The San Francisco call., 1910-11-20
EDWARD STR TRaTEngSER

tho injuries 10 his cog and perhaps
expected sympathy when his father
that evening asked the cause OF the
--alnie The brutal man tells his son
Ie WIN mot have anything on the place
THAT can he licked and declares he viii
shoot the dog This quarrel is the
most serious Champ and his father have
ever had. and he runs away to his
mothers relatives The fathers char
s,ter is splendidlv drawn. His ap-
parent brutality was. in his own mind,
sort or toushening and strengthen
ing process. and he can scarcely un-
dc~stsnd his sons running away He
follows him to Georgia but is too late.
The bov has gone with these relatives
TO Texas. then tie -oal OF so many ad
Ncrturou@ souihcrners.
Thr next TO years roll by. Delora
tfle-ns mother dies ard her stepfather
deserts Her SO Delora IS taken in by
Nesrasiau $ acrest and they grow very
fond of each other Nespasian is a
strong union man. but mis- home is in
dangerous territory and he has many
r.arr0W escapes. lie is an old man and
thinks that boy remaining at home and
I.elpirE stray Uniouists in trouble he
rau rc et more value to his side than
I1- going to the front. Champ of
course. mas been associated with south
encrs during his formative years and
when war hrea ks out he is among the
FIRST TO go from Texas. The long.
bitter struggle is described from a
Viewpoint not taken before in fiction;
The division OF families. father against
SON in this case, is the acme Of tragedy.
I'm that worst OF all engagements.
CrickamauEa. the father unable to re-
uain at home longer, enlists in the
northern army and there meets his son.
To quote
1T was hand 10 hand now. The blue
clad gunners. half naked, blackened
with smoke and SCOT. streaming with
sweat. daubed with blood, stood saw
aEely to their weapons; and when the
guns could no longer be loaded or fired,
and the attackers ammunition was eX-
hausted. musket butts were swung up
SO meet sweatsticks and rammers in a
SERGE hand to hand struggle. Nespasian
sprang erect and. shouting to the 9TH
crs ran TO help defend the guns
Surrender" yelled the oncoming
hordes. A roar Of defiance answered.
A union soldier with a broken sweat
stick ia his hand flung it down and
caught up a big rock TO let drive into
the midst of his assailants. The plat
form about the guns was a melee OF
ground Of boys school-a grim
school, Vespasian saw the man who
had carried the small battle flag on
his sword blade suddenly loom tall
bove his fellows. In the instant of his
recognizing his son. the bit OF silk
was twitched from its hold; a federal
soldier caught the ensign up: Champ
grappled with him and the two men
rolled over and over. Leacrest stood
with leveled musket, knowing not for
which man he would have meant the
bullet had he dared to fire. Some one
else did shoot; the bluecoated arm re-
laxed: the fingers Of the hand un-
gripped: the confederate officer dropped
from the gun platform, a spot Of scar
let on his gray coat slowing where
he clutched the email flag as he rolled
and scrambled TO join his fellows who
were falling back down the slope
with a great shuddering sigh the
mountain man turned 10 the assistance
of his wounded comrades. It had come
and gone. God send that this en-
counter be the last"
Tie 5ook is long, but the pages and
ages Of description win not be skipped
There is a compelling something about
them which viii fascinate every reader
even though he or she may declare no
love for war stories. We We're some
wears without war stories, and now in
the space OF a few months two have
appeared-the other, "Ailsa Paige by
Robert w Chambers-which may be
taken as the expression OF calm Judg-
ment on that fearful struggle All
writers We're much too hysterical inn
mediately after the war to do it justice,
but these two novels from quite differ
ent viewpoints admirably paint the pic
ture The author deserves all praise
and the book should not be missed By
any one.