The San Francisco call., 1906-05-27
the lips. For an instant she lay gaspins

the lips. For an instant she lay gasping
and stunned against MS breast, tnen sne
tore her fist free and with all her force
struck him full in the face
The chapter in which that scene is
graphically described is entitled In
Which Glenister Errs," and the author
appears, with all his plainly shown love
Of the primitive and elemental, to have
here used the word "errs" in a more
than playful sense. For by that rude act
Glenister ever so nearly lost the respect
and liking Of this girl. the winning of
whom was the main game of his life
For very long time she shut him out
and wrapped herself UP in her haughti-
ness" He had to be very patient and
persistent In winning back what he had
lost 1t took many acts of chivalry to
redeem him in the girls estimation; and
be had very humbly to confess his re-
gret for what he did that night when the
girl had been with him, all unprotected
In the striking phrase of Rex Beach,
i've wrung my soul for that act till
there's nothing left but repentance"
1t is the love of Glenister for this
woman, suddenly thrown by circum-
stance from a sheltered home in civili-
zation into a turmoil of the mining
camps of the Far North. that chiefly
makes the interest Of the story. The
influence of the love of her gradually re-
strains and changes the primitive and
elemental in him that otherwise would
have developed him into the too rough
and lawless type for a civilized woman's s
loving. Still the reader who loves these
tales of elemental virility need not fear
that Helen saps Glenister of mis- strength
in this civilizing process. or makes him
too tame for the petting of a woman
who loves a splendid animal combined
gives herself.
The title of the book, "The Spoilers, Z"
refers to that historic Jugglery under the
forms of law by which in Nome the
miners were wholesalely robbed by the
tricky expedients of claim jumping and
the unjustly enforced receiverships the
courts appointed during the trumped-
up litigation. Glenister owned a half
interest in an enormously rich claim
which was thus pestered. He would
have held off or avenged the Iegalized
robbery with his Winchester, but the
love of Helen and regard for her uncle,
who was the corrupt Judge in the scase,
restrained his temper and caused him
to submit to the forms of law. There
are strong descriptions of the effect such
outrages had on the rough miners who
loved common-sense justice and detested
troll of technical legalities.
The book is worth reading just for its
richness of expression. The language
put into the mouths of the characters
has plenty of pioneer picturesoueness
Especially is this the case with old
Dextry, GIenister's partner, who when
he got full of good liquor was liable ito
drive four-horse wagon into some
church, or to pick the Judge to pieces
with his fingers, just to see what made
him go round When Beach. droppjnp
occasionally this language of the miners
and using his own to tell of the environ
ing scenery of his well-told story, he
makes his picture complete with vivid
and eloquent description. He finely
word-paints for US many scenes par
ticularly THE Killing" witnessed bv
Helen Chester swiftly after her arrival
into the turmoil of the Far North of the
mining camps. That is a scene so drawn
that 1t stays in the mind like as some
thing personally witnessed-in the sud-
den horror of enforced beholding.
One of the chapters is called the
"Vigilantes," and IT describes how the
outraged miners were sorely tempted to
take the misused law into their own
hands and string up the Judge and the
receiver whose tool the Judre
was. Gienister mas soul-wracking time
Of it to fix his allegiance in the right
place, for he sympathizes with the
miners and vigilantes, and has himself
been deeply wronged by the legaIized
jugglery. but at the same time he loves
Helen, and therefore does not wish fo
harm or let come to harm her uncle. the
Judge. A scene pictured by the artist
shows how Glenister has hurried in the
night, just ahead of the mob, to the
home of Helen and the Judge to protect
them. Armed with his Winchester and
having his face set with the sternness of
ais sudden mission. he alarms the beau