The San Francisco call., 1905-08-13

boilers on the credit of a reputation
earned by superior accomplishment.
This tale about the boss is very pretty
play of thought and word, and restfully
entertaining.
The Boss" is the editor and pro-
prietor of weekly paper in small
Western town. all of the articles of
whose paper were spieed with what
Wilson calls "a readabA sprightliness."
There was a flippant ineivility in some
of his paragraphs, but no bitterness nor
real eynicism was in the composition
Of Solon Denny, either as to printed
matter or the personal soul of him.
Even when he recorded the rescue from
drowning Of a very undesirable fell
low citizen and interjected the SEEM
ingly either irrelevant or unkind sem
tence, 1T IS feared he will recover" he
was not regarded as either a careless
or malignant writer
Solon, however, was not the hero of the
story. That honor goes to Calvin Blake,
who was friend of Solon, He tells
his own story from his boyheed days,
and does it so charmingiy, modestly, and
in such humorously self-critical manner
that no sense of unpleasing egotism mars
tnis frst-person way of telling the tale.
He prepares us to like the man by max
ing us like the boy in the early pages of
the narrative. He does that in a chap
leI CdleQ Inc I6Il0Cl lONtt 1dlbln
is therein introduced TO US as a school
boy; and he falls wildly in love with a
school girl upon the first day of her az
rival and his beholding of her Some
people may think that is preeociously
early to begin a love story, but Harry
Leon Wilson announces this opinion, and
perhaps it is the enunciation of a pro-
found truth: Your boy of fifteen, L
think, is the only perfect lover-giving
oil ind ha
right to his secret cherishings." So he
has entitled the chapter about this love
of a school girl when he was fifteen.
1.-The Perfect Lover" 1t may be
cleverly chosen caption and wise anal
ysis of his life, for it is surely true that
Immediately after fifteen the lover ceases
to wish to give all so unselfishly. the ele-
ment of bargaining enters into the ro-
nance, albeit bargaining in very beau
tiful and noble goods.
It's deliciously humorous. this story of
his boyhood love. All the ecstasy and
the agony and the wild dreams of it,
doubt, jealousy, and half accomplish
ment. Also the eternal hope, the long
dream of returning to capture her some
day, despite of all rivalry and thwart-
ing efforts of fate. One night Provi-
dence actually graciously permitted him
to walk home from church with his girl
the event in this language; II only know
that the sky was full of flaming meteers,
that golden star dust rained upon us
from the applauding heaven, that the
earth rocked gently as we tred upon it"
Then he closes that chapter with the
gate closing between them and he said
'Good nightr' and she said Good
night!" And consider this-it is a brave
effort to put into words what is beyond
words, "She left me staring after her,
. the, starry heavens crying madly
within me to be said to her..
Calvin Blake goes away from the little
town and learns to be lawyer. Later
he goes to fight in the Civil War, and
while he is away his sweetheart marries
his friend Solon. She is kind enough to
give Calvin friendship. and she names
her baby boy after him Before he re-
turns from the war he gets a letter an
away, and when lying In a hospital under
the influence Of opiates he dreams that
the spirit of his lost arm is seeking the
soul of the woman he loved In paradise
After the peace comes Calvin returns to
his native town and then the mature part
of the story begins. Solon steadfastly
remains his friend, and that undesirable
citizen Colonel Potts, whose rescue from
drowning was spoken of regretfully, fur
nishes opportunity in his peculiar person
for much of the rich humor of the vol
ume. In the end the hero comes to be
very grateful to Providence for creating
this same despised Potts and throwing
his life In contact with Calvin's. 1t makes
him respectful of the mysterious ways of
fate Potts was part Of the causation
of the successful love of, the now
Major Blake's mature life. That court
ship came to It's elimination in a game of
cards The major was playing game of
solitaire That was one of the methods
by which he was training himself to be
resigned to life Of single blessedness.
The girl in the case comes up and leans
over him to help him play this game of
solitaire To be, brief, she did this so
kindly and cleverly that they played the
game double-handed thereafter. The
chapter is called. I'm Which All Rules
Are Broken" He was about to lose his
game because it was blocked by one little
four spot on the queen. IF that queen
were free. could finish everything /.
. ''Swiftly-I regret to- say. almost
with show Of temper-she snatched the