Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-23
BOOK NOTES

acters are clear cut, the action Is well
arranged and defined and moves ahead
without any meaningless DEPRESSION.
to the climax. Best of ALL 1t is a sin
cere and earnest talk in a day when
persifage and insincerity are debauch-
ing romance. The hero is the son of a
successful physician, left fatherless
and beggared In early boyhood and
compelled to fight his way in the world
a plain, rugged, purposeful man. His
friend and sometime rival, reared
under more prosperous conditions. is
handsome, charming, manly fellow,
but in the tryingou period Of man.
hood discovers a lack of the others
moral strength, although he retains
the readers affections to the end The
girl of the story is the daughter of n
rich manufacturer, the hero's employer,
whose narrow obstinacy proves the
worst obstruction to the young fell
low In the trying time when unscru-
pulous business rivals seek to gain con-
troll of the factory's stock and at the
same time to corrupt the politics of
the town. The complications resolve
themselves in a climax, where the
girl shines out in wholly original sit
uation, and there is an ethical triumph.
The Balance of Power, by Arthur
Goodrich. New York: The Outing
Publishing company. $1.50.
In Blind Alleys" George Cary Eggle-
ston enters upon new field of fiction,
casts his work in a larger mould than
any that he has hitherto used and gives
us altogether the most important novel
that he has yet written. Blind Alleys"
is a novel Of New York life-not of
Wall street, not of Fifth avenue, and
not of the slums, but of the more typi-
cal and significant aspects Of life in
the great city, and of those who con-
stitute its real and not its exceptional
population. The book is full of those
curious and intricate mysteries of life
that abound in a grSIt city, and fuller
still of earnest thought and sincere en-
deavor to discover a way out of the
blind alleys in which men and wo-
men who try to help their fellows are
apt to find themselves helplessly CROP
ing. No ready-made solutions are Of
fered of any. of the problems presented
by the action of the story, but the sug-
gestions made by the variedly preju-
diced personages of the drama will be
helpful to those who sincerely seek a
way out. There is a sweet and whole
some love story of course; indeed,
there are two of them. In appearance,
it is one of the handsomest novels of
the year.
Blind Alleys by George Cary Eggles-
ton. Boston: Lothrop. Lee & Shepard
company. $1.50.
Owen Johnson's MAX Fargus" is
story with plot, a real plot that grips
attention, enlsts sympathy and keeps
one in suspense, and yet it Is too well
written, too truly a novel Of worth
to be called thriller" Curiously
enough, 1t both fulfills the promise of
his earlier work and shows marked
deviation in the character of the story
from anything that he has yet done.
Tn int of tyIa a chOWe a cert a in
maturity crspness and epigrammatic
quality which his earlier admirers will
detect as natural development. Ar
rows of the Almighty was romantic
retrospective book of American life,
marked by idealism. "In the Name of
Liberty" was an objective, drama TIC
picture of the French revolution at the
height of the Terror. MAX Fargus' is
mystery story, strong and realistic,
yet not an unpleasant story The sus-
pense and the sympathy with which the
characters are drawn prevent this.
The results are book of quality. IN
terest, and, what is more, the promise
of future. A good story well written,
and approachable alike as mystery
and a good piece of literary work.
Max Fargus, by Owen johnson. New
York: The Baker & Taylor company;
$1.50.
"The Upper Hand" by Emerson Gift
ford Taylor, is something of mystery
story, and it would be shame to spoil
ones peasurable excitement by out
lining the plot here. But one is ADVISED
to read 1t; there is thrill In 1t that
takes hold. In the squire's house, in
New England village, there has been
tragedy in the night. Later piratlcal
seafarer appears and the village be-
comes a scene of strange adventure
These elements give promise OF mucn
that is unusual, and the promise is wen
fulfilled.
The Upper Hand, by Emerson Clifford
Taylor. New York: A. s. Barnes d Co.
ONLY the novels that can take hold
of their readers in new way can nope
to exist under the present day condl
tions of fiction. This Is hard 10 90,
but every now and then new noVeEs'
enters a fresh field, and with bolo'
original conception and treatment, car
ries the public with him. Hearts ana
the Cross" is a book of this class. lts
author Harold Morton Kramer, is an
other Of the Indiana journalists tnat
have contributed so much to recent III
erature. The story is of man whose
vigorous personality enables MN 10
do Justice to himself, and to secure
Justice for himself under most trying
conditions A mysterious wanderer, ne
wins the better element of a somewhat
rough community by his eloquence as
the preacher in a neglected parish
meanwhile working In the fields for his
support. His fearless honesty and SYM
'pathy provoked deadly hatred, aug
mented by the jealousy of the lover OF
the heroine whose interests In the mys-
terious preacher. so clearly above his
present station, adds fuel to the jealous
flame. Lawlessne ess, heroism and noble
self sacrifice have their part in the de-
velopment Of a plot, the interest OF
which is sustained until the mystery
is cleared away, and satisfactory con-
clusion is reached.
Hearts and the Cross" by Harold
Morton Kramer. Boston: Lothrop. Lee
& Shepard Co. S1.50.
''Power Lot" is the title of Mrs. S. +.
Mel. Greene's new book title which
baffled many people at first, but which
is admirably fitted to the quaint story
which 1t labels. The book is by the
author of Cape Cod Folks" ''Vesty
of the Basins" Deacon Lysander,"
and many other stories, woman who
occupies curlously definite place In
American letters. There is perhaps no
other American author who has had
a longer and firmer grip on her own