Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-16

lacked the absolute franlknsss wnicia was
apparently promised at the outset. ter with
every tnstallmeut there u Withholding OF
certain important clues and revelations.
months o. mors sso. Now that sss- n
sursuce scandals have comS 20 . plipAx
An6 some Of Mr. LAWsonss ohaxess agaAnst
ns Sgs BEEN e tes .r ssat pa US
tsrsst hsN decads0i1 waneA In short, Mr..
Lawson lacks. the qualify which makes d
sood stage managsr. He has missed ths
tain. '''-'' ~ = sss'As "1' o1i :
MOlsNLLn, 1e62-1e0ss By Aryedo Ba-
rtne. author OF The Youth Of La
Qrande 1fademoiselle." Authorized
English version. Illustrated. New
York: g. r. Putnams Sons. washing
ton; Woodward & Lothrop.
La Grande Mademoisslle, cousin to Louis
XIV Of France. has been favorite subject
Of study with many writers. This i'm.
petuous. passionate. strangely combined
creature OF observation-disclosures and wrong
headedness has puzzled later conamenta-
tors az she evidently puzzled her conten-
poraries. She. was much sought after BY
Titled suitors. Her rank was sufficient to
have enabled her to ascend a throne had
Ehe been pleased with the royal wooers
Her favor, however. fell usually. upon some
number individual, and 1t was by no means
stable. AS member OF the court OF the
"Grande MonarQue" she exercised q certain
degree OF influence, and the story Of her
career In association with her royal cousin
u IN large measure that Of the history or
France at the period of the fullest bios-
soming OF the plant Of aristocracy. In a
preceding volume this author has told the
story OF the youth OF La Grande Made
moiselle. In this one he describes her
activities at court and the part she played
IN the intrigues which conferred about the
aging king. Naturally, the chief source
OF information Is the memoirs of SAINT
Simon, who arrived at court when Louis
was past fifty years of age. NJ Barine I'M
dertakes to correct some of the impress
sfons left upon the mind Of the readers
of Saint-Simon as to the character and
personality OF Louis, and his story of the
later life of La Grande MademoiseIie serves
excelently to this end. This is an intimate
account of Versailles in its hey-dey Mace
moiselle finally married Lauzun. a rather
ridiculous little courtier OF plebeian origin.
She was often the butt Of ridicule, ana
this alliance proved her most serious mis-
take in life. Her career was a tragic sue
cession of blunders and wasted chances.
THE OWNING ROD, story Of the Oil
Regions. BX Francis Newton Thorpe,
author Of The Spells Of Empire" Sc.
Boston: Little. Brown & Co.
A man walked rapidly through a pas
ture. bearing poised In his hand pecu-
LARRY shaped pronged rod. Finally he
halted The rod pointed directly down
ward, over a young girl who was resting
in the tall grass after strawberry hunt
There well was dug. and there started
the chain Of events that caused Thomas
Bostwick to rise to the unstable position
Of king Of the oil fields For there were
many factors at work to undermine his
supremacy even when he had gained the
peak Of power. There were rival COM
panies. and there were traitors, and there
were fires and accidents. and the petrole-
I'm monarch of today might be the hum
blest subject tomorrow. with another <lns
reigning in his stead. Mr.. Thorpe's story
Of the early days Of the Pennsylvania oil
discoveries Is thrilling narrative inclYd-.
Ing tender romance and a vivid descrip
ton of the processes whereby companies
were doomed and wrecked and independ-
ents were pushed to the wall. In view OF
the latter-day interest in the marvellous de-
yelopment of the great oil corporation this
tale Of the boom days Is certain to at
tract many readers. crafty, pretending
religious exhorter, manipulation Of the. d.
wiring rod which pointed to the first oil
well location in the BostWick pasture, tig-
uIes prominently in the story. togethers
with several other well-drawn characters
AMONG FRENCH INNS, the storysoof a
Pilgrimage to Characteristic Spots Of
Rural France. By Charles GIBBS on: H.
lustrated. Boston: L. G. Page & Co.
Washington: Brentano's. ~
Messrs. Page & Company are Offering a
valuable series of books which treat OF the
inns OF European countries, afrordlng
through this medium an opportunity to the
reader to become acquainted not only with
the picturesque quality Of old-world life,
to mingle with the people In familiar
manner, and to come to know the ways
and means of leisurely travelling. but also
to gain an appreciable knowledge of the
history of the region traversed. For much
of the story OF land Is told by its hos
telries. In the olden days the kings and
courtiers and adventures and couriers were
forced TO go by road. and they made the
inns their headquarters. So that If the
quaint old places described by Mr.. Glib
son as the result Of his travels and re-
searches in France could talk they would
tell some entertaining tales of the past,
tales of blood and intrigue, romance and
adventure. MIR. Gibson leads his reader
about with consideration for his interest in
something beyond architecture and dates.
He Is an admirable guide, indeed, and
whether he loiters in Havre. Rouen, Fee
camp, Trouville, Dives, Barbizon or else
where in the provinces. he Is always the
diverting, instructive good-humored courier.
Ills text IS cudTullil8 auU uls liiUSSidtloiiSs
from photographs. are artistic
THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS. BY Henry
Van Dyke New York: Charles Scrib-
ner's Sons. Washington: William Bal
lantyne & Sons.
DR.. Van Dyke breaches the doctrine of
blessedness and peace. In this dainty little
holiday book he offers a dream-story, Tho
Christmas Angel" little essay, Christ
mas-Giving and Christmas Living" a. short
Christmas sermon and two Christmas pray
ers, all OF them expressive of this spirit.
They are literary gems of the purest water
and they are likely to inspire In the reader
a renewed sense of the true meaning Of
that event nineteen hundred and five years
ago which so greatly changed the world
VIKINGS OF THE PACIFIC, the Adven-
lures OF the Explorers who Came from
the West, Eastward. BY A. C. Laut
author Of "Pathfinders OF the West"
&C. illustrated. New York: The Mac
milan Company.
Miss Laut's researches In the history Of
the early discoveries Of the northwest have
led her into comparatively unexplored
field. that Of the Pacific adventures of the