New-York tribune., 1909-07-17
Tales Of Intrigue, 5cith Good and
Bad Heroes.

pp. X SO B. ". Dodge Co
THE INFAMOUS JOHN FRIEND. BY! b, Ms Z r. R. $,
Garnett 12mo. PIP. ~. S46. henry NON a ~
PETER PETER a Romance Out Of Town ES,r r,oSs ss
ATarSa Tsadfo-6 Warren illustrator ~ ANo00
OXEN. SO, PIP, So7. Harper & Bros
THE HAND OK THE LATCH By Mary Mary 6 Sh95- col
rnondeley. I2rao, pp xix, II Doou Nledu q -
THE BLACK FLIER. BY Edith Maeya3e. 7S,,,5 Mlth
froTtIsniece bv Howard Chandler Christy lZIno'
pp So Moffat. Yard & Co
PoIPi5A vSipr 81 az 53arbara1 With frontispece by
tte Ki7revs Emo, PIP S41 The Macmillan
Company.
Stories by Nr. Gibbon that have apI'eare" n Il.
,ra magazines have conveyed the impression OF
q writer interested in such adventurous ep'-
soaes as require a more or less tropical oach- ~
,,,-,5 for their effective exploitation Hls
,o-1, has l,aer vaguely remembered as mat ol
one more Of the many followers OF MI Mp
ling L, .Salvator' he shows that. as d matter
Of fact. lie has other strings to his DOW i''e
novel berrns with q bizarre incident IN M"Z7iii-
tsoue = travelling EnElishman Is suoceniy ai-
proached in a crowded cafe with the request
that he viii aid in the rescue Of man unlaW-
fully held in prison He acceGes, ana 'he ma"
who gives this book its title escapes to Eng
land. Al the moment Of his departure We are
confident that oIr. Clf5on IS going TO tell us an
e,-~i-i7r story and 10 be sure he has. in due
course his little dramatic climax. But il i
7,o7 with action IL I-e conventional sense OF liie
tern, that .Saivator" Is concerned 1t Is ra'IleI
q s17srv Of character. Salvador has the souI ol
an idealist Of = crusader, in the BODY OF d ie
so1rcefuI sentleman-aGventurer- The vicious
and miserable conditions Of life in MoZailpll"e
have first flied him with horror ana theh cIe-
sr-s in him q passionate desire TO work Soi4e
- = r.f,rr77 Revolution is the only remedy
tha- he considers adequate 10 his purpose ie
.xesld cure the SICK land by the most Vioie1l
.-.oess. and So with the ardor Of in-sue
s--aner. he puts his shoulder 10 the wheel and
fnr-5saes like any nliauster. Nj GioDoh
st,-y. as a story. Is rot precisely brilliant; DuU
the central figure in it holds Is TO tie end
..7-e Cfun-Runner" is likewise a romance Of
revolution but II is not intended, like Saliva
rtr-- 10 make for reflection. MI Stringer's pur-
nose evidently is Just TO entertain by exhibiting
3 group Of three figures entangled at sea in q
sinister situation. a broad shouldered indlNli-
s,al accustomed to having MS way, engages III
The risky task Of. conveying arms and ammnil-
r5a0 to one Of those Caribbean cockpits which
the writer's Of tales of conspiracy are forever
using in their rsge>. ON board the same NesSF-
IS z-,....e wireless" operator who allies him
self with the Ereat Ganley only in order that lie
nav ultimately ~, set his nefarious plans The
trio is completed hy pretty girl who ought 10
be comfortably settled a. home. but who follows
the law Of light fiction and gayly NEEDLES with
-5-e ,-razest issues As tie tale progresses
zz-ireless- an5 the eirl he is obviously destined
10 marry get deeper and deeper into SITUATION
heavy with peril They reach q point where
orrosftfon In Ganley lands them in fairly
7f-If5rr- 7posture q affairs Nr. Stringers pot
5e--e-ded crisper and neater treatment than he
has given to II. q more shipshape deNeloTl,e---
Of HE different stages in the narrative, ana N
his dealings with wireless teegraQhy his leclil--
cal 1erminoIogy is Ie-anJicaly overdone- The
main point. however. is tla, We should he curl
Gus as TO t'.e outcome q the fight against Gan
Iey. and here the author heguiles us very we'll
AIRS. Carnett with bland audacity. takes
7.eauliarly base scoundrel for her hero Justly
has she called her novel The Infamous Tohn
Friend N1r Friend is an Englshman sao city
ernrIoved bv both the FRENCH and British gov
ern--ents He uetrays Pitt 10 Napoleon, and
then turns around u berray Napoleon TO Pitt.
The rarricuIar exploit which he has in mind
when this story opens = the making Of such
disclosures To tae French -.s might facilitate
that invasion 90 England across from Boulcgne
for which the Emperor built his memorable
fotifa This suggests story of dark move
1nents and dramatic surprises. the story Of q
my hurrv5nE f.all one startling scene l. an
other. A. il happens. however. Mr. Garnett is
2 iajsrIrelv narraja- lavish Of rather long drawn
ont conversations. a.. ID, what is more, she in
te~tNines Friends evil campaign with very
brett romance. i is Il young ward q the
traitors who is the heroine, and. of course. the
,-orlrf with whom she must fall in love Is The
one ordained t. give Friend up to justice. In
the conflict Il emotions presently raised in Su-
za1re de Alarrg's heart the author finds her
account i .eiEes her the needed opportunity
10 place Friend in q more s.-lIat. etic light and
70 leave E.-l. af.er aH. no- altogether Infamous
Il IS a C.r5.-s and not UI--.-a.'5ti.E book,
littl, vas.t.r.- in reality when taken as hole,
bu- rer,.l5ug here and taere d true feeling Tor
human nature
..Peter-Petzr~ is . IittIe comedy Of the married
life Of a lovahle and devoted pair. and = the
courtsfils or other pairs, the young friends Of
Peter and his wife. 1t is an agreeable tissue OF
UnreaIity. into which glimuses Of human nature
Of the obvious sort are lightly woven, colored
now with hunor and now with tender feeling
There j. satire too no doubt. in Mrs. Warrens
cheerful picture OF Peters return 10 fortune by
means OF The enormous success ola book of
verse The twin babies Of Peter and Margery
are irlr-5rta-- re-sonagez. largely because they
have given rr Mrs. Rose O'Ncil Wilson the op-
ro-turi-s- r--e aer always clever pencil in
field for which her talents are especially eIec-
tive TIE tva round babies are fun cC conical
iutantile character from the little Us hair
on their crowns to thefr chubby toes
Mss Cholnondeley's new book brings rs q
slender sheaf or short stories with an essay Tor
3 preface. In hsr Introductory pages the author
relates some ~ her literary experiences with
delightful hurlor. Her notes on priss are capi-
ral The first # her four brief tales. The Hand
ON The Fa1ch." is an affair Of rather lu~id sen
satio-aIism. A tax collector on the prairies