The San Francisco call., 1910-10-02
"Flamsted Ouarries"

By Mary f, Waller, author of "The Wood
" Carver Of 'Lympus" Published by Little,
"Flamsted Quarries' is an American
novel of present day conditions in this
country, both social and industrial,
wherein the author emphasizes the no.
bility and dignity of work and it's heal
ing power. The scene opens in New
York city, where a fatherly priest sees
a mere child upon the vaudeville stage
and knows it means work for him. His
investigations result in the child being
placed in an orphan asylum and the
slight glimpse we have of the life there
shows a remarkably sympathetic un
derstanding OF the conditions on the
part Of the author.
While in the asylum Aileen, the child,
makes a cross the street window to
window acquaintance with the daugh-
ter of a Wall street captain. 1t leads
by degrees to an interest being shown
in the child and she is taken to a
family in small village I'm Maine.
known as Flamsted. Before the story
is well started we have "a picture of
quiet rural life in New England which
is a delight.
Granite has been discovered in pay
ing quantities on the property of a
poor widow. She sells part of II to
send her son through college and has
determined to sell and invest the re-
mainder to give him a good start in
life. The simple life story of the
characters is sketched in with sure
hand and one knews the author has
lived among such people to be able to
portray them so vividly. The story
does not progress sleepily. however.
We have excitement and plenty of it
of several kinds.
The Champney and sGooge families.
related by marriage, are of the first
interest. young Champney Googe max
ing a strong hero. Mrs, Louis Champ
ney is as uncompromising as the
granite amid which she lives and we
follow the fortunes of the people about
her as though they were old friends
.. When :Hamsted becomes big
quarry town instead of a sleepy New
England Village all sorts of foreign
labor is drawn to the spot. 1t is hard
for the natives TO become accustomed
to the changed conditions. but little
real trouble results. The tale does
not relate alone the simple doings of
this rural community. The influence
OF the city makes itself felt in ter
rible way: by Champney Googe, but a
hint of this. part of the story will
spoil the pleasure of reading ii. There
is love and much self-sacrif1c in the
story, and only work heals the dread
full wounds. which have been made.
p 1t is an uplifting tale ana one HoI
easily forgotten. One character in
> the book. a priest, is one of the best
Of his: kind in fiction today. He is
a real human being, and the reader
loves him as much as do the people
Sin the little village he has chosen for
the scene of his labors. 1t will be a
matter for discussion whether. or not
his ending is artistic. In the opinion
of the reviewer It is anti-climax and
the one cheap, and sensational note
in an otherwise splenjidly constructed
novel. :*:
Miss Waller, the author. was born
in Boston. travelled and studied abroad,
taught in a private school in New
York and later established and main
taiTled. for five years school for girls
in Chicago. Her family for four gen
eratfons has. been identified with the
history of Vermont: and today. she
herself spends the greater part OF her
time. with her mother: among those
famous green hills. There it is that
Miss Waller studies human nature and
writes about 1t. This book is written
in her usual powerful and realistic
manner