Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-27

of Hindus singlehanded, who losses the
great stone pedestal of the moguis throne
into the tigers lair, he who carries rant
ing Portuguese countess of ample grin sew
eral miles on his shoulder while he cuts his
way through opponents, and he who hnaIly
Stays an elephant at the critical moment
OF the great fight which puts supreme
climax upon the adventures OF lheSe tWo
intrepid Englishmen in India. Indian IN
trigue at it's craftiest and least solvaDle,
cruelty unsurpassed. fighting of the blood
lest nature and lovemaking of the tender
cst-these are the clements of Mr.. Tracy
thrilling novel, put together with the adrolt
craftsmanship that marks all of his ne
ton. IT has the power of fascination whlch
is exerted by THE Wings of the Morning
and. like that story, keeps the reader guess
ing to the end
sHAKESPEARE'S LONDON. By Henry
Thew Stephenson, assistant professor
of English Indiana University. IL
Illustrated New York: Henry Holt
& Co Washington: w. H. Lowder-
milk & Co.
To the twentieth century world, with its
organized activities, its compelling systems
Of enterprise, it's constant tensity, the life
of Shakesreare's London seems like one
long holiday. Indolent, light-hearted, child
like in their credulity, the pleasure-lovers
who wasted time in princely fashion at the
-Four Swans" the "Mermaide" or the
'OWiQ Man Tavern three nuilQTeu years
ago. are picturesque and fascinating. Is
play a lost art after all? Somehow the
reader looks back wistfully, and longs for
a taste of that spontaneous gayety, his
anusements are prescribed so strictly, the
system is so absolute. A refreshing aban-
don marked those old theaters that raised
their flags across the Thames from Lon
don. In spite of the noise, confusion and
poor scenery, there was a liberty about the
old London play house which made great
work possible: it is not easy to reproduce
the spirit of THE Globe" That there were
no stage properties, as IS sometimes sup
posed, is a msa pprehension, and the fol-
lowing amusing list will prove the point:
Monsters, mountains, forests. beasts, ser
penis; weapons for war, as guns, dogges,
bows arrows, bills, halberds, boarspears,
fawchions, daggers, targets, pole-axes,
clubs; heads and head pieces; armour coun-
terfeit; moss. holly. ivy, bays. flowers;
quarters; glue, paste, paper and such like;
with nails, hooks. horsetails; dishes for
DEVILS eyes, heaven, hell and the devil and
all These frequent quotations from con-
temporary manuscripts give a delightful
picture of the life. Prof. Stephenson has
fully described the surroundings of Shake
speare and his fellow dramatists and while
the work Is rather an arrangement Of facts
already published than a presentation of
original matter, 1t will be valuable in that
it gathers together and relates much scat
tered information. There are forty illus
tTations, largely from interesting old prints.
NUT-BROwN JOAN; a Story for Girls.
By Marion Ames Taggart, author of
Miss Lochinvar," &c. With frontis-
piece and decorations by Blanche
Ostertag. New York: Henry Holt &
Co. Washington: William BalIan-
tyne.
The warm autumnal sunshine-whIch must
1,oxr had
a wistful girl leaning thin, young face
upon two hands. and wishing; not think
ing. "only wishing" 1t is the dear little
heroine Of this story. Nut-Brown Joan.
fourteen-year-old philosopher who has de-
cided that tits perfectly awful to be
homely girl" Joan is slender and over
grown, with brown skin. brown hair and
dark brown eyes, and this is tragic at four
teen, when one has just emerged from a
fairyland where all the princesses have
round blue eyes. pink cheeks and golden
hair. Then there is a pink fluffy sister,
George, whom every one calls pretty, and
who is perfectly confident of her superior
ity in every way OF course Joan Is a
thousand times nicer than George ever
dreamed of being. and the little brothers
and sisters are Joan's enthusiastic cham
pions. Nevertheless 1t is much more inter-
esting to be pretty than to be sensible, and
Joan lis just certain If any girl spoke the
truth she'd say she'd rather be pretty than
anything else in all the world" It happens
that a good fairy In the guise of an Eng
lish aunt enters Joan's household at the
time this story opens, and she helps an I'M
usually attractive and delightful girl to find
that life Is well worth living, even with a
brown complexion. Then comes Darby,
frank, companionable boy about Joan's age.
and they are chums at once. Their friend
ship to the end is wholesome and refresh
ing. A bit OF financial adversely brings out
Of the most lovabie characters aEnong girl
heroiaes. 1t is the cid story OF the ugly
duckllng. and In the last chapter Joan II
frankly surprised at the admiration aWak-