The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-17
Among the Books
and Mag0Sines
q" q Ncyer Can Hnppen Agnin.o

ana lNng1StneS
III Never Can Happen Again.
BY William De Morgan. Henry Holt
e Co., OF New York. $3.50.
90 INQUEST and retiring man Is the
tinguished author OF Joseph Vance"
Alice for Short" Somehow Good"
and III Never Can Happen Again"
that but rev OF his readers realize
his age or know him in any save q 1T
erary sense.
His first novel was written In 1894,
when he was sixtyfour years old. He
IiH. therefore, now In his SEVENTEEN
Iyear. MIR. De Morgan Is the son of
professor in the University College,
London. The elder Do Morgan was a
writer In q modest, unpretentious kind
of fashion. The son is inventive as
we'll as artistic. and can point to the
best duplex bicycle, most effective
sieve, and a smoke consuming fire
lgrate to corroborate the merit and real
Iity OF his inventions. The appearance
/ OF q De Morgan novel Is an event Of
4 high literary Importance. as readers
who are now digesting their impress
sions of at Never Can Happen Again"
are prepared to testify.
/ There always exists In the mind OF
the public, in so far as Dc Morgan Is
L
Ito which all his books are referred.
ut Never Can Happen Again" will
be closely inspected with reference to
alice for Short" and Somehow
Good" and opinions Will vary.
Certain 1t is that the novelist has
never portrayed better or more pa
thetic character than his child heroine.
Liza Ann, In his newest novel. Liza
Ann Is only six years old when the
IL. 10 To. Mt Mi
| when death ends the tragedy OF her
short span OF life. Her mother died
when she was a few days old, partly
from disease and partly from the shock
of her husbands coming home to her
from long sea voyage with both his
eys out, the result of an accident on
board ship.
De Morgan leaves out not detail
OF the scedid atmosphere into which
Liza Ann was born. her mother was
Va pensioner in the house OF her fathers
sister, who. oppressed with the care OF
q drunken husband, had little time and
LESS affection to give a helpless in
tfant. deprived of her natural protec-
tors and caretakers. The blind father,
Indeed, made a brave struggle. AS soon
as the baby girl could toddle she
i guided him to a given point. from
which he was able to make his way
\
| asked for pennies during the day. When
Ieyening began to draw on his little
child, who proudly pointed to the dis
4 ttnctton between the point that he
Twas an asker, not beggar," would
4 come to meet and lead him home. He
had taught her to herald her coming,
and would strain his ears to listen for
her cali OF pilot" only she. following
the idiom OF her quarter or Lonooh.
said "Poy-lot."
They were wonderful companions
these two, blind father and baby
daughter All the trials and hardships
that rendered Liza AIMS days any
i thing but blissful were forgotten when
evening brought her daddy home and,
cuddled close to his breast, she alb
sorbed stories of the sea that he told
, her, and almost imagined she saw the
lpicture of the Flying Dutchman, $50
! vividly did he paint 1t for her. Poor
| little Liza Ann, fratl human dos
som, fading ere she came to maturity,
but always delightful to read about,
because she was just natural little
/ child with loyal, trusting heart. a
mixture Of shrewd wisdom and infan-
tile innocence, product OF the
Extraordinary environment out OF
which she grew. Poor blind father,
{ suffering the manning OF his pltlfui
whose face he had never seen, shoulo
be pained by his pain and helplessness!
Little lass and daddy are happy IN
going together at last from world
which has been unkind to both to the
better home, where the lame can walk
/. the blind see and where little chill
dren are borne in the Saviour's arms.
Liza Ann is the real heroine OF the
hook. Associated with the remem-
= H. to- NOT nf feacnCI
who was SO good to her, OF the kino
clergyman, who succored her In her
Ihour OF direst need and took her ana
J daddy to the country, where, unhappliy'
! lit was too late for her to grow nito
"a. strong red-cheeked, healthy girl,
but where she had some happiness 10
; crown her short and qutckly-cioseo
chapter A secondary heroine is a
lyoung woman in fashionable Ensilsh
society, who, for lack OF better anluse,
! ment. takes to playing the game OF
:. love with brilliant literary man, one
THAT visits in country houses and goes
to fine dinners. leaving an impossioie
middle-class wife, son ana Two Htt!e
: daughters at home. The young wo'
man OF quality plays upon the emo.
lions of her unlawful prey as a ca,
does with mouse. She allures ane
!. repels him alternately, confuses NJ:
= perCepIlOuS anu sld!1uaA0S, SIS
e. wrong at home, and after Amos
wrecking his happiness, brings him =
dead stop with violent shock tina
t ldrives her from his memory and throws
4 him back upon his dependence on nj
wife. ,,n
The wife. good at heart but DIN
. cile," as the French express It, couie
, have prevented her husbands esca =,
pAde had she not lent cara half
unwilling one, but still a ear-to
female edition of iago, coming Tx
:. hinI by word dropped here AM
g there. by a poisoned inuendo and
! tlling out Of imaginary incidents an
! hanpeninEs, persuaded the wife tina
: she was much injured and for
: saken woman.
s Marianne is the wife's name. lie
+ womanly natures comes uppermost u
: the end and all her little mannerism
T. and affectations drop away when IN
!. hour OF her husbands real need an
i helplessness arrived.
: The book is highly dramatic at sew
J. eral points. To say it is absorbing q
I, Tall. pays "a feeble tribute to the pow
! ers Of ono Of the leading writer's
:. fiction in this twentieth century. who's