The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-12
Literary Lights And Shadows
BY s. MAYS BALL


Elizabeth Dejeans made quite hit
last year with her novel. The Winning
Chance" reviewed in this department.
Her new novel opens with the chance
meeting of a girl and a man on the
train and the mysterious disappearance
of the girl just when the mans chEalry
had rescued her from a perplexing sit
uation. Fifteen years passed before
the girl and man meet again. The girl,
now called Kate Talworth is an heiress
and the man, Horton Payne. has worked
faithfully and established himself as a
man of means and weight OF charac-
ter. He has not lost the love for pretty
Kate he met on the train fifteen years
ago, not Harry! He sets out now to
win Kate. despite her aversion to mar
rlage and despite the mystery which
surrounds her past. Oh, these pasts,
these pasts, What would novelists do
without them?
Anyhow, despite these pasts Harry
goes in to win, and before he goes In
TO win the story is first-class. Just as
soon as Elizabeth Dejeans begins to
mix up Harry and Kate with the ever
present in a certain type of novel
wicked william. betrayed maiden, the
| heroic lover. the Teu -uTeSstu duNch-
turess and many of the other mechani-
cal tricks of that type of novel, the
novel suffers, grows. hastens to become
insincere, theatrical, unlike The Win
ming Chance"
The Heart of Desire" moves rapidly
and the surprises in the novel are slim
ulating. The book is all right enough;
| it is only by comparison with her first
novel; or the one published last year,
The Winning Chance" that The Heart
of Desire" will be found lacking.
Mrs. Dejeans is a born story-teller
which in all her work covers most
everything. Therefore her latest novel
Is interesting. 1t also contains some
pleasing, truthful descriptions of Cal
ifornia scenes.
IAN Interrupted Friendship" by Ethel
! Lillian Yoynich. (The Macmillan Coz
| If you have felt any curiosity concern
| ing the experiences of Felix Rivarez OF
The Gadfly," Mrs. Voynich's literary
success of 1897, when Felix was In South
America. that curiosity can be satisfied
in An Interrupted Friendship Whhe
the real hero of Mrs Foynich's new novel
is not the Gadf1y but Rene de Marteu-
relies, o, Martel, as he preferred to be
called, G young Frenchman of lovable ana
loyal character, your curiosity may be
satisfied and yourself interested II you
wish IT, as Mrs. Voynich does it through
her new volume. It is ID years since Mrs.
voynieh startled the literary push with
The Gaday." IAN Interrupted Friend
ship cannot be called, nor is 1t intended
to he. sequel to the THE Gadfiy," al
though ii does, as stated, throw further
light on the incidents and influences
which moulded the character of Felix
Rivarez, the Gadfy. 1t is novel COM
plete in itself. dealing with Rene de
- x..1.x 80 ,abt
scent educated in England. who becomes
the saviour and friend of 1.-THE Cad
fly" Marchand the doctor; Duprez, the
colonel; Paquerette, who interrupts the
friendship, and others of minor import
ance
The scenes of IAN interrupted Friend
ship are laid partly in the old French
country chateau of the de Marteurelles,
partly in the almost UNEMPLOYED jungles
of South America, where the meeting with
and adventures of THE Gadfy'' are par
ticularly interesting, and partly in Paris
and Italy. Poverty and the acute need
of money In the interest OF his sisters life
sent Rene de Marteurelles as a geographer
to South America, and there Felix Riv-
ares joined the party of French explorers
as Interpreter. A friendship sprang up
between Felix and Rene, but clrcum-
stances operated against that friendship.
There are all sorts and conditions of
| friendships in the new novel, some of
which were interrupted. some were not.
AN Interrupted Friendship Is not a
thrilling nor a cheering book. You will
not. after reading it, feel as II you simply
must give all your money away, or sign
your letters always Yours for the Revo-
luton"
IAN Interrupted Friendship is not as
interesting, not as strong as was THE
Gadfy."
"A Disciple of Chance" by Sarah Deane:
Erred A. Stokes & Coz
Every now and then 1t is delightfully."-
refreshing to locate a book we'll written,
dealing with S'deaths, odds bobkins
prithee, o lud, o la, vapourish ladies',
dangerous dimples, Gads, forsooths. from
y-heart-I-thank-you, s-bitter-cold- and
I-am-sickatheart sort of George II novel
You couldn't stand, much less digest that
sort of novel frequently but for
change, when 1t is handled as we'll as
the plot has zeen done in Sarah Deanes
new novel, "A Disciple of Chance'-the
literary offering is quite wholesome, most
pleasing. yes, nutritious.
The plot deals with the boods and la.
dies of George II time. The 'bloods"
seemed to have spent most of their time
gambling or drinking when not making
love. In Sarah Deane's refreshing,
sprightly romance, the hero was some
thing quite a lot of a sport" we'd call
him these days. Gambling at Whites
Coffee House all night; on one occasion
Lord Warrington lost $50, 600 at dice, a mere
bagatelle, of course. Lord Burroughs
didn't thrill over Lord Warrington and
didn't mind who knew how he felt on
the subject. He induced Warrington to ac-
cept this bet: 'Ill lay wager that
within a year you'll have forfeited your
fortune and your acres to boot If at the
end of the year you are still possessed
OF your fortune, I'll pay you f50,00O And
II you lose within the year, your life Is
forfeit" Ridiculous wager. thought YER
rington, who had loads of money, happy
days in sight, not cloud on the horizon.
Would he accept the wager? Hand him
the betting book quick!
"A. Disciple of Chance" deals therefore
with this wager one mans life against
another mans fortune. Also the fact
that Warrington soon falls in love desper-
But what avails it to win the lady OF
your heart If you are bound In honor to
lose your life?
"A Disciple of Chance" is first2class
story. 1t is most refreshing in this day
of problems story and play.
"Theodora's Husband" by Louise Mack
(The John Lane Coz
The scene of 'Theodora's Husband" Is
laid largely in Paris, where Marcel Fleur
Is the supposed rival of Count Zeppelin
and the Wright brothers in inventing
airships. In the novel the loves of
charming young Polish girl get sadly