The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

By Anne Warner tohlaA, AAas hs'A" o
 Co)
 This new story by Anne Warner of
 Susan Clegg" fame, is a weird strange
 allegorieal narrative of the battle of a
 human soul with real red sin, namely,
 unbridled don't-g -give-a-dod-gast- what
 have-you-got to o-say y-about-it, illicit love
 and it's consequences.
 A man falls in love with beautiful Wo-
 man. lie possesses q masterful and de-
 termined spirit, and also appears to be a
 man of high ideals and resolution strong
 enough to follow strictly duty's path. He
 woos the beautiful woman, but-in reply
 she tells him something of herself. Just
 what it is that the beautiful woman tells
 her lover is not made plain, but the in
 dications are that she has unfolded to
 him the fear or conviction that there
 turks within her lust hunger which If l once aroused will drive her downward to l the depths, even as the child of the drunk l ard sometimes instinctivey feels that 10 1 touch liquor will mean his ruin. After this confession the man deter
 mines to leave the beautiful woman and sseek to forget the passion which is over
 mastering him.
 During their walk in the woods, where i the confession was made by the beautlful
 woman to her lover, both have seen at 1 times a dark and sinister shadow at their l
 tom beast.
 When the man goes away and leaves tine
 woman the latter begins to feel the awful l (so they tell us) cravings of her heart l nature Her soul is filled with longing,
 and suddenly she beholds at her feet l golden kitten with baleful golden eyes, ! eyes that ever pleading, ever intent upon l her. The golden kitten FOLLOWS her
 wherever she goes.
 off i0I1rnpX. try
 ing to forget his sweetheart, the lover
 returns to tell her that he has failed to I find rest from his desire and longing l but that he will continue to journey far 1 and wide in quest of that hoped-for loos- i ing of his love bonds The lovers discuss I the strange golden kitten with the bale l full eyes, an enigma to the woman and partly so to the man. He tells her that
 the kitten has no power within itself. Its 1 only power could be derived from the wo- man touching 1t, or yielding to any ln- i clination to embrace it.
 l You must never touch it." he said, in
 a tone at once tense and imperative. Ut ] can never grow and later-after some
 time-it will fade away. Avoid 1 it's eyes, evade it's near approach, and It
 will be quite weak and helpless always
 as now"
 ] After this dissertation on the kitten i the lover starts off again to see that
 love he has for the woman; but while he l is away only for a short time, great l yearning comes upon the woman. She
 would have her lover back to her at once,
 and as the yearning grows the golden kit l ten with the balefu1 eyes approaches l nearer and nearer, looking at the woman with more and more pleading eyes. Al l length yielding to impulse, the woman ] takes the kitten up into her arms. ln- i stantly it gains strength and power. It's l spell is upon her. She journeys forth to 1 see the magic river that will cure her of 1 the madness of the passion now possess l ing her. The kitten follows her, ever
 growing larger and larger, until it be-
 comes a mighty panther, haunting the
 womans every step, glaring into her face 1 at every moment.
 In despair the woman sends message to her lover, now in the Himalayas. The lover hurries back but finds hisasweet- l heart dead, or almost dead
 She had struggled to tne last to resist l the beast in herself, but had won the | battle only with death.
 | The book is beautifully gotten up and contains a number of line illustrations. The reader will say that this book is certainly a far cry from Susan Clegg, l and so it is; but Anne Warmers depart 1 ure or it's result, is quite an interesting l study Of course the new book is also very different from "The Rejuvenation of Aunt Mary" but change is the spice of 1 life and things generally.
 | It is safe to say that "The Panther will be discussed a great deal, particularly 1 by the Thigh brows," but some of the 1 later will find just cause to comment
 harshly upon such evident mistakes in
 expression found in the book as ''The 1 leaves dropped above, the grasses rustled
 all around, the eyes of the panther blaZed before her But all was silent" Also.
 the hero-lover "laid and thought about 1t all night"
 1 Some readers of "The Panther have l been unkind enough to say that the book was a wee bit "three-w eeksy;' it is hard 1 lv that In any event. one should be care l ful in stating that as a fact, or even an 1 opinion. about the book There was one young woman of a neighboring city who l the other day was at the railroad station 1 starting for shopping trip to New York. 1 Standing on the platform awaiting the l makeup of the vestibule train, she filled | up the time talking with a friend who had l called to wish her pleasant journey. Another friend passing by inquired: 1 .'Where are you going, Miss Blank?' 1 "Only short trip of two weeks to New York" she said.
 l The gentleman wished her a delightful 1 trip and passed on. The friend who had l come to the station with Miss Blank said: l why 01Q you tell NIT Slnltl you WSle l only going on a two weeks trip? You know you will be away for three weeks" | "Oh, yes; I know that" said Miss 1 Blank; ''but am so awfully tired of that
 'three-weeks book, I didn't want any remarks from MT. Smith on my three 1 weeks trip. never use in my conver-
 sation these days anything that even 1 sounds like three weeks"
 ''The Long Arm of Manister.' By E. l Phillips Oppenheim. Gittle, Brown & l Co.)
 l There are only about two other literary producing combinations or other wise that
 can equal much less exceed, MT. Oppen- 1 helm in the number of books turned out l from his factory: to wit, MT. F. Marion i Crawford, and the Williamsons. 1 Whenever these three plants seem to be 1 in doubt the machinery is put to work, 1 with the result that we have a new "best
 seller.' So be it.
 | MT. Oppenheim interests his readers in
 practically all of his books, so that when
 al lis said and done, what else can we ask?
 1 In his new book which is a collection l of short stories, all connected but sepa- l rate stories in themselves, the prolific Op- 1 pcnheim has written a strong study in re- l venge, a compelling story-really--that
 has scenes which thrill and climaxes that please. Not one but many objects of
 wronged mans vengeance figure in the