The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-05
NEW BOOKS.
nr,,coll and Jaoqueline in Mexico.

\ ,,Ie. Jr.'s, story OF Tho Missour1an'
moubleday, Page Il Coz. Jacqueline was
french lady OF title. She had been First
/ n.me Of Honor about the Empress Char
L.te. In Maximlian's court In Mexico.
\ w.noleon ILL., had recalled her from the
w.,,con court to her old circle in the Tuiler-
Ls to st. Cloud. to Compiegne,' and had
,hen sent her hack again upon secret
.isslon. There is a picture Of her, show
no her standing on the deck OF the vessel
~ which she sailed. It is plain that she was
yery French and very pretty.
She was also very merry young lady.
Che insisted on going ashore at Tampico,
=, vbioh turbulent and sun baked port the
.hin had put in, owing to stress Of weather.
che was tired Of the motion Of the ship
and wished to take q walk. Tho warm
,eather was nothing to her. She was eager
,or tho danger, OF which there was plenty.
m course this within Of Jacqueline's was
-rone. She was trustee Of very import
ant Napoeonc scheme. It says: 1She
m the spirit Of the enigma, the very per-
soni6cation OF the Napoleonio sphinx. She
IN, tho Imperial Secret flung thousand
ls.r,es there to work itself out alone In
nav IanQ OF eIupuo' Cho ouSho w AoNo
been cautious, but 1t was impossible for
her TO resist adventure.
She was delighted when she met at
csis in Tampico the fierce stranger, q
tsrrible bandit, Rodrigo Galan. There
(. A picture Of Rodrigo. from which Il Is
.nnarept that his eyebrows wero far
more terrible part Of him than his mus
acbe. This picturesque but neager VII
hin easily persuaded our heroine to aban-
don the idea OF returning to the ship, and
10 undertake the rest Of her journey over
hnd under his escort. There were lively
Zines during Jaoquehne's brief sojourn
n Tampico. The hero Of the story came
upon the scene, q quiet and humorous
Young Missourian named Driscoll, fresh
nom four years Of strenuous activities In
the Confederate Army. Driscoll took the
part OF the French sailors who had escorted
j.cdueline from the chip. and who en-
nged in combat with Rodrigo and his
robber band.
We we're sincerely sorry for the bandit
chhftain at this tumultuous juncture.
The French took to boxing with their feet.
One Of them, "a bullet beaded lad OF Nor
mandy jumping in front Of Rodrigo,
drew up one knee, for all the world like
q dancer who then and there meant to
cut q pigeons wing. His foot described
circle under the knee, then the performer
turned partly round. and as lightning
bolt bis leg Strengthened out full against
Don Rodrigo's stomach. The ranchero
dropped like bag Of sand, except that
Be groaned.' Time and again our bandit
suffered in this manner. He was deposited
fat on his back each time he tried to rise,
till the sole Of foot took on more terror
than a lannon's mouth" He was very
angry. When the shindy was over Jacque-
line remarked him "fuming In ignoble
soreness on his back" He must. however.
have had an excellent stomach. He was
up and about, az good as ever, in few
minutes. Others surely were far worse
Of than he was. leaving out the ignominy
Of bis experience. Bandits and sailors
had piled their knives. so that there was
much soppy red spreading over the yellow
sh white OF shirts and over the blue of
jackets .- FL
Driscoll in this encounter used his pistols
ny to do fancy tricks. Raising his weap-
ens no higher than his waist. he shot the
bandits pistol out OF his hand and his hat
Oh his head, This was before Rodrigo
had been kicked in the stomach. For the
rest Driscoll used only his fists. The story
calls him the Storm Center. We read:
The Storm Center was merely workman
like. He put away the six shooters, and
strove bareheaded with joy and vigor,
which was delightful yet SO systematic
that it was anything rather than romance.
It might have been geometry, in that foe
Is safer horizontal than perpendicular, and
the theorem he applied industriousiy, with
simple faith and earnest fists
1t will be remarked with what lightness
lndhumor the author sets forth the prowess
Of Driscol Jacqueline is playful all through
the story. She loves to shudder. She also
loves epigrams. and furnishes a great
number. The flora and fauna Of Mexico
pleased her when she was journeying out
Of Tampico. A dilettante such as Jacque-
naturally lover Of the beautiful in her
search after emotions. A sentiment for
her surroundings came now as matter oil
course. II she turned. she beheld the cha
Arral plain stretching fatty back Of her to
the sands and lagoons OF the coast. II she
6rted her whip overhead, down hurled
. shower of bright yellow hail from
the laden boughs. Her nostrils told her
Of magnolias and orange blossoms, her
eyes and ears Of parrots and paroquets
and every other conceit in fantastic plu-
mage They were restless Kaleidoscope OF
colors blending with the foliage, and from
their turmoil they might have been quar-
reing myriads and never birds Of para
disc. Little red monkeys grinned down
1t her as they raced clutching among the
branches, while big handy legged sambo,
an exceedingly i'll tempered member Of
the same family bawled his reproaches
N tone gruesomely human. Now and
then her horse reared from an adder squir1n-
ing under foot or she would see q torpid
boa twined sluggishly around limb, as
about victim. Once in junglelike place
he experienced something akin to the
Priced ecstatc shudder a. she made out
the IN sleek form Of iaguar sinking into
the swamp"
But this was merely an introduction.
inere were plenty Of eostatic shudders
70 come. The Emperor Macmillan is a
Conspicuous and surprising figure in the