The Republican journal., 1912-08-22
THE RED LANE.

In his latest novel "The Red Lane" ius,
published by Harper Bros, Holman Day has
chosen new and we believe a virgin field, and
depicts scenes and incidents on the Canadian
frontier of Maine along the St. Croix river
The writer was born on this frontier and lived
near it in boyhood, but had never heard of
1.-The Red Lane although he had heard much
OF smuggling across the St. Croix from St
Stephens to Calais and from the British island
OF Campobello, between which on the west and
the American shore is comparatively narrow
channel only navigable for crafts of any size
when the tides are favorable At the begin.
ming of the first chapter the author says:
The Red Lane is neither road nor route 1t
is an institutional is smuggling. Its thousand
avenues are now here, now there.
The Red Lane crossed the border at Beau
lieu's Place this night.
The Lane was blatently open. They who
came along it were unabashed, unafraid
Farther on in the story we learn that the
u. S. custom officials are given a false clue
which takes them out of the way, and then by
preconcerted arrangement the smugglers cross
the line in force with heavily laden wagons
and driving hundreds of sheep and cattle be-
fore them to be SO distributed that they are
safe from seizure. The line store figures
largely in the story. On one side of line
drawn through the middle of the floor is Brit.
ish and on the other side American territory.
The liquors are carried on large table on
wheels or casters, easily moved from one side
to the other. On the approach of the U. S.
officials the traffic is moved across the line to
the British side and they are powerless, and if
Canadian officials appear it is moved to the
American side. The proprietor, an Acadian, is
anything but lovable character. His daughter,
who has been educated in a convent from in
fancy, and until her home coming is unaware
of the traffic in which her father is engaged. is
the heroine of the story. and the hero is
United States customs official, who is the
only American to figure in the romance
The other characters are Acadians, direct
descendants of those driven from their farms
and village in the Basin of Minas, who
found refuge on the American side of the St.
John iriver; and as their numbers increased,
and it was no longer possible to further SUBJ
divide the farms among the children, they
squatted in the timber lands, from which the
owners sought later to drive them. This land
trouble is an interesting feature of'the story,
which also gives vivid, and we believe accurate
descriptions of the Acadians, their manners
and customs and their characteristics. There are
several in the story who might be classed as
Williams, while on the other hand we are intro
duced to very loveable priest, to an original
and oommendable character in hobo fiddler,
and the hero and heroine play well their parts.
As story it is the best Mr.. Day h as yet writ
ten. There is not a dull page in it, and in its
faithful portrayal of life on the border in the
early days it has an historical value.
1.-THE Red Lane" is volume of four hundred
pages, with illustrations by Denman Fink and
Douglas Duer, and is dedicated to Burton
Smith, who. the author says. "as chief deputy
United States marshal for the district of
Maine. during a quarter of a century. has
known in its verify the border life with which
have taken the liberties of romance"