The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-21
NEW BOOKS.
,,,o stole Gwendolen Ocumpaush.

.-, Of one thing and another in the course
~ II that this Is not likely, or that this Is
i,o,.,-.rblc. We dare say that the author
,riiI ind no fault with them II such nice
,r.,eel discoveries make them happy.
Ne ourselves love TO be borne along on
de food Of an eventfu detective story.
I, Il. not our habit 20 dilute our JOY with
an, doubt or question.
We could prove, if We liked, the absolute
logic 4 this tale. To be sure. it ia a logic
,.o--ihle only within limitations arbitrarily
sol, Aasl for the chances of another
and A freer logic-the logic of a universe
not go, quite perfectly explained We are
thankful for the sure control over happen
ips- hat is here displayed.
The author is sure, but the reader will
la Efficiently puzzled 1t is remarkable
boN he Ia misled-how pleasurably, with
the cnrerness Of Joy that is possible to be
deceived. he walks up a number of blind
sr.y- Here is Gwendoen Ocumpaugh-
.ati-fyng ndme-the millionaire baby.
What has become OF her? She was in the
bungalow or garden house, In a twink
ling she disappeared. Where was she2
Had -ho cast herself into the Hudson River,
a. her distraught mother persistently and
shoe. ch we're found, one between the
hureaIow and the river, one in the river
itself. how did it come that both we're lefts?
What was the meaning, so far as Gwendolen
was concerned, OF the several fastening
and muddy vehicles that attracted atten-
ton in The roads of Westchester county
a, that timer What had DR.. Poole TO do
with the case-that physician and miser
whose house in the town of Yonkers had
no doorsteps though the door itself was
twenty feet or more above the groundr
What were the facts in regard to the
bungalow? Did It's ceiling really drip blood
from time 10 time. as the Ocumpaugh family
tradition declared. and did a spectral dog
run about it on moonlight nights, terrifying
and without obvious purposel Above all,
how did Mrs. Carew stand-that superb lady
who had once been an actress and who
added TO a great natural beauty the Devil
dering and almost overpowering graces and
destinations that n stage training may i'm
part? Why vas little Harry, Mrs. Carew's
nephew, whom she idolized and sedulously
shielded from the observation OF everybody
and with whom she was about to take wing
70 Europe, 20 vastly delighted when he came
into possession Of Gwendolen's toy bonny
horse? Whose were the shoes and whose
the skirt that left their imprint In the dust
n the subterranean chamber in the bum
gaow7 Was II accident when Mrs. Carew
obterated some Of these imprints and when
Mrs Ocumpaugh, with the assistance of
a considerable body OF her gardeners, pro-
cured the destruction of the others?
There are plenty of questions to keep
the reader busy as he goes along. 1t Is
pleasure 10 feel them crordiDg. To have
curiosity spurred and again spurred; to
nave satisfaction delayed and 70 be pleased
with the delay; TO be kept eager by denial;
10 be treated with entire consideration
and generosity fnslly-if the reader is
not very much obliged we shall have our
opinion of him.
Inc authors literary style has always
pleased US. 1t has the old time care of
form. The sentences fall with much agree
able balance and precision. We read at
mage Of this story, for Instance "On
the afternoon Of Wednesday. August six
tenth, 1907. the guests assembled in Mrs.
Ocumpaughs white and gold music room
wore suddenly thrown into confusion by
the appearance of a young girl in a state OF
great perturbation, who, running up to the
startled hostess announced that Gwendolen,
the petted darling Of the house. was missing
from the bungalow, where she bad been
wing asleep and could not be found though
dozen men had been out on search.
The wretohed mother. who. as it after
ward TRANSFERRED, had not only given the
orders by which the child had boon thus
removed from the excitement up at the
house but had actually been herself but
few moments before 10 see that the little
one was well cared for and happy, seemed
struck as by mortal blow at these words,
and uttering a heart rending scream, ran
out on the lawn. A crowd of guests
rushed after her and as they followed her
aving figure across the lawn 70 the small
copse in which lay hidden this favored
retreat they could hear, borne back on the
wind the wild protest Of the young nurse
that she had left the child for a minute only
and then TO go no further tn an the bench
running along the end OF the bungalow
facing the house; that she had been told
she could sit there and listen 10 the music,
but that abe never would have left the
chllds side for a minute II she had not
supposed she would hear her least stir
protests which the mother scarcely seemed
70 heed and which we're presently lost In
the deep silence which fell on all "a brought
20 stand in the thick shrubbery surround
ng the bungalow, they saw the mother
,tasger up to the door, look In and turn
toward them with death in Der face.
Tho nyerr she gasped, the uverr
and needless of all attempts to stop her,
beedless even Of the efforts made by the
little ones nurse to draw her attention
20 the nearness Of certain opening in the
high hedge marking of the OcumPaugh
grounds on this side, she ran down the bank
IN the direction Of the railway. but tainted be-
fore she had more than cleared the thicket.
When they lifted her up they all saw the
reason for this. She had come upon q
little shoe which she held with frantic
clutch against her breast-her child's shoe,
Ehich as she after~ard acknowledged,
sue had loosened with her own hand on
the little ones foot
We 'Sish that We might relate what hap
pened when Mrs Carew and Mr. Trevtt,
Of Treutt d Jupp private detectives went
into the bungalow at night, down through
trap into the subterranean chamber and
up Trough a trap into the walled of part