The sun., 1904-12-10
Fiction.

Fiction.
Five interesting persons are made knovr
to us by Mr.. A. E. w. Mason In THE Truants
(Harpers), and Of sixth we get q glimpse
and should like to become better acquainted
The author seems to have tried to combine
the romance OF adventure with the pey.
Geological novel and has managed to be
interesting, though he fails Of complete
success. The struggle Of the woman
who after all is not the heroine, with love
is we'll done. There are brilliant descrip.
tions Of a trawler on the North Sea and Of
fighting In Algeria. The stubbornness OF the
hero and the weakness Of his wife. too, are
true to nature; but dreary description OF
Morocco Is dragged in. without rhyme or
reason, apparently only to mark time
and toward the end the author seems to lose
his grip and becomes very melodramatic.
1t Is pity that Mr.. Nudge. who is an orig
inal creation should be turned into q COM
mon sleuth. The story, though 1t has many
flaws, carries the reader along. We wish
the author were not 50 fond Of that foul
intruder onto
Senior Ricardo Fernandez GuarcBa's
-Cuentos Ticos' (The Burrow Brothers
Company, Cleveland, which-is explained
to mean short stories Of Costa Riea :"
deserved a better translator than Mr. Gray
Easement. His idea is to be literal, faith
full even to the death Of his original, Some
Of the stories are humorous, some tragic,
but all show power and present life wildly
The book seems to have a purpose beyond
its literary aspect. in rehabilitattng Costa
Rica in Northern eyes. for 1t is preceded
by description Of the country and it's
resources and is illustrated with many
photographs Of Costa Rican scenes that have
nothing TO do with the stories.
The record is not beaten by Mr.. Ernest
U. Smiths Rachel. A Story OF the Great
Deluge' The Grafton Press). for, unless
we are mistaken, we have had O historical
novel Of prehistoric nan. Mr.. Smith comes
pretty close to this. though, for he 10 not
satisfied with the Bible tradition Of the
Deluge, but in an Introduction develops
the theory that the garden Of Eden was
at the headwaters OF the Amazon and that
Noah fioated in the ark from South America
to Ararat, leaving behind him the sons OF
Cain, to become in time the American In
dians. He backs up his theory with maps.
We are indebted to him, at any rate, for
suggesting names for the wives OF Noah
and his sons, a matter that puzzled us
greatly in childhoods days.
The assassination Of the King and Queen
of Servia produces The Bindweed,' by
Nellie X. Blissett The Mann Vynne Pub
fishing Company, New York;. The author
mikes use OF other names for the actors
in that tragedy, but the story depends,
as all OF its clhss must, on the extreme
sensationalism Of the incidents.
The negro dialect Of Mr.. Albert Morris
Bagby's NANNY Rosie sketches which
are published by the author in New York,
amuses for a while. With the introduction
of the theatrical people. however, We come
into the region Of cheap melodrama, and
the greater part Of the book Is extremely
dull
Benjamin Franklin is Mr.. Charles FELTON,
Pi1cin's victim In A Nations Idol Henry
Altemus Company. While the recon-
struction Of history Is undoubtedly noble
aim, the arguments and documents needed
to bolster up pet theory have depressing
effect on romance, particularly when II Is
told with no great skill.
The greater portion OF Manassas by
Mr.. Upton Sinclair (Macmillans) Is devoted
to describing conditions before the war.
There Is impressionistic history, there is
exclamation, the author works himself
nm into pretty artificial rages, but we fear
does not give interest enough to his tale to
carry along even hardened readers Of his
torical novels.
Occ,,ltism and British arohe ology be-
tween them manage to load down the story
~ sMonathe Druidess, by Alice X. Hopkins
Mostero Publishing COMPANY, Doeton).
beyond the readers endurance. Boadicea's
hght against the f'"i'"ii' "Ae' '"e '"'e VI
WI" rodv IN ths de,ective story 4. not the
Pr.;.n,;a MA ~ hvr,or ard ~.