The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-08-22

1.-THE Disappearing Eye" by Fergus
Hume. GO. w. Dillingham; Coz
You will hear the pesslmlst insisting
that there are not the opportunities now
that existed years ago for the young
man or woman. The Laird of Skibo, John
d. Rockefeller and that set of men who
have all they wish, dispute the pessi-
mlsts word on the subject. That Is, they
dispute the word whenever they can Sc
cure publisher willing to send forth one
or any number of their tlresome books,
chiefly about themselves. 1t is simply
question of viewpoint, anyway as to
what a pessimist is. Sidney Rosenfield
told a dramatic producer, in the for
mer's struggling days, when he couldn
secure the putting-on Of 1.-THE Optimist-
afterward a great success, so says Har-
per's Weekly-"I don't believe you know
the difference between an optimist and
pessimist anyway" Sure I know" said
the theatrical syndicate head guy, IAN
optimist Is a man or woman who will fix
your finger nails up all right, while
pessimst Is a chap who works on your
feet; they sometimes call EN- chiropo-
dists'
All of which leads up to discussion
of THE Disappearing Eye" by Mr.. Fer
gus Hume. Mr.. Hume is known widely
and by some people most pleasingly as
son Cab" and number of other thriller
novels Mr. Hume is an optimist, all
right and he does not necessarily work
upon your fingers; rather upon your
nerves.
This reviewer has read great many
of Mr.. Humes stories, full up to the top
with mystery of the deepest dye, and
has often said to himself In effect: why
waste your time on thriller But con-
had IAfT
laying the book aside. There is always
most always-something In Mr.. Hume's
stories which will hold you on the job,
which after all is the end sought by every
writer's, be he or she. Mr.. William ID.
Howells or Elinor Glyn.
This latest story written by Mr.. Hume,
just from the press, opens with the dis
covery of a weird murder. woman
village shopkeeper, is found stabbed
through the heart with hat pin. Her
left eye has been taken from her head!
Hows that for starter?
Investigation proves that the eye re-
moved was a glass one, on the back Of
which was information as to the hiding
place of a $4,000 legacy left to a beauti
full girl, OF course. Who else? The love-
ly girl had visited the shop few min
utes before the murder occurred. She
had worn a white cloak and veil, which
later are found hidden in a nearby field.
Moral: Don't wear white cloaks or
veil when visiting village shops. But
still listen: The hat pin found was proved
to be that of the lovely girl. On the
table in the girls room was seen for a
moment the eye which evidently knew
and practiced the old song, 'Tis a time
for disappearing in "Erminie" to later
bob up serenely" Now In spite of all
the evidence against the lovely girl she
stoutly protests, as she should, her in
nocence. There were two other persons
who wished to secure possession of the
eye that had the disappearing habit.
These two persons had been visitors, as
later proved, to the village shop on the
fatal night, The eye of glass was seen
in the room Of one of these persons, but
Immediately vanishes. Each of these per-
sons also protests his innocence.
The result Is that with all this disap-
pearing of the eye business, all this mys-
| terry, the reader is held and makes up
| his mind half a dozen times depending
of course, on the mental candlepower Of
| the reader in question: that he Is on the
right track, only to be surprised In the
| end to find that the murderer, of course,
was fourth person, whom the reader
| had never suspected.
Love of the proper type runs through
| tie book; not enough to bother the raison
| q etre OF the DOCK, winch Is a 0rSC-CldSS
| thriller, and will hold a readers attention
| which bridges a sea of troubles.
| Lee and His Cause" or 1.-THE Why and
| the How of the War between the
States" BY John R. Deerng. (Neale
Publishing Coz
DR.. Deering leaving a Confederate hos
pital, where a shattered arm had con-
| fined him for many weary months, carried
with him an honorable discharge signed
| by the surgeons and attesting his per-
manent unfitness for military duty, took
| up his lifework as a Methodist minister
| For 80 years he was a pastor and now
serves as a presiding elder, district for
| the twelfth consecutive year DR.. Deer
| ing has since 1865 been highly honored
| by his church; at the remarkable Inter
Church Conference on Federation" of all
American protestanism he was appointed
| Southern Methodism.
In his book, Lee and His Cause or
| The Why and the How of the War Be
tween the States" Dr. Deering treats
his subjects under two heads The first
Gen. Robert E. Lee, the man, the pa
triot, the soldier and citizen; the second
the reasons why the southern left the
northern-a strong statement of south
ern characteristics, principles, interests,
sentiments and conduct showing the con-
victions purposes and consequent action
of both their government and armies.