Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-14

some one middle-class woman to marry
brute without a redeeming instinct. but 1t
is applying somewhat too much black pig
ment to force upon that same unfortunate
woman an insane mother, and unhappy
and unfaithful father. a. set of in-laws of
peculiar unpleasantness, and an entire
provincial society. staggering and entirely
impossible. even when not absolutely I'M
clean. The old question as to whether II
is any more truly realism to present the
wholly ugly side of life than 1t is to por-
tray only the beautiful rises in this con-
nection. There is not in this book enough
that 1t is inspired OF even dramatic to
compensate for the weight Of sordid I'M
happiness
CY WHIT'TAKER'S PLACE. BY Joseph
c. Lincoln, author of "Cap'n Eri,"
etc. With illustrations by Wallace
Morgan. New York: D. Appleton &
Co.
The many admirers of Mr.. Lincoln's
quaint "down-east' characters will enjoy
this story Of the retired sea captain who
comes back to find his native village much
as he left it. His renovation of the
ICY Whitaker Place. his adventures with
housekeepars. his interference with the
schemes of the big man Of tho place. all
make human and humorous story w
Whitaker is an admirable type OF the man
who has had force enough to get away
from his native New England home long
enough to do his active work In the world.
but who retains the emotion of the home
lover which brings him back.
THE DISTRIBUTORS. BY Anthony
Partridge New York: The Mcclure
Company.
''The Distributors are a company or
decadent English aristocrats who, in order
Mt
blase lives band together under the name of
1.-The Ghosts with the avowed purpose OF
investigating the sensation of committing
crime The society is composed only of
the strictly select members of the aristoc-
racy. and admittance is anxiously sought
by those who desire to be smart. When
the secret of the organization is in danger
of being discovered because the distribu-
tors have not only relieved their too
wealthy acquaintanceS Of their burden
some possessions, but are on the verge
of finding it necessary to commit murder.
the society is disbanded. The next year
the ex-ghosts are discovered to have
sought. in several instances. the most
common and oldest source of happiness
that Is open to mankind. The founder or
the society concludes by remarking to his
sweetheart I'VE lose so much. we who
go our way in life looking always for new
things The book is satire on the pace
of modern social life.
THE DIvA's RUBY, Sequel to
"Prima Donna" and Fair Marga-
ret" BY F. Marion Crawford.
author Of "saracinesca," etc: With
Illustrations by j. Montgomery
Flagg. New York: The Macmillan
Company. Washington: Brentano's.
A wonderful ruby mine in Central Asia.
the secret of which is disclosed to Rus
sian by a beautiful Tartar girl. furnishes
the opening episode in Mr.. Crawford's new
story. Baraka and the Russian get mixed
up in the most exciting manner with the
fortune of fair Margaret" and influence
the vexed question of the final disposition
Of her fair and much sought after hand
The story-which is guaranteed to be the
last of the Fair Margaret series-is In
genious and interesting. But It shows the
effect of too much writing on the part
Of the amazingly prolific author in GER
tain perfunctoriness and in some passages
of careless English. The author has al
lowed his mannerisnTs-so pleasant under
more careful usage-to become mechanical.
THE PALACE of DANGER, a Story
nails. author of stars Of the
Opera" illustrations by John Ward
Dunsmore. New York: Funk &
Wagnalls Company
Rather too obviously historical is this
tale of the court of France in the days
of Madame de la Pompadour. The text
itself is at times interesting dealing with
the adventures of a young courtier who
was exiled by the great king. but adopted
a dangerous expedient to avoid separa-
ton from his beloved. A vivid picture
of the court of France in the prodigal
days of the grand monarch Is presented
and the episode of the woundtng OF the
king by Damiens is dramatically set forth.
less obvious purpose to adhere to his
torical lines would have yielded better
results and there would have been no
loss had the Historical Notes." which
form an appendix. been omitted.
TRUE TALES OF THE PLAINS. BY
Buffalo Bill civilian F. Codyl;
frontiersman and late chief OF
scouts, u S. Army New York: En-
pire Book Company.
Col. Cody's story Of his own life reads
like a romance. He has reached the age
when a retrospect includes probably all
of his active career. and 1t Is remark
able range of years that 1t compasses. He
stands for the American frontier develop
ment and in his thrilling account of his
life he tells in effect story OF the
American conquest of the W1lds. He de-
. scribes how he killed his first Indian
at eleven years of age in order to save
, other lives, and how at thirteen ne was
near to death. There Is in every page
, of the book an element OF danger and
adventure and the whole Is told with a
brisk directness that will appeal to the
reader, however widely he may have read