The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-06-24

Pam Decides, by Bettina von Hutten. --Somet.mes in life one meets an uh- forgettable personality. More rarely we meet such an one irz life's shadow land: litera ture Pam is one of that sort. She cannot be forgotten. What is 1t about the small dark girl. young at thirty, that bites into the memory!
 First, she is natural
 Next, she is honest.
 That she has magnetism and fasci- nation adds to her charm. but the two great and unusual qualities that go to make her the most holding character In modern fiction are her honesty and her naturalness
 It is herself that appeals for and holds interest. What she does is mere episode. That she has written twenty novels Tn six years seems mere item. That she fails to mention to her father that the codicil to her grandfathers will was not written, by which negli- Eenee she Is left penniiess is mere garrish to Pam's abundant Pam-ness. That she keeps happy and alert under the strain of supporting in London her maid Piily and herself Is only sauce to Pam's piquancy. A small fortune left by an old lover makes pretty complement to Pam's surroundings Some weil-drawn, well-bred people make good supplements to Pam's cir cumstanceg But always 1t is Pam that
 
 fs the chief interest. Pam with her keen sense of right and wrong, sense differing from that of her world, but conforming to higher law, IS the per- sonality that bites into the memory.
 Pam is possessed of the same sense of right that made Lily Bart, of House of Mirth" failure. The same sense of right that brings to the noblest off, tenest defeat, rout, overthrow. discom- hture.
 The author shows with an unsoftened sharpness how rarely honesty meets honesty. Vantage. the amateur burg" lar who owes everything to Pam, Is abominably dishonest at the ngst op- portunlty.
 Peeie, though wishes to rid his be- ing of love for Pam yet fails. to meet her honesty with a like coin. He writes slender lies and plays with his realization of her love for himself with a weak and unpardonabie deceit.
 The author Is an artist in the best sense of the much abused word, nnak- CT of beautiful things for she rounds out her story with a chapter of peace and love. Ends with the most satis- factory conclusion of honesty meeting honesty. True love finding it's own. Constant seeking to be good finding good.
 
 of his vaulting abilities; Peele, ruinet by a sudden rush of prosperity to the head is a character handled with keen discrimination. DeLensky. little sin ner," dandy. great man, Is more deli- cate piece of workmanship. In thi: character shows the authors feneis and feniness of touch. in the whole delen' cation of this most original and novel character there is not weak or mis- taken line.
 The lesser people wound Tn the plot are well shown, they are kept with true artistic sense of values well in subor' dination to the main characters. Th' life of London from Bloomesbury lodg. ing house to the Duchess's mansion Berkeley Square, is handled with delft ness and skill of intimate acquaintanc' of all. If so delicate, and fine bool be not found amongst the best selleri 1t will assuredly be one that will catcl and hold the hearts of many readers.
 The Tower, by Mary Tappan Wrigh "A story of a college community ta' ken from the faculty side. book 0 unusual interest. the work of a wo man of culture and exquisite refine ment. Though there Is in the nor than 400 pages enough. indeed to- much and too manifold interest fo pure. keen art the whole fails to sat iSty. temperament IS m eVluenc more than creative faculty. The char acter-drawing is good, too good to b given to 30 many characters. Interes fails to be oentered on Sylvia Senio for that 1t wanders to Young Sylvia We fail to grow wholly entranced wit the vivid social intellectual. tempera mental Paula Denheigh when he bright accompaniment Annchen come upon the stage.
 The love affairs are too real and life like. every character is permitted nor than one! This propensity to low more than once is constantly to tn front in real life. but 1t Is confusing fl q novel.
 Robinson. literary Robin Hoot Knight Errant of tho Pen. comes t the college town of Great DuIinch af ter an absence of eighteen years. IT graduated at tho University then a now under administration of Bisho Langdon. He had loved the Bishop daughter Sylvia, but having all his for tunes to hew he feared to speak. SyIvi loved. but after q woman's way waite to be wooed. She has remembered an has followed every step in Robinson varied, checkered, but ever advancinI career. No one in the college commu nity suspects the love of the two part ~d eighteen years ago. Robinson a 1ea on the Bishops lawn the day afte his return thrills at sight of Youni Sylvia. the Bishops granddaughtei By every preconcelved plan Of romano he should have loved Young Syivi slnce she so exactly resembled tn