New-York tribune., 1909-02-27
Recent Tales of Lore, Sentiment ana
Adventure.

f1 Gertrude DeTnall haIAsIVH0s -
le1no pp $50. Harper & Brothers -,
THE HEART or A GEIsHAA, ~ iE.oIaaTs ,4GS Dec
Fraser Frontispiece by Lndwlg a non D1 la G.
p Putnsm's Sons. ~
UNMAsKED AT LAST. BY Hesdon Hiii- q % mus
Trafed Emo p1. 3l4. r. F Fenno q -
THE BOMB BY Frank Harris Emo PIP S1''
Mitchell Kennerley- "
THE CLIMBING COURVATELs- By 6dWaTa
To1neeTd illustrated. Emo, pp ~ + -
Stokes COMPANY
Mr. Fielding Hall some time ago maui
cial place for himself in what might pe C"itsu
the literature Of revery. Writing aDoul -
,,eorla Of Burma he showed that what concern
MIN was not the ordinary material seized upon
t the scribbling traveller but the suotier raclai
,,,,a1i+,oS which nearly always elude an observer
% ,bat sort The book that did most to make
- 1,,,,-, was we'll called 'The Soul OF q -
-, 7, fs ALWAYS with the soul thai MI &c
deals- he looks far beneath the SUI \,
things. He does this in the novel 70 ~
-. s,-e,, tho characteristic title OF Ohe III
mortality" 1t opens with these ~oIus'
sre thrse loves that make and keep Iiie
she loze that binds man and woman lh'0 -
aesb ard soul the love that draws lallli
,s.tons the love that holds the world 10 1ou.
-, - ;, i,,-+iead in its ewn Immortality.
m. arst Of the three loves here enuInera'eu
,,.,sdas +,e leading motive for his book
-rt.. &c 70 say. Il provides the theme for d
-,,o.ssston Of reflections delicately strung upon
q thread which the average oeFiser % p
-,-e,,ld r.reba bly regard with disdaln- 1Heie 10
.o.,o,, here Though q death occurs IN 1he
,oolx n hardly constitutes an event mere .
: suel too hut II has no dramauc slsiiilo
,rtatever The author brings hls peolie "
,s+ber in Venice for day or so. then emparhiiis
-. .,ror a voyage to the East. and from be-
- Re o,c,1nies himself in exhibiting
the growth of love between two members VI ,"e
- Fse does not 90 this simply TO orlis
-, q marriage He does il in order tAat ne
-, 5iha-are ideas. interpret the secret OF nooie
love make manifest high ideal he Is II y00
,u,e q r,ezaphysician turning the art OF hc'iOl
:. as own ends But as he happens 10 lac
t,,.aplnation and 4 strain Of high poetic Iee
hs more than makes up FOR the apsehoe IN
=. - of the usual excursions and alarums Oh
the novel There is huT.lor in tils UooN IT.. I i
= sweetness; its tender spiritual qual's =
- TOO ane drawn on the contrary MI nan
=. o,e of the most human and sympatneuc u
--.,-,.,,+a+ors. he knows how TO be interesting.
..ons Immortality" might seem duli-'o 'ui-
= -,o shose who really care for letters
/. Should prove boon .,
- ,,age Of THE Spell is STEPPED In SEM
,,.r,aTit, Mr. CIRCUITS problem Is that Iaiiii.i'i
household whose serenity is disturbed
hy the biundering stupidity of us ifiAs.s-
ta,o NJ this story is clever young Anne
-. ,,,oses 10 tlse his scholarship TO revive III
- Of literature the spirit Of Renaissance
t..-,zr, He narries a beautiful young
,ourtrv,yor7an of his and proceeds TO seI'e uOFii
in Italy Mrs Armstrong. deeply IN loNe win
her husband is unlucky as TO lack any at
fnse for participation in the Work "ilch Ai
undertakes in an historic Florentlne library n
friend of hers, however, Miss lnez mayer
sindles with the same enthusiasm that moves
the husband, and gives him constant assistance
- his task Incidentally she falls in love with
min, h1y- ne remains in ignorance OF TINS,
cs,~un,stance which is clear enough to MS "iIe-
There is, in fact. nothing even remotelS scan
,islous about the situation that ensues. but
Asre Armstrong becomes terribly unhappy When
size sees another woman sharing. as she cannot
hope TO share. in her husbands life. "hereupon
she ponders the idea of leaving her Jack and his
Inez 10 themselves not with jealousy and indlg-
naticn in her heart, but with sweetly seilt-
mental regret and resignation. 1T would be the
sr- moi Of love but Of tyranny she reflects ito
stand between him and his grander potent-
ality" The reader is mildly interested IN the
1lpshot Of this incoming young ladys ruTaina-
tons and therefore pursues the story TO the END
But he would move toward the settlement OF the
tangled business with more Of genuine soiicltude
if the atmosphere Of the book only little
more invigorating and if the hero Of fl were not
SO colorless and priggish a figure Mr.. John
Armstrong is ezasperating in his SNUG COM
rlacency one feels a kind Of vindictve salts
faction when his automobile comes cropper and
inHicts a resounding whack upon his pempous
head.
THE Heart of a Geisha' though published be-
tween covers after the fashion of novel is
really but short story, eked out to make a book
by the simple process of printing it Only one
side OF the page and within decorative borders.
Stin, il deserved TO be thus substantially put
forth Mrs Fraser relates in this brief tale an
instance OF Oriental love and heroism- The
scene is laid III modern Japan in those days
when the present imperial house was struggling
with adversely The heroine is a dancing girl
with royalist lover While in hiding under her
roof he is threatened with grave peril. and, with
her Wo1nan's wit. she leads him TO freedom. 1t
is a dramatic little episode. admirably told
Mr. Hc3don HilIs story. ''Unmasked at Last"
IS creditable specimen Of the shilling shcci1er"
Il opens with scene in court and the condem-
nation TO fourteen years of penal servitude of
an elderly zoun1erfeiter. AS that individual dis
appears he gives some good advice to his son,
or rather. his daughter for we soon learn
thai Charlie Hext is a girl, for all that she
wears the garments OF boy Miss Charlie goes
down into the country TO earn an honest living.
but promptly discovers that she has only been
lured into the den Of another couneerfeiter This
Is surprising enough but it is nothing TO what
follows 4 good old clergyman is murdered II
his vestry and suspicion, points TO anothc-
wearer Of the cloth, All the time. of course. il
is the bold. bad Baron de Guerin upon whom the
reader sees that he should keep a sharp eve
He does this in vain however. for long time
The baron is man Of resource. and it IS dam
gsrous 10 cross his path Murder and abduction
are the merest triles him The tale OF his
viliany is the neFest nonsense. but it makes,