaw and stony eyes What had he done?
Sangre de Dios. what had he done? lie
was basely appalled, at his impulsive act,