Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-31
BOOK REVIEWS.
THE PASSER-BY, An Episode. By
Prince Pierre Troubetzkoy. New
York: Doubleday, Page G. Co.

Heretofore Prince Troubetzkoy's wife
was the better known a literary pro-
Queer of the two. her fame having been
thoroughly established by the works is
sued under her maiden name of Alnelie
Rives. Prince Troubetzkoy himself has
achieved distinction as a painter and 1t
was a somewhat hazardous undertaking
for him to venture into the field of fic-
ton. The Passer- By" however. fully
justities the enterprise. He has told
strong story in the style of a master. 1t
ii not at first promising tale. 1t has
about il a suggestion of unwholesome
ness OF social environment distasteful
to many readers. 1t Is the story of an
idle disconnected woman without chill
dren or duties. extremely beautiful and
attractive. who finds that her own hus-
band does not fill her life. and who seeks
emotional outlet elsewhere. Upon
such premises the tale is built and
with conventional treatment it would be
lamentable performance Prince
Troubetzkoy, however has told no COM
monplace story. He offers as fois two
clearly drawn male characters both in
love with the woman, but on entirely
different planes By Lore she Is drawn
down: by Kamensky she is rescued. Her
husband is type. not a pleasant nor
Yet distinctly unpleasant one. Every
city has its Fred Moores in numbers the
man of business who views his wife as
he does his handsome establishment, as
property; the man of affairs, who has no
sympathy with the finer sentimentalitieS.
Mrs. Moore cannot tolerate such a man
hence she has. as she thinks, found her
self. and a disaster is averted by the mar
rowest of margins Finally Moore is
financially ruined. which proves for him
his greatest fortune For keen analysis
of motive, for fine discrimination of tenn
permanent and for brilliancy of dialogue
The Passer-By'' stands among the best
written stories of the year.
THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DONNA
ISABEL; A Romance of the Sea. BY
Randall Parrish, author of when
Wilderness Was King" Illustrated
in color by Allen T. True. Chicago:
a. c. McClurg & Co.
The publishers statement that this is
the first sea romance by the author will
be found difficult of credence. 1t has
the sea in it. and the details of maritime
life are presented with a surety of touch
that makes for the CONTINGENCIES of the
story. There is plenty of room. too, for
descriptions of the ocean in every mood
and under every condition For the ship
on which the young American hero plays
his gallant part is driven by the ext
gencies of adventure from southern seals
into the incredible cold of the arctic re-
gions- The surprising and awe-insprini,
end of this voyage of treasure seekers
provides dramatic finale to an exciting
story. THE Last Voyage of the Donna
Isabel is, in fact. capital tale of al
venture. The love story comes to it's In
evitable elimination under conditions that
are calculated to try the stoutest hearts.
WROTH. BY Agnes and Egerton Cas-
tie, authors of The Pride of 'Jen-
nico, etc. New York: The Mac mil
Ian Company. Washington: E.ren-
tano.
The name of the Castles has come to be
synonymous with romance and romance
o. high order and maintained at a high
tension. Were it not so, the keynote
struck by the opening chapter Of the pres
ent novel would have proved the authors
undoing; it is SO effective, SO stirring, that
in the hands of any but past masters the
subsequent action must have seemed col
orless. But with George, fifth Lord
Wroth. and the calm and steadfast inten-
sity of Juliana, ContesSa MOrdante, at the
center of the action, there could not fail
10 be romance in which wild revolt
against established conditions, bitterness
and fury, yield to the domination of a
high and heroic love.
The scene is laid at the beginning of the
last century. when the great romantic
movement was sweeping over Europe
There is much in the personality of the
hero that recalls the warped and stormy
nature of Lord Byron, one Of the leading
spirits of that movement The place is
Hurley Abbey, a fine old English country
place, the ancestral home of the Wroths
The peculiarities of this strange family
are effectively set forth before the reader
in a short foreword. A certain Lord
Wroth is mentioned, who quarreled with
his son and disowned him; and when the
latter had defied him by wedding a city
heiress. revenged himself by laying waste
the entailed estate. The plot moves swift
ly. One adventure follows another. in
England, in an italian castle in England
again, in France, in Italy and back to
England. And everywhere the atmosphere
is admirable and the situation novel.
JUDITH OF THE CUMBERLANDs. BY
Alice MACEDONIAN, author of THE
Last Word etc. With illustrations
in color by George Wright. New
York: q. p. Putnam's Sons. WASH
ington: Woodward & Lothrop.
Miss Alice MACEDONIAN was in the Helicon
Hall fire a year ago. when Upton Sim
clair's Englewood colony went up in
smoke. Miss MACEDONIAN and her sister,
Mrs. Cooke. had prepared themselves for
year in Japan by closing up their affairs
in their Tennessee mountain home and
bringing with them all of their manu-
scripts. notebooks and work in the course
of preparation. These were burned, and
the two barely escaped with their lives,
both being severely injured, but Judith"
lldu alredOy Deen planned ana PROMISED,
and as soon as Miss MACEDONIAN was able
to work she set about replacing the notes
which had been made for the story and
getting the narrative itself on paper.
This fact adds interest to what is with
out II, a compelling romance. Miss Mac
Gowan's preparation for writing story
located in the more remote districts of
the southern AppaIachians was unusu-
ally comprehensive. She had always lived
in small city in the heart of the Cum
berands, and portion of each year was
spent in the mountains themselves. 1.-THE
speech of Judith" she writes. land her
friends and kin has been familiar to me
from childhood, their customs and pos
sessions well known to me as my
own" In addition to this she penetrated
the wild heart of the region, leaving be-
hind railroads and modern civilization
and depending upon wayside jewellers for
hospitality and lodging from night to
might. This horseback journey extended
over eight weeks, and during the time
she naturally became acquainted with
many features of mountain life among
them. the matter Of Illicit distilling which
furnishes much of the machinery of her
novel. This thorough acquaintance is to
be traced In the glowing reality OF the
scenes which she describes, and in the
human charm of the group of men and
women who represent, according to the
author. the purest American strain left
10 US. The central love story eIevates
the sincere and elemental attraction be-
tween two young unspoiled natures into
it's inherent dignity.
REALITIES AND IDEALS, Social, Po-
tfar nd A~Sie tt ID