New-York tribune., 1908-08-29
Recent Fiction by f. Hoplanson
Smith and Others.

,x.poTz BY John Aybooukh. i9rno. pp. As. G.
p Putnsns Sons
THE VEL Emo o. pp. sss. The Century Company.
THE MAN WITHOUT HEAD; LI BY BY Tyler 1snn de
9n 2s2. Mofrat, Yard e Co
-h-si.le of his new novel, but without success
. &c ,,een hetraved by his own liking for the
"a .n.le-nan whom we nnd, when the book
-, winding UP his days duty as paying
- ,r an old fashioned New York bank We
A mt blame him. Mr. Peter GraSson Is a
1Iuanle Did man. But il is only in a fechnioai
sonse that he is mot" the hero OF this SUNNY
~ The nominal hero. young jack
DC, IS An almost negligible figure portrayed
r-,-h scarce g. single uitaliznK touch. lnoeeo'
a., ,Aa-sc.eris.ics excite little sympathy that
:, is perhaps well for him TO be kept In a SUD
r,dia--, rosision If he is tolerated at all 1t is
hoca,7se yyithov, him there could be no Uncle
ro-e7 no kind hearted old man to give good
advice lend q helping hand and. in short iie*-
rrate all the virtues that warm the heart pe
.aadr,, ,re do not blame Mr- Smith. 1t would
have been damaging his picture II he had
sIn.Ad the colorless boy IN such wise as to cause
him 20 dispute the centre Of the stage WIN ms
delightful senior
This novelist is never happier than when he -
dealing with type Of mellowed chivalry, q man
% whose reCtitude and Kentle1ess time mas iefil
= delicate sflEery charm. He is never happieT'
and il may be added. never more useful Inc
convention that youth should have everything
F,s OWN WAY fiction is inenorahier aio IN iii>
hnnk the affairs Of Jack Breen end his s"eet-
,.--, .re moi neslected but the adventures and
,onder emotions Of youth made little nfe.
roroa NOW and then by the novests. and III Is
,rood for one of them 80 pause occasionally on d
prs1er theme. Character is none the iess inter
esting because It is not always heIhe usrelulIou
in the clash Of youthful enterprises A fllan ihe
Peter Grayson is. after all, quite as impressive
az the sweet young athlete who is forever WIN
ming his beautiful heiress in the pages OF Ih'
average novel In fact, he makes an appeal Hi
his Own in these rordia days, bringing us Dach
IN rho SIMMER and more wholesome sentiments.
me honlelier and lozable traits OF rerilHpiS
human creatures. Mr., Smiths hero is one OF
1hose hish souled gentlemen who make lie pet
Ter worth living. His days are spent III the feio
5-v prrnosnhere of business but his nature SUI
1nrs mn warning by the confinement On the
contrary it expands the more freely IN the sun
shine of his thoughts. The Joys OIL 1fiehaSiip
are his he sees the good that is IN men. ailo'
when evil comes his way, he does what ne ca"
IN combat Il, preserving the happy defhsaiior
that is itself a contribution to the bettermeht VI
the world withai there is not trace OF the
asrs9
and tries 20 help him make a man Of himself ne
does il with the guileless art OF one TO "holh
s,cb generosity is like breathing. The sutnoE
&c adnirabie in his exposition of Peters lnflu-
a-ce making us recognize il in the subtle actlon
of his spirit rather than In the operation Oh
epeciac acts, IT is enough for the oio mah lo
come upon the scene for 10 feel that the STORY
Sc moving. and to experience the pleasure OF
contact with a noble character
Incidentally Mr.. Smith sketches with truth
and viracity scenes and types which viii be
quickly recognized by dwellers in New YORK
s.-,.t,ar with certain walks OF professional
life The character Of Eolker Morris for ex-
annie must surely have been drawn from that
of an American architect who died full Of years
and ropors some time ago. and in the oescrlp-
sion of the club freouenfed by Peter, well
u,,,op-r, organization Is clearly intended There
IS other local color" but Mr.. Smith KNOWS
how TO this rather treacherous meoiuih' ana
he is never indscreet. certain oencacy OF
feeling is TO be sure. al the very core Oh Inc
hook That is what makes il, in spite OF the
positively Irritating limitations OF the young
hero" a book TO enjoy.
The author of -Marotz' is unnlistakably
man with a gift The book is not perfect. TX
has its tedious portions But these very de-
rAc.s are. in e way a testimony 10 Mr.. Ays-
Of a man who must tell his story In his own
fashior-rlot from unfanailiarity with the tricks
-,f the trade but from the sense OF personal
c-anx.Iction that he possesses from his earnest
8 a.sorr-ion in his material. The material. in
this case has some attractive ingredients IT
IS found chiefly in q Siciltan household. modern
Ia the historical sense but actually goTerneo py
she Ideals and habits of an earlier day. Ihefe
are some dark passages in the annals OK the
family but the living representatives OF the
latter are clean-,ninded. clean-liylng noDles.
when Marotz, the heroine. comes into the world
q would seem as if fate could not but leave her
in 11eace. but she too must nave htl tloupleS.
Her marriage lands her in cruel situation. and
.1,.n when she escapes from its immediate
pressure she has face sorrows that are IL
zr,t,ins harder TO bear Is Il for these incl
dents in her career for their dramatic effec-
rf1eness that Mr.. Ayscough writes his novel or
is II for 1hf, sake Of analyzing her character?
II is not easy tell One is half inclined 10
believe that the author could not himself an
SCR the oues.ton At all events he has pro-
orce3 = book curiousiy indetcrrninate In form
The ouestion of what Marotz will make OF the
mysticism in her nature is eibowed asioe DIT
more thar, one poin. by considerations OF pure
snelodra.lla- and at the end her character Seems
confused and almost invertebrate. NeVerthe-
less Mr.. Ayscoush's fresh point OF view,
amounting TO a kind Of naivete. has something
very winning about it His book has an atfno-
sphere And everything In IL that felates 10
ssicilian life and character bears the stamp oI
iruth.
Miss Knapp's story Of hunted man. suffering
for a crime of which he is innocent seeming
with desire for revenge and ultimately triumPh-
ing not only over circumstances bVt over MS
oun passions. Is a dramatic little narrative, SCI
,..o~u,,, ,,,crrro,,nd Gabriel