The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-11
MORE NEW BOOKS
 AND THEIR FEATURES Various Attractive New Works of Fiction Just
 Out. THE MASTER OF STAIR Some Good Stories for the
 Leisure Hour.
THE MASTER OF STAIR

The Master of Stair" by Miss Mar aorie Bowen. Mcclure, Phillips & Co.,, New York; $1.50, at Judds,
 Again Miss Bowen trlumphs. Her new book is even better and more ab- sorbing than her first novel, "The Wiper of Milan" which jumped at once Into immediate popularity on both sides of the ocean, The new book takes uo the threads of history in Scottish life relative to the massacre of Glen COG, and upon the gory event the story as built. The finding of some impor- tant old documents enables Miss Bow en to develop new and interesting theme-that there was no real massa- ere of Glencoe, such as been hitherto pictured and that the legend of it in- vclved a pretty piece of knavery and a love story. Of the book the New York Tribune says: The Master of Stair" is clever bit of fiction, full of move unent and color, and put together with s surprising adroitness In one respect ' at least 1t is notably better than "The Viper of Milan" Miss Bowen's first book LaVlshly furnished, as that story was, with picturesque episodes at is nevertheless "all of piece" with loose ends disturbing the reader only at rare intervals. These defects in the work occur where questions of charac- ter are to the fore The women in the book especially fall short of quite per- sUading us to believe in them. But the story, as story, is fairly coherent, and 1t Is undeniably absorbing. Built up around the massacre of Glencoe. it is deftly embelished with incidents and personalities drawn from the tur- bid annals of Scotland, and so in- geniously does Miss Bowen handle her fabric that she exctes our sympathy, as with the appeal of your romance. If we rebel at all it is against the ex- ceVssively lurid atmosphere of the book. This is indeed, a perfect illustration of fh5 refined sensationalism which, on the surface, would appear to have niothing in common with the old dime ,hovel, but is at bottom closely identi- fled with that old source of thrill. Love and hate, soft words and dag gers, plots and surprises these are the things in which Miss Bowen deals using all the literary graces which seem to come with astonishing facility 10 the young writers of the day. Her hero is an utter monster, but he is beautiful as the morning in his out ward appearance, an Miss Bowen closes his sinister story on a note of the tenderest sentiment. We feel. as that story ends, that we have assist ed at an entirely artificial performance of an entirely melodramatic piece. But so long as the curtain has been up our attention has been held, and we have found fearful pleasure in the tragic doings of the authors amazing personages.
 His Courtship," by Helen H. Martin Mcclure, Phillips & Co.,, New York; $l.50 at Judd's.
 This is story charming through out. The author possesses the the story telling gift without doubt, and the reader whiles away an hour or two in perfect satisfaction until the book Is finished There is no abstruse psychological problem, no digressions to introduce short sermons, no tedious waits for the play to go on. The story tells itself and Is restful one It is perhaps no the equal of the authors 'Tillie, a Mennonite Maid but is very entertaining It is delightfully."- exu- berent love story The dramatic per- sonae include a young college profess sor, shy of women, who dlsguises him. self as farm hand; of two city girls, college bred, who discuss the interes- ing professor in somewhat frank terms, thereby affording that safely concealed parsonage untold amusement; a Penn sylvania- German farmer and his wife, their awkward son and still more un- couth daughter, and a bond-girl, Eunice, who is discovered to be an heiress of good birth. Eunice had been wrongfully held and shamefully treat ed She is a singularly well educated child of nature and lovely creature with culture and high aspirations.
 The charm of the tale lies in the un- conscious courtship of Eunice and Por- lessor Kfnross. The author again gives . a quaint, quiet but fine picture of samples of the Pennsylvania Dutch of { the section and period of which she writes. Their characteristics and pe- culiarities are well portrayed.