Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-06-04
BOOKS

"a Splendid Hazard" by Harold
MacGrath, author Of THE Goose Girl
THE Man on the Box" etc. Illus
trated by Howard Chandler Chris
tie The Bobbs Merrill company.
indianapolis Harold MacGrath is a
millionaire Of romance His capi-
tai OF make believe seems unlimited.
And he uses his golden means to build
libraries-just like practical Carne-
gle millionaire He Is. indeed. public
bencfactor He writes 10 entertain, and
he never falls below the level HIS
books delight and amuse and give
pleasure That's no small object for
The fiction writer to attain. After all
it's his first business to ho interesting.
Mr. McGrath has written a now book
"a Splendid Hazard" II Is his hest
moro mature than Tho Man on tho
Box" more cohesive than Half
Rogue" more convincing and intense
than THE Goose Girl" Because OF it,
theme it can claim a peculiar charm
Present day story as II Is the glamour
uf the Napoleonic legend Is about II
from the first page 20 the last. and
there lis really nothing In romance com
parable to that.
So the new story is clever and origin
al and daring In It's theme, and Is, at
every important point well worked up;
there are no sleepy spots. The open
ing scene IL az Napoleou's tomb, where
meet CoinCideutally Fitzgerald, young
American journalist, and Laura KILL
grew and her father, a retired rear
admiral also Americans. All are Ma
poeon enthusiasts and In pretty in
C.ldent I'm which Laura gives flowers
to a brOnzcd veteran who saw Ma
poleon during the Hundred Days. the
reader catches tho glow Of their emo
ton For brief time afterward he
docs not see close connection between
this Napoleon episode and the events
that take Fitzgerald to tho stately, his
toric. hiIl-set home Of the killigrews on
the Jersey coast, but during the inter-
val the promise Of developing love be-
tween Laura ana Fitzgerald sufhces.
when. I'm due time, the traditions Of the
old French emigre, who once lived In
tho house. are detailed. the mysterious
sounds in the ancient chimney are
heard, the presence OF secret explorer
Is made known and Breitman, who,
with his impcrious moments, mas al
ways cut1ously reminded Fitzgerald Of
same one" II discovered" as the
only living llneal descendant Of the
title CORPORAL the reader Is immense
Iv pleased and entertained. He Is tas-
cinated BY the romantic charm OF the
story and he is grateful for the unmls-
takably skilled story telling.
Around this figure Of Napoleon the
Little Is built drama Of love, intrigue
and adventure The story giVest ull
measure Of each. There care two com
plctclv developed love plots, admirably
sat of In contrast-thc lghtness and
sincerity Of the Americans against tho
tbeatr.ic passion Of the foreigners The
intrigue involves Breitman's imperial
hopcs and his venture for his lost in
herltanCc In tho face Of Republican
spies and royallst sym pathizers. And
as for the adventure-it swings from
the Jersey coast to tho romantic for
NJ &c n
fascination
In it's loves and In It's exploits. "a
Splendid Hazard" is the most robust OF
the MacGrath novels II will enlarge
the bounds of the authors already inn
mcnse popularity. Mr. Christy's illus
trations In color are the best he has
done IN several years.
Charles Tennoy Jackson was born
81 years ago in st. Louis. his father
a colonel IN tho army who made the
mistake of trying TO go into business
He broke M. NJ course. and tho break
up landed charles on a western Ne
braska ranch al the age ~ 10, The
boy grow UP there. without enough
schooling 10 make much ~ show
foot free. and without much raising
There were no books on that ranch
and no reading matter except weekly
county paper
Al Is he was rounded NJ by his sis
ter. and went 20 Madison, Wiscon-
sin. Al that age, when most fellows
are starting into college he was stu
I'm his seventh grade books when they
preached the scheme 20 put him IN high
school. hc thought n was a sort Of
ponal institution with his|n fence
stuck with gluss on the top and a
Winchester guard az the corners
He got into high school all the same
though the rough years that had gone
before loct him no CHI nee ~ gradual
inv and he Gnt into the state univer-
sitv for lust one tenn IN the same pre-
dicament And then came tho Spanish
war and he was duick TO enlist.
on such n man tho writer's trade
wight seem 10 set rather WORLDLY But
~ Jacobson has served his snprentice-
~hin 9th tho non though under eN-
s-~c~1ioarv circumstances. n began
~ wears aro when he was crippled mn
IN san Fra ncisco, where he had gone
with tho idea Of ro-enllsting in the