The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-29
WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S
 A WAY"

have a large following of readers.
 WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S A WAY"
 By Mary Roberts Rnehart. Illustrat- ed by r. vaux Wilson The Bobbs Merrill Company, Indianapolis.
 ] Readers of fiction are to be congrat-
 ulated upon the rare treat in store for them. Mary Roberts Rinehart's new book, "Where There's a Will,' has just been issued, and really, nothing but the authors name is needed as an assur-
 ance of it's excellence. Year by year Mrs. Rineharts power Is growing. Her long list Of books bear witness of her imaginative ability, and it may be said that she has never written a story
 which did not bear the stamp of orig inality and literary excellence. She is a typical American story teller who
 devises plots that are fascinating and
 who treats these plots with a lightness and deftness that makes them espe cially appealing to those who read for amusement. "Where There's a Will" is no exception. and in fact 1t may be said that 1t displays more of Mrs Rineharts keen sense of humor than anything she has ever written.
 The story not only scintillates with wit, spark in every sentence, but it has decided point and object. The methods of modern sanitariums, the va rious treatments prescribed, the tact needed to handle patients, the doping of the sulphur springs-in fact, thor ough exposure of the tricks of the trade. are exhibited on one side, and on the other are held up the humors, the whims the vanities of the fractious patients. All of this Is done in the spirit of spontaneous gayety without the slightest tinge of bitterness. Ii is pure comedy and the purpose Is in herent in the subject rather than dragged forth by the narrative, and the author seems to enjoy the writing
 as much as the reader does the pernsal Not trace of effort. of flagging, of staieness, is apparent. The bubbling fun is so fresh. so plentiful. that it seems to require no more labor than does the popping of champagne
 Truthful as is the satire, effervescent as is the wit, the narrative is sustained
 by firm framework of plot that would
 suffice for story far less amusing
 Probability is not the first aim of a comedy, but 1t is by no means outraged
 here, and the entranced reader would
 accept without question more farcical situation even than this. The odd will by which the scapegrace grandson must appear at certain date and run the
 sanitarium profitably for certain time unless he would lose his inheritance; the lnlfOnucllOn or the nlce cDlltBt
 man, in hard luck, who is to be Dick Carter's understudy; the scheme of MT.
 Thoburn. the would-be purchaser, 10 cause Dick to lose his legacy in order that it may be bought for a summer hotel; the lying hidden of Dick and his bride while the action goes ons the af-
 fair of Patty and the rascally foreign prince; and foremost of all, the part played by the contagious humps, which
 really deserves to be included In the cast as an active character--form a plausible narrative that wins credencc | in the reading.
 Several pretty girls parade through | the pages much to the delight and the anguish of several likable young men. Not least interesting is the love affair of Minnie, the red haired spring house l girl who tells the story in her own hu- morous way, and who is really it's heroine. although Minnie is far too
 modest to admit it. Minnie is an orig
 inal creation and is as full of ginger as
 her mineral spring is of dope She is in the front of the action all the time and owing to her foresight and ability, the thread Is finally untangled to the satis- faction of all concerned. All of the characters are well drawn and make lasting impre ssions. In short, the en- tire book is so filled with good things l that 1t becomes a constant delight to IA the reader