The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-08-15

The new Bobbs- Merrill mystery story
is The Circular Staircase" by Mary
Roberts Rinehart. a comparatively I'M
known author. This is a remarka bly,
interesting mystery story. If the mis-
sion Of such a story is to battle and
pique the curiosity of the reader. this
story perfectly fulills the definition.
The readers attention is seized with
the opening sentence and never allow
ed to relax for an instant. Each chap
ter ends with a swapping climax that
gives fresh zest to the chase. Meals
are forgotten while that pursuit is on;
and debts the climbing mercury, fin
ancial stringencies. the cooks temper.
and other disagreeable things. 1t is
better than a pipe dream. and even its
after-effects are guaranteed cheerful
Moreover. The Circular Staircase is not
OF the regular variety of mystery
yarns 1t possesses elements of nov
city. For one thing. the style in which
IL is written makes the mere reading
an entertainment. 1t is bright clear,
reasonable, tinctured by good humor.
When before have we found humor in
a mystery story? The Circular Stair
case is full OF It. Just at the moment
when the excitement is growing too
tense, relief comes in a laugh. 1t is
all pure pastime for the lucky reader.
And then the characterization is as
easy and unlabored as the humor. Miss
RdCnel lnneS, the Sdr0Onlc OlQ Sp1nSIer
who tells the story, and who found the
body OF the man mysteriously murder
ed in her country home-this Miss
lines is a genuine achievement, real
creation. She Is a detective with a
decided difference There is a dual
love story to give the touch of senti-
ment to the plot, natural and not
theatric. romantic without being melo-
dramatic, skilfully wound into the
mystery, increasing the perplexities,
yet serving to temper the grimness of
crime. In method The Circular Stair
case combines in new and irresistible
proportion the two processes hitherto
followed separately by the mystery
spinners. For ingenious reasoning and
subtle deduction it takes it's place
with the stories of Conan Doyle. For
strange, unusual, battling adventures,
The Circular Staircase belongs worth
lily with the novels of Anna Katharine
Green. And the combination puts it
in a class by itself as the tallest ex-
element so far recorded.
Before leaving Washington for
Oyster Bay President Roosevelt be-
came interested in the comprehensive
history THE Stars and Stripes and
Other American Flags" written by
Peleg d. Harrison of New Hampshire.
At the presidents suggestion, the war
department has ordered the work
placed in every military post library,
and In the libraries of the United
States service school, the coast artil-
lery school. and the United States en-
gineer school. while the navy depart
ment authorized its inclusion in all
ships libraries. In his report. the
chief of the bureau of equipment of
the navy department says: 1.-The
Stars and Stripes and Other Ameri-
can Flags is believed to contain the
most complete history of the Ameri-
can flags of any work that has been
published, with minimum of errors
and extraneouS matter common in
works of this kind. 1t is recon-
mended that a copy be included in all
ships libraries. to take the place of