The San Francisco call., 1908-05-31
"The Rrima Danrar

ISaacs.' ''Fair Margt'rt' etc PnbliShei
iy tue Macmillan company, New York.
ET does not matter why f. Marion
Crawford has goae to pot boilin. =;
regret over the fact estops inquiry
into the cause. That is precisely
what The Prima Donna" is-a pot
boiler"
The book is a SEQUEL to Fair Mar
Garct. ard though secuels as n rule
are disappointing. aIr. Crawford has
been 50 successful in writing sequels
before that that alone would not preju-
dice a reader. rhe book opens about
two wears in time after Fair Mar
goret' closed. when she had just made
her successful debut. Now she is
known the world over as ''Margarita da
cordova, the Sreatest lyric soprano of
sfhe day" Tonight she is singing
Lucia and suddenly in the mad scene
tae-e is z terrific explosion somewhere
outside and all the lights in the theate-
20 out. Screams and groans. fainting
and an the other signs show fearful
panic is imminent: the manager rushes
On the stage and cries out III the dark
ness 80 the people that everything is
al right: he tries every argument to
oaiee tho frightened and hysterical
pops e-but 30 no aVail--whea sud
GrniF Cordova begins to sing again.
and everybody stops perforce to listen
10 that wonderful voice coming out of
tae darkness. The orchestra pulls it
self together one by one and when the
lights flash up again the audience is
mad with hystericaI JOY. The manager.
Schreiermcyer, rushes up to Cordova
and IN a burst Of thankfulness throws
his arms around her, and it's fine.
All that IS dramatically and pic
turesquely told in the first few pages,
and il is one OF the best things Craw-
ford has ever done. II is far and away
the best thing in the book and invites
and insists on ones interest-but on
false pretenses. Before that memoir
able night is over Margaret is in
voluntarily involved in a mystery which
Ii takes the rest of the volume to
solve. All Margarets old lovers and
friends appear. Lushington, the young
Englishman Of letters; LogOtheti. the
picturesque Greek; dear old. faithful
Ciriggs. Rufus Van Torp, an American
millionaire. and all Of them are mixed
up in the mystery. which nearly be-
comes interesting.
There are a good many little bits
distinctly worth quoting-crawford
cannot help having a rather good style.
but they add fuel TO the FIRE OF one s
rage that the story is so disappointing
when all the little evidences show that
it should be so good.
Margaret IS on her way home to
London and had Lushington's latest
book on her knee.
For She hsd found il less interesting than she
had expected and rather ashamed OF not
haying finished Al before meeting him. since ii
had been giTen 10 her She thought he might
come down as far as Rugby 10 meet her. and
she quite willing thnt he should find her
with A. in her hand. literary man is always
supposed 70 be naftered al finding friend read
ing bis last production; as II be did not know
that tif friend had probably grabbed the volume
with un6ignihed haste the instant he was on
Tic horizon. with ihe intention Of being discoy-
euel deep ia H. J ct such littic friendly frauds
are sweet compared with the extremes Of brutal
frsnkness 10 wiiica our dearest friends some
times think q their daty TO go with us for our
own good
That quotation would indicate a
cynical feeling in the author which
one cannot remember having noticed
in his writing before
Crawford has fallen into the habit
AT least IL Is noticeable in this book-of
stopping by the way and chatting. not
exactly with the reader but at least
for his edification. He devotes several
yes 70 the position Of a lyric prima
donna, but most Of what he says is
trite.
3be billiard public is sure that
orory prima donna IS \ sireu or msrtyred
wife or else Yublic beucfsrsress. uHiess She is
sIl tbree by turas. which is even more interest
ing IN any the reporters are sure that
crery one warts 10 know Jest what she thinks
aboni everything. In The United States. for In
Stance. ber opinion political matters Is often
asked and is advertised with ''scarebeads' that
would s.op 2 funcsai aITess fie attention OF
y iaaB oa his way TO the gsliows.
Many years ago. when the witch
OF Prague" appeared it was said that
Mr.. Crawford understood women as no
other writer ever had The love pass
ages IN that book are beautiful and
thrill one years after the reading
THAT the author has not lost his un-
derstandiDg of the sex is shown in
the following passage:
She did not admire him for his looks either
=. FAR ~ apDeafauee was concerned she nre-
faired I.ushington with his smooth hair and
fair complexion. Ingotet a handsome and
,ilory oriental that all and she know in
siincffrcly that the type must be COM
s,.a ~ the east. what attracted her was
pf..isIhy isis 6arin@ mascglincness which con-
frasfcd - strongly with i.ushinSton's quiet aud
rather lassfui manlress. Tie Eagiishman
sraald die for cause and make 10 noise about
I'd whici would be heroic; but the Greek would
rHn away vitf 4 wciBan Is loved. at the risk
~ breaking his neck. which was romantic IN
.he extreme. IT is not easy TO be romantic
stage and by IL. and constantly gives utteraace
10 The most dramatic sentiments 81 a pitch
octave higher than any one else; but Logothet
had succeeded. There never was 4 woman ret
10 whom that sort OF thing has not appealed
once. for she has felt everything
Uhirlinc with her II the center Of gravity
had gone mad. ana the tea commandments
,ri..lt dron out Of the solid family bible and
cef lost That recollection is probably the only
secret OF vlrfucusly coioFless existence but she
hides it. like a treasure OF crime. until she is
last she tells her grownup granddaughter. with
a ferawaV smile that there was oace man
whose ewes and voice stirred be- strongly. and
for whom she might have quite lost her heac