The San Francisco call., 1910-04-03
''Over the Quicksands'
By Anna Chaplin Ray, author of "The Bridge
Builders, etc. Published by Little, Brown
& CO. Boston. Price Sl.50.


& Co., Boston. Price $3.50.
Anna Chaplin Ray is an author de-
serving much praise and encourage
ment. She has number of novels to
her credit now and each one receives
more 1attering attention than it's
predecessor. She is student and
works hard to improve her style
and that is one criticism of her present
book-one sees the brush marks too
plainly. The"Lives of the Fathers
might have aptly been chosen for the
title of the book or rather of one
father. Many readers will criticise the
author for the choosing of SO delicate
subject.
The scene of the story. like others
by Miss Ray, is laid in Quebec, and the
author again proves herself thor
oughly at home there. There are not
very many characters in this story, but
they are all well drawn though we do
not always feel their humanness. The
author has studied them too hard, per-
haps, hoping to make each one quite
consistent, quite perfect The STUDY is
shown in the leisurely fashion in which
the tale progresses, pages, whole chap
ters even, being given over to conversa-
tion not pertipent to the story, but
giving an insight into the various
characters.
The tragedy in the lives of Bernou
Tremaine and Hilda Lynde is revealed
to the attentive reader early in the
book, but is successfully hidden from
all the characters until the psychology
ical moment
When the reader discovers the rela-
tonship existing between these young
people he is torn between rage, horror
and admiration for the clever handling
of this delicate subject by the author.
The book is drama of the feelings en-
tirely, so few material happenings TAX
ing place and these of such slight con-
sequence as to have little or no bearing
on the development of the plot. Even
so, the book is filled with dramatic sit
uations and, the author taking advan-
tage of them, some fine writing is the
result.
As an example of the excellent work
done by this author. and its strength,
the following, chosen from the descrip-
tion of a match game of hockey, is per-
haps as good as any:
Then the whistle blew
and Hilda lost all conscious wonder as
she sat huddled forward, fingers shut
hard on tho rail before her. eyes on the
blue and maroon figures which rushed
and darted and spun and glided. which
opened out until the whole ice was dot
ted thick with them. which punched to-
gether into a tangle of flashing skates
and clashing sticks and of painting
writhing human bodies, then opened
out again to go on swooping, darting
as before, until the curly headed strip
ling brought them to a standstill with
his whistle.
Here and there a man went down
sprawling awkwardly across the Ice
or falling in .thudding lump. No
one needed. Now and then there came
a crash of boarding, as a man cannoned
against the fence that walled the ice
No one paid the least attention.
fallen man was useless. 1t was for him
to pick himself up and make himself
of use as speedily as possible. Bumps
and bruises and battered shinS counted
for nothing. until the match was over;
the puck was the one thing that mat
tered; that and the adversary's goal
Back into the fight again the fallen
man must go, to beat his way up to
the flying. slfthering puck, to wrench
1T from his adversary'S keeping to
nurse 1T. coax it, dodge with it, slip
ping and sliding across the fast rough
ening ice to pass 1T to fellow teams
man. to catch it back again. and then,
seizing an instant of clear ice before
him. to send it hurtling up the ice.
straight between the goal keeper and
his brandished, guarding stick And
then? To skate off nonchalantIy across
the ice pretending to be deaf to the
cheers that cut the soggy, clammy air"
There Is a lot more like that and 1T
is well done. The author knows her
north. which is quite different from any
other part of Canada, and succeeds in
giving to us a real picture of the
quaint and beautiful town. The book Is
well worth. careful reading.
Miss Anna Jarvis. the founder of
mothers day, has received so many
poems and songs dedicated to this new
holiday that she is making a collection
Of prose and poetical appreciations of
mother with the idea of putting them
into some permanent form for the
benefit of the day.
Any one having an original contri-
button or some stray gem pertinent to
the subject or day should send same to
Miss Jarvis. who may be addressed at
1916 Walnut street, Philadelphia.