The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-12-09
Book Reviews and Notes Of the Publishers.


 "KILo," by Ellis Parker Butler. au- thor of Pigs is Pigs, published by the Mcclure Company, New York; S1.5o; al Judas.
 An amusing entertaining book, good as a cure for the megrlms, as are all of Mir. Buffers literary offerings. This one relates the courtship of Eliph Eewlitt book agent and Miss Sally Briggs, and the scene is Kilo, an inag- mary village in an Iowa town. The life and local characters of the town are humorously depicted. The hum- or is obvious and convincing. MT. Hewitt appears upon the scene at the start driving his buggy through Iowa equipped with "Jarby's Encyclopaedia of Knowledge and Compendium of Literature Science, Art" etc, and from the start the reader settles down to enjoyment of the book. The agents difficulties and successes in the prose- cution of his profession" will be fol- lowed with unabating interest to the books close. There are several per- tinent illustrations. An entertaining summary of some of the leading feat ures of this collection of sketches is thus given by the New York Herald:
 Hewitt Is not a bit discouraged by the preliminary warning he receives from the local minister that 1t is un- likely he would sell copy in that vicinity.
 My brethren are not readers" ex- plained the man of God T read little myself. We are poor; we have no time to read. Except the Bible, know of but one book in this entire commun- tty. Sister Dawson has a copy of Bunyans sublime work, Pilgrims Progress It is an heirloom.
 Book agent and book as it turns out, have arrived at an opportune moment. A stranger known only as Mrs. Smith has been summering in the town. She wishes to take back with her to New York as maid, companion and pupil the village beauty Susan Bell When she comes to broach the subject, how ever, she finds she can give the anxi- ous parents no acceptable references.
 In vain she reveals the dazzling fact IIldL S4IG lS HOL pleAll N4l 5DillALAtf b0b Mrs. Tarbro-Smith, famous contrib utor to famous periodicals like Mur- rays Magazine and The Aeon, who had hitherto hidden her identity, fear ing lest her purpose of studying local types in their domestic undress might be frustrated did she declare herself in all the splendor of the compound 4otx 1f,t1. Mo6 in the vicinity had ever heard of Mrs. Tarbro-Smith or of Murrays Maga- zine or The Aeon.
 And, oh, wonder of wonders! When she plays her trump card she finds that no one has ever heard even of her brother, Marriott Nolan Tarbro, whose romances sell in editions of hundreds of thousands; whom kings have delighted to honor and who be- yond all doubt is the greatest of living noveiists.
 Just here Eliph Hewitt rushes into lAs5ssE NTgHch with Jarhys Encyclopae- dia as first aid to the unrecognized, He points to page 974, where Marriott Nolan Tarbro Is cf1ronicled in all his BlOIA, NTiNH tiiG pOVh OPCl Seb NflA9 page, the minister catechises Mrs. Tarbro-Smith. Her answers are all satisfactory.
 T have no doubt" he concludes, from what the book says and what you say, that you are indeed the sis ter of s-ah--celebrate d'-he looks at the book--"celebrated novelist -.ss.iz9 .1 d ,..ax a,,of etn,. Iipev fhat h a receiyes-ah--sever more lines than the average, more, in fact, than Tal- mage, more than Beecher and more than the present Governor of the State of Iowa. I think I may safely advise Mrs. Bell to let Susan go with you"
 Here, of course, is Ellph Hewlitt's chance. "One!'' he cries, 'that is just one question that came up flaring and was mashed flat by Jarby's Encyclo- paedia and Compendium of Literature, Science and Art, book in which are ten thousand and one subjects, fully treated by the best minds of the nine teenth and twentieth centuries. One subject for every day in the year for twenty-seven years and some left over. Religion, politics, literature, every subject under the sun, gathered in one grand colossal encyclopaedia, with an index so simple that a child can un- derstand it. See page 76S, texts, 'Bibli- cal Hints for Sermons The Art of Pulpit Eloquence' No minister should be without it, See page 1,046, Pulpit Orators--Golden Words of the Great est comprising selections from Spur Geon, Robertson, Talmage, Beecher, Parkhurst, ct cetery. A book that should be in every home. Look at P; Poets, Great; Poison, Antidotes for; Poker, Rules for; Poland, History and Geography of, with Map; Pomeroy, Brick; Pomatum, How to Make; Ponce de Leon, Voyage and Life of; Pop, Ginger, ct cetery The whole for the small sum of S5, $1 down and S1 a month until paid"
 Tt seems a worthy book" conced- ed the minister, hesitatingly.
 Hewitt glances at Mrs. Smith with q question in his eyes. She mods
 "Ah!" he cites, Mrs. Smith, sister of the we'll known novelist, Marriott Nolan Tarbro, takes two copies of Jar by's Encyclopaedia of Knowledge and Compendium of Literature, Science and Art, bound in full morocco, one of which she begs to present to the worthy pastor of this happy flock, with her compliments and good wish os."
 In this fashion dees the agent cir ele around among the good people of Kiio, insinuating himself into their confidence by the light he Is able to shed upon all their difficulties