The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-23

 best-seller.
 'orhe Gypsy Count" by May Wynne.
 John Mcbride Co)
 The count in this story was a hand some, dark, melancholy youth. who Tor some time did not know that he was noble He lived in a forest; in forest hut, with his demented mother, and was deeply in love with Rosalys de Fougeray But Maurice de Bernay was also in love with that charming young lady; but IL was to his own sister, equally fair, or whom he spoke when he said to Alain de Fougeray, the brother of Rosalys: Nay, blush not my friend, the path Of love shines clear and straight enough before thee; art thou not already oetrothed, and draws not the time sufficiently near when thou shalt carry Yvonne herself away to thy forest castle and stay her foolish sighs with thy kisses7'
 The publishers who sent out this book have been kind enough to inform us that the author ranks next to MT. Charles Majors the author of When Knight hood Was in Flower" No doubt she does. But that fact should not be puo- lished against her.
 The story of the Gypsy Count Is one that might be sold by the news boy on the railroad train, but no where else
 There is hardly any excuse whatever for the Gypsy Count" The book is full of achaic and supposedly beautiful Ian guage abundant and most entirely sat isfactory incidents are supposed to have taken place in Brittany beginning some where in the year 14S; but even so, there is hardly any reason for the publication of the Gypsy Count
 .~rhe White Mice'' by Richard Harding
 Davis (Charles Scrtbners Sons) MT Davis formerly wrote some very charming stories. Evidently he is now writing stories to either tli up space or to get SO much per word.
 Tn his latest book called 'The White Mice,' he permits most intelligent par rot to describe fully the hero's character in these words You talk too much" The story is supposed to be tale of adventure of the old fashioned kind, in which Anglo-SaXon valor. in spite or constant blundering, gets the better Of effete intriguing Latins. In this case the I,atins are Venezuelans, and, therefore, will not be able to attract much syrnpa- thy in this country.
 There is much unnecessary daring; there is the usual R. H. Davis lovemaking; there is the contrast between the sup nosed primatiYe virtues of the rebelllous vouth and the tainted wealth of the op- pressed parent but the book is readable throughout
 Rut MT. Davis is not writing the books that he used to do, and 1t is a great pity that, like MT Robert Chambers, he IS either writing for space or in hurry '"The White Sister by F. Marion CraW-
 ford. (McNfillan Co.)
 Mir Crawford in about % years wrote something like 40 odd novels Just be- fore his death he was running serlaliy the novel here discussed in a magazine, and while the publishers sent It out as Posthumous work, 1t can hardly be called that
 The story is one of Roman lives, in which centers the career of Angela Chiar- omonte. The Prince Chiaromonte, her Ia ther had been an ultra montrane, and as such refused to have his marriage legal izad bv the required civil ceremony in ad- dition to the religious one
 On his death Angela, his daughter, finds herself. under the Italian law, practically nameless and absolutely penniless She is in love with a young officer, Giovanni Severi, who immediately after the deatn of his sweetheart's father, goes to Africa on A military expedition. The death Of Giovanni is authoritatively reported. and Angela enters the nursery branch of the Dominion order, known as the Whlte Sisters"
 When it develops after several years
  tbe final vows and refuses to appeal to the Pope for a release An old friend, Ippolito Saracinesca. now Monsignor In the church, appears as the god 1ron tne machine Incidentally and unexpectedly the mystery in Angelas parentage is dis covered.
 The story is well told, and the book is well worth reading. but there are so many other books written by MT. Crawford that excel this one that the White Sis ter'' Is hardly in the same class with those formerly written by him.
 There are several illustrations repro duced of Viola Allen, the actress. as Sis ter Giovanna, in the dramatzation or the story. The book is of the lesser class or stories written by MT. Crawford.
 ..The I,odger Overhead" by Charles Bel
 mont Davis. Charles Scribner's sons)
 It is the opinion of this department that MT Charles Belmont Davis Is writing Tar and away better stories than his brother, Richard Harding Davis
 There is something in these stories that remind the reader strongly of the peau- tiful atmosphere that pervades all of MT. F Hopl1inson Smiths stories and III the story which gives the title to this DOCK, where the narrator tries to convince ds that he is at least between 40 and 90 years of age, 1t is really nnlsheu piece of work or that characler. 1he otho' stories are all very good. Mir Davis has an intimate knowledge of the city of New York. and knows much of the southern life. which he puts into his story, adding materially to the strength and realism of much that he does. Mir. Charles Bel mont Davis seems to be taking time ana patience with his work; whereas, MT. Richard Harding Davis seems to be writ ing against space, and so much per.
 
 'sThe Other Side of the Door, by Lucia
 Chamberlin. (Bobbs-Merrill Co.)
 Miss Chamberlin collaborated last year on a very successful book called "The Coast of Chance"
 This new book all by herself, Involves a shooting in gambling den or span ish woman and a rescue by Mexicans, to say nothing of a murder trial wherein the