The San Francisco call., 1906-05-27
POWERFUL NEW NOVEL
FROM PEN OF BEACH

Among the books which have recently
been opened here for the entertainment
of reviving San Francisco is a big stack
OF that pulse stirring story THE Spoil
ers," by Rex E. Beach, which Harper G.
Brothers have issued in a book whose
pictured back strongly suggests that
snow-bound, icy northland whose seen
cry and whose adventurous gold hunters
make such suitable material for the de-
scriptive powers of this author, whose
literary style has high rank among the
virilists. His chief character in this
book, Roy Glenister, the miner, is a
strong type of the civilized man in whom
the elemental and primitive impulses are
so clamorous for their liberty and free
play that they rejoice in getting out into
the pioneer countries where contact with
nature is more direct and the struggle
for existence makes a rougher demand
on manhood than in regions more COM
pletely tanned by civilization.
When first observed by the woman of
the northland whom he loved, this siren
uous young Glenister was half pleasing
and half repellant. He had an ease of
bearing that came of strength of form
and perfect muscular control. Strength
was equally suggested in his face, She
thought, for he carried a marked young
countenance, with thrusting chin, an ag-
gressive thatching brow, and mobile
mouth that whispered all the changes
from strength to abandon. Prominent was
a look of restless energy. She considered
him handsome in heavy. virile, perhaps
too purely physical fashion" Speaking
for himself to this young woman he thus
expresses the elemental characteristic OF
his nature: Frankly, / like the old way
best. l love the license of lit. l love to
wrestle with nature: to snatch, and
guard, and fight for what / have I'VE
been beyond the law for years, and !
want to stay there, where life's just what
it was intended to be-a survival of the
fittest."
One of Glenister's attempts to give free
play to this primitive element in his
makeup is chosen as a scene for illus
trauon by the man who has well done
the picture part of the book, Clarence
F. Underwood.
Glenister tried 1t on a civilized woman.
and il took her and the silent forces of
civilization long time to teach the ele-
mental man that he had grayely erred
and must begin all over, with more
hnesse to his play, in order to win fa-
vors from the type OF waman who, while
she has plenty of the elemental also in
her composition, has added to Ii a some
thing civilized which prefers to hold a
man at bay until he learns reverently to
obey the rules OF a finer love game than
the nature OF the primitive woman de-
mands.
In the case Clarence Underwood has
pictured in the frontispiece Roy Glenis-
ter is passenger bound for Nome on
gold hunt, and Helen Chester, q
handsome and refined young woman, is a
stowaway on the same boat and deter
minedly bent on the swiftest passage to
Nome, whittier she bears important pa
pers on a secret enterprise. Glenister
takes advantage of her stowaway condi-
ton and her desire for secrecy to crafty
his love for her by forcibly kissing her.
They were standing by the boats rail
in the night Glenister had been talking
TO Helen of HIS love of the elemental
license. What / want, / take That's
been my way in the old life, and I'm too
selfish to give it up" The girl was
merely regarding him with curiosity. as
of a type 50 different from any she had
ever known; but he "felt only her
beauty. heightened in the dim light the
brush of her garments, and the small.
soft hand beneath his. The thrill from
the touch of it surged over him-mas-
tered him."
What 1 want, I take" he repeated
and then suddenly he reached forth, and
taking her in his arms. crushed her to
hiua, kissing her satly. fercely, fuli upop