Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-10

than Elizabeth had come into the field. In
the second book the authors narrative diff
ferentiates. It presents more complex as
poets. Elizabeth passes out of ken and
Clara takes her place. She is beautiful
probably more so than the artist has pre-
sented her-talented and sufficiently ca
PRECIOUS to compel attention. But she Is
morbid. She glooms over the thought that
her father died insane. when as a matter of
fact he had had the very good taste to kill
himself after having foolishly killed the
lover of his worthless wife. Cartoons task
Is to ferret out the facts and to disabuse
the girls mind of her mistaken sense of
responsibility. Both of them behave rather
childishly before they sit together on wall
and drink in the glories of the Italian at
mosphere and reveal their hearts to each
other. The author, who in private life is
known as Mrs. Hutchins Hapgood, has
achieved a delightful bit of fiction colora-
ton. her setting sparkling with the land
scape realism acquired only by those who
know and love their Italy
THE CLEANSING OF THE LORDS. By
Harold Wintle. New York: John Lane
Company.
Periodically England experiences a
spasm OF radical reform which aims pri-
marty at the razing of that monumental
remnant of old-time British nobility, the
house of lords. Nothing ever comes of these
spasmodic movements toward the dead
leveling of society. The lords stands as
securely as ever. The aulnor of the novel
In hand has taken q somewhat different
and an altogether interesting and sugges-
tive view of the popular prejudice against
the hereditary nobility of England and has
told story which indicates clearly the
difficulties that stand in the way of any
change in the organization of the titled
class. For reasons of his own the prime
minister has secured the passage through
hntISnE a Ifncr hat -har,
ever it should be thought fit to confer nobil-
ity upon persons of distinction or achieve
ment, instead of creating new titles, COM
mfttee should determine which of the exist
ing members of the lords" should be dis
placed TO make room for the new corners.
The selections for deprivation of title
should be based upon standards of moral
conduct and political worth. Dissolute peers
and those who had succumbed to the indo-
lence of the upper chamber were to be
removed in favor of men of pure life and
ability and energy. Mr.. White plays hui
moTously upon the difficulties besetting the
committee of selections when the time
comes toe"cleanse the lords and inject new
blood. And his denouement is sufficient
~ unexpected and adroit to satisfy the
reader athirst for situation. incidentally.
the author demonstrates how ineXtricably
are business and politics mingled in these
days. and what temptations beset the path
of the statesmen of power. slender love
theme binds the parts together. The in
story affords that the institution of nobility
is too firmly fixed to be uprooted by sin
gle enactment.
Own Villain. BY Herbert Quick, au-
thor of Aladdin and Company, &c.
Illustrations by Orson Lowell. Indian
apolis: The Bobbs-Merrin Company.
Florian Amidon, a banker of a thriving
Wisconsin city, steps off a train at Il juno
ton, bound for an outing. Something hap
pens to his head and he loses conscious
ness He wakes up five years later as an
other man. He at once discovers to his
horror that this other man has been n busy
one, busy in the world of finance as well
as in lovemalxing. He has become ENGAGED
to be married. while Anidon was-or is
an uncompromising celibate. Whereas AM
idon was fairly rich man, BrasSfield had
become a very rich one. Two people less
alike, save in looks, than Amidon and
Brassfeld could hardly be imagined 1t re-
uuires much research on the part of Ann
idon to become acquainted with the true
nature of Brassfield and the facts of his
life, and in that research he is aided
chiefly by the very attractive daughter of
an amusing old German, who goes profess
sionally by the name of Madame LIE Clair,
hypnotist, eecultist, seeress, etc, etc. This
attractive young woman puts Amidon into
a hypnotic state. and, presto! he becomes
BraSSleld. Sne questions MIN ana the
comical old German father makes notes,
and when Amidon is restored to his own
consciousness the notes furnish him q clue.
He needs that clue to the Brassfield per-
sonality. for he has determined to return
to BraSsfield'S home and find his fiancee
and straighten out his affairs and discharge
all his obligations For Amidon has a con-
science. even if there is reason to doubt
whether Brassfield had one. And so he goes
down into Pennsylvania TO meet the UNI
known. to be hailed on the streets familiarly
by utter strangers. to make love to a girl
he has never seen and yet who regards
him as her future husband: to be forced
into politics. to find himself surrounded by
complications caused by Brassfeld's flex-
ible character and elastic affections. The
German professor and his attractive daugh-