The San Francisco call., 1909-05-30
Fate and the Butterfly"


By Forrest Halsey Published BY B. ". Dodge
& Co. New York Price $i.50
At first glance Fate and the But
tsrhy" appears to be the same type
OF novel which Joseph Medin Patter
son gave US last year In "A Little
Brother OF the Rich" 1t is we'll to
read It more carefully. however. for
not only is It weH written. but IT Is
OF distinctly better quality than Pat
terson's exaggerated vituperation-
The trouble with this story Is that
Forrest Halsey; the author, can
scarcely see the good In people at all.
He has not one decent clean charac-
ter In his book. and the badness. the
degeneracy OF the others is appalling.
Worse than that. II is supposed to pre-
sent a picture OF New York and other
society life as il is, and 1t is unfair TO
the readers who do not know better.
Halsey has accomplished the difficult
feat OF writing OF vile and degenerate
subjects in a refined and distinctly
cultured style and for that reason is
sure to have larger and more seri-
Gus audience than some of his prede-
cessors who have relied upon cheap
cynicism and a false idea of smartness
to carry them through.
The tale opens at a New York we'd
ding Bertha de Francis marries Dam
len Roth and society looks on approx
ingly- Before the honeymoon has
waned we are shown a picture OF mar
riage which makes us shudder. Ber-
tha is a type OF the innocent child
whose parents are wrapped up in so
ctety. The mother does not wish to
exhibit a grown daughter and the
father is interested in chorus girls
Bertha discovers that she has mar
ried man who, besides being
brandy soaked and a morphine fiend. is
also jealous and half mad brute Ber-
tha has had a harmless little iirtation
before her marriage with Jack Whit
sey. and tells n 10 her husband in the
early days OF the honeymoon. while he
constantly watches for some other
side STEP They travel and scenes are
painted In Cairo. in London. IN New
port and back again TO New York.
With no reason whatever there comes
a clash between the two men and Ber-
tina fees 10 Jack. who proves a cad.
lie has married a Pittsburg heiress
and what good there may haveSbeen In
him is long since lost by his idle and
dissolute life. Finally Bertha and
Jack part and she meets the only real
man OF the book. He Is a politician
and an earnest and honorable man.
Barnard Alexander is running for
governor and Bertha takes an active
interest in the campaign. She has
been ostracized by society since her
association with Jack and has been
called the notorious Mrs. ROths since
then. Alexander Is not OF her world.
has never heard OF her and falls alb
jectly in love. His adherents hear OF
1t and bits OF gossip about Bertha
come TO him; then she tells him part
OF her story; he still loves her. but
when she hears that ~ will ruin him if
he marries her ~she makes tremen-
dous sacrifice and cures him of his
love on the spot by appearing fear
fully intoxicated before him. She has
been drinking for some time to drown
her troubles. II 10 were not for that
her act would have been noble. but
while one can not but pity the poor.
weak woman who - driven by fate
into each downward step OF her career
one can not commend even her act of
nobility
The climax OF the story is encour-
aging but unconvincing and one feels
that IL is the work OF an unpracticed
hand.
Forrest Halsey is a new writer and
shows ability. and after this example
OF his work one will watch for more
from his pen The publishers have
sent out notes about him which may
be OF interest to readers He comes
of old American stock. his fathers
family having been for nearly two
and half centuries prominent in the
affairs or the state Of New Jersey and
his mothers closely related to many
OF the old Virginia families. The au-
thor Is grandson OF John Luther
Halsey. a captain on Washington's
STAFF, one OF the founders OF the Soci-
ETY. OF Cincinnati and military aide
and personal friend OF the Marquis de
Lafayette.
Forrest Halsey first studied art
particularly etching His dry point ef
Lady de Battle Is considered by that
much pictured beauty to be one OF
her best likenesses; among his other
portraits were one of Patti. which Is
now in her castle OF Craig Nos. and
one of Olga Nethersole as Sappho,
which received the favorable comment
OF Alma-Tadema. At about this pc
riod. however, unfortunate investments
In Wall street deprived Mr.. Halsey OF
his estate. Turning to his art for
support, he discovered II to be at best
but a drawing room talent. His ac-
cumulated disappointments so preyed
upon his mind that he became af-
ficted with melancholia; finally his
nerves gave way entirely and he was
forced to spend year in sana-
torium.
Several essays on society written by
him while still there were accepted by
the magazines and their favorable re-
ception turned his attention to writing
as a profession The last year and a
half since. he began writing-he IS
now a man Of 30-has seen him COM
pIetely restored to health and the win
ner OF an enviable reputation as a
novelist and playwright Besides this
novel he has written two plays. one
OF which. The Higher Law" will be
acted by Fanny Ward in London IN
June; the other The Panic" has Just
received its premiere in New York.