The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-27

only to entertain, nothing else, ana III such pleasing strain, filled with rose colored atmosphere of ancient times and the gracious, genial humor through them all, when work is done so well, they serve the purpose admirably "The Shuttle,' by Frances Hodgson Bur
 nett. Fred A. Stokes Co.
 There have been a great many opinions pro and con regarding Mrs. Burnett latest story All agree. however, that the book is very interesting. It is now in it's fifth edition, with sales in excess of loo- 0O0 Mrs Burnett Is a lifelong master of melodra1natic fiction and into her books she puts her heart and her brain and it is for this reason alone that the closely printed 5OO and over pages hold the in- terest of the reader from beginning to end. The book deals with the problem of international marriages. The smut tle' is the transatlantic steamship which shifts to and fro weaving a com mon network of sex, home-bulding and race founding between America and Eng- land. The chief interest celters in the story itself Whenever Mrs. Burnett has good characters in her books they are anges-when they are bad and wlckeo they are the very devils. In "The Shut tie" one of the richest girls of New fork, daughter of old ''Vanderpool," marries a perfectly worthless English nobleman, who immediately after marriage begins to make his wife's life a torment. She feels that having made this match she must stick it out and not allow her parents who love her very dearly. to find out her real condition. Thus con- vincing her parents that the daughter has deserted them In time the younger sis ter, who is quite up-to-date and e2Scels in strength of character where Rosalie is weak takes the matter in hand She goes to England to investigate matters and does so-acting as the god Of the machine The husband of Rosalie, who made the unfortunate marriage. in time very kindly dies and soon the stronger sister Betty finds for herself splendid but misjudged nobleman, loves and mar ries him.
 "The Shuttle certainly throws strong sidelights on the international marriage question and the book of course has been widely accepted and discussed, first be- cause of Mrs. Burnetts art then, too, in the great interest that Americans now have in the numerous bargains and sales continually going on in New York and thereabouts with foreign tite-holders- Mrs. Burnett has done some fine charac- ter-drawing in "The Shuttle" The book deserves its great sale. It is interesting throughout. The money and time spent in pursuing the book will be more than well spent.
 "rhe Footprint" by Gouyerneur Morris.
 Charles Scrbners Sons
 Mir Gouverneur Morris is one of the best American short-story writers. His new book, just issued by the Scribners called "The Footprint" will add to Mir Morris already fine reputation for pleas ing style The book takes It's. name from the first short story therein That story, "The Footprint laid with scenes on the Gulf of California. near Ma gdalena bay. where many American eyes are now turned following the flag on sixteen bat tleships, is a gem. There Is another de- llghtful one (they are all good, Il in alb called "The Little Heiress, or The Hunt ed Look which will give great pleasure in the reading It is difficult to thorough r. review a collection of short stories be- yond stating that the book is good or bad. and fin letting it go at that, and in this discussion it is a great pleasure to recommend MT. Morris new book.
 The Chichester Intrigue by Thomas
 Cobb. John Lane Co.,
 If a reader will notice carefully he will find as q general rule that the English writer of books excels in character-draw- ing. In that he avoids attempting a yer bose description of his characters, in- stead he tells us what they said and did. In this way we "know" his characters not by what he tells us about them, but by what the author compels or allows his characters to say and do.
 '"The Chichester Intrigue is a good specimen of the light English novel, and it is laid around a rather peculiar situ- ation. too.
 MT. Lambert Amory,'' a wonderful young Englishman to this reviewers way of thinking, a perfect cad-had been made executor of the estate of his dead friend, MT. Alfred Chichester. Chiches- ter had been an actor, a great matinee idol and when Amory came to go through Chichester's papers and belong ings he found therein great many sweet letters from women of all kinds, sorts and conditions. Amory had a friend, an other cad of the first water, or to the i,th power one could say, who wished to marry Miss Edna Thornhill, and be- fore he proposed he spoke to his good friend Emory about his scheme. Un- fortunately Amory had found among Chi chester's papers a bunch of very strong, one could say intensely warm, love letters signed Edna and written from the town house of Miss Thornhill, whom Am ory's friend, Hugo Warbrook, the other cad, wanted to marry. Amory also dis