The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-10
neW Book Deus

sustained. Marguia, the old Mexican bioekade-runner the coward and miser. is fittingly made into very incarna- tion of revenge. Rodrigo Galan is a patriot while he Is outlaw and brigand. Tebacio is . bold and merry fellow. obliged by his own dishonesty to change parties often, and SO show his loyalty by being disloyai whichever chance finds him on the wrong side at the wrong time. Daniel Boone. of Missouri, who has put down the pen for the sword, but who between battles puts his tent in type Is a lovabie soldier. and his little maid. Berthe. makes him fair Empress to his settlers home.
 The story is well sustained. little weighty in places, rather too much of hair-breadth escape from imminent death by shot. Driscoli was condemned no less than three times and shot at by a platoon of soldiers once, to say nothing of barely missing on dozen or more occasions being taken off by well-aimed shots of robbers, outlaws, and battling foes. But of this matter the author forewarns readers on his first page:
 Away you. lordyings, one and all, For here begins no peace."
 The author has. however, found him new fields. He has written with vigor and delight. He has treated his fine of grace. The novel should have a wide and appreciated reading.
 Dolly Winter. "The Letters of a Friend" which Joseph Harold Is per- mitted to publish. We found they were out of fashion, the gay old prints with roses and human wits scattered over Ua found that departed with them one old Maids 6tories' written for inquisitive friends on pink tinted paper. Also that after them had flown village gossip from horse-h hair sofa to stiff-backed chair. And that far into the past had departed lovelorn maidens who had nev- CT filed breach of promise suits as far away Into dim, distance we had fancied that words in form of letters had van ished. Yet here they all are, these old thingsy All with a quaint charm of their own. Here is the Dolly to be- come after many jostles in Love's Lane veritable Dolly Warden, here Is the Old Maid with her story written by her own hand, the village gossip in full swing about a rarely sad story of an old time moon-mad woman, and the letters themselves are full of an old fashioned love, honor, Quixotic chival- ry that is fascinating. There is noth- ing more modern in the volume than village telephone, bicycle, and an amA ateur trained nurse, and that subdued murmur of the far-off world which the morning paper affords" The writer of these very delightful letters confesses to a conscience found soath of Mason's and Dixon's line, a very sleepy con science, he calls 1t, but it keeps It's pos sessor up and doing good deeds, though it is not so given to perpetual gyrations such as he credits the New England order of mind adviser of making. Here is the sort of inward spiritual conselor he credits to his friend.
 What a blessed inheritance a Puri- tan conscience must be! My ancestors having been SO inconsiderate as to dream away their days below the Ma son and Dixon line have beoueathed to me only an apology for conscieNce, which utters its censures with both a smile and d. drawl and never expects me to take it seriously. If we could only exchange ghostly counselors for a few months 1t might be mutually ad- vantageous. It certainly would seem to keep me on the jump. A man with Puritan conscience must be as uncom- fortable as a wooden ball held in po- sition by an upward spouting jet of water. It can neither descend nor can 1t fly away and escape. Nothing for the poor ball except a perpetual rising or falling. Still, it's @ pretty spec tacle.
 There are few prettier bits to be found than when the letter writer tells how he played a game of chess with the old Maid. A better acquaintance with Dolly. Miss Gordon to be fairy god mother thereto. was the stake. The game progressed finely.our ready writer having all his way till Dolly heart lessly Identified herself with Miss Cor don's queen" Whenever this capri cious queen was captured or threatened with capture she gazed so reproachfully with Dolly's black eyes that he let the game slip from his hands. He lost the stake, then Dolly's eyes looked sad indeed.
 For the letter writer the world soon narrowed down to Mossdale his adopted village, It's few inhabitants grew to his mind to be giants in importance. their opinions Brobdignagian in view of his prejudiced eyes. Dolly's wagar!es, charm ing as they were, were not to be under