Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-23

fortunes or Jock Hetherington. prisoner,
fugitive lighting against odds at bay,
falling in love with the fair maid OF Gray
stones pawn in desperate game of fam
lily conniVing for Il dead uncleS fortune
the young Yorkshireman displays courage.
skill and shrewdness in all situations. There
is something interesting happening In every
chapter. Young Jock becomes an issue far
more important to the roundheads who hold
him prisoner than the fortunes of the par
liamentary war. He Is chased by soldiers
across the county, is cornered in nut,
burned out, missed by hands breath. and
finally seeks shelter with one of his quon-
dam enemies.
The love story is touching and excellently
handled This is not a book for an hour $
reading 1t gets too firm a grasp in the
first chapter and there is danger OF past
midnight finish. Miss Dix has peopled her
pages with quaint and entertaining char
acters various members of the Heyroun
family, and manages to withhold to the I'm
ish the solution OF the mystery of two lost
wills to lead to an effective climax to a STIR
ing and altogether delightful tale.
AT THE SIGN OF THE JACK o. LAM
TERN. BY Myrtle Reed. New York:
G. T. Putnam's Sons.
The Jack o Lantern" burns rather fee
bly, at first. Indeed. 1t does not acquire a
full. steady glow of Interest-compelling
light until three or four chapters have
passed the readers eye. But when it does
get into full blaze 1t is not to be denied.
II must be finished. Poor old Uncle Eb-
eueezer Judson. pestered TO distraction
throughout his life by the relatives of his
deceased wife-she died within a month OF
marriagc-plots an artistic revenge upon
them. lie has not cared TO thrust theE
out OF his house. where they assemble In
full force every summer. because OF his
great love for the dead woman. but he
takes particular pains to see that every
one OF hts tormentors shall have bit OF
excitement after his death. He leaves his
ramshaCkle. muCh-added-to residence to
hs nephew the only one Of his relatives
who has not bothered him, and this nephew
and his young wife are forced TO entertain
the horde OF kn-tolks during the first sum-
ruar. Miss Reeds description of that sum-
Ter is hilariously funny. Her climax Is
finished and effective. One can imagine the
grim satisfaction OF the shade of old Eb-
eueezer Judson as he Views from some
ghostly vantage point-perhaps from the
body Of the mysterious black cat Tiberius
Claudus-the scurrying of of the dsap-
pointed crew OF fortune hunters when his
denouement develops. There Is some
''Creepiness" In the tale. but enough whole
some humor to offset 1t.
INTENTIONS; The Decay of Lying: Pen,
Pencil and Poison: The Critic as Art
list; The Truth of Masks. BY Oscar
Wilde New York and Washington:
Brentanos.
Though oscar Wilde died nearly five
years ago. the publication OF his works
continues Shortly following the postum
nous DE Profund!s." which set forth the
soul struggles of repentant, comes this
book OF four of Wide's most finished es-
says All OF them have been printed pre-
viously, but their assemblage now Is inter-
csting az an evidence OF the tendency 20
regard the works OF the man apart from
his private character and public disgrace.
II II were possible entirely 10 dlssociate
the two phases these four products would
be certain OF a wide vogue. But they con-
tain internal evidence OF the moral def
cheney OF the writer One of the four es-
says ls a biography OF Thomas Griffiths
Wainwright, man much after Wilde $
pattern in many respects that il is possible
20 draw suggestive parallels at all points
between Wilde's own character and that OF
the man he vividly portrays in this chapter
Wainwright, who was born in 1894 and
died in 1852. was a talented artist, critic
and essayist or rare ability and withal a
man absolutely without moral compunc-
lions. His vicious tendencies were toward
such pcccadilloes forgery and poisoning
He secretly slew his uncle for the sake of a
large properly; his mother-in-law probably
because she suspected him. his slSter-in-law
for the sake OF a heavy life insurance and
others not definitely recorded for little or
no reason save the sheer delight of kill
ing. He was. strangely enough, never pub
licly accused OF these crimes, but was
finally deported to the penal colonies for lie
for a bank forgery. Wilde discusses him as
q remarkable freak of nature In the blend
OF the utterly vicious and the exquisitely