The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-08
ents in the most graphic

and environments in the most graphic manner.
 There is practically no law to govern these men on money bent. and in their wild desire to make their fortunes they are without religious or even human re- strictions and their lives wonder fully different from anything within civilizations bounds.
 Philip Whittemore, in his cabin on the shore of the lake, where he is one of the strugglers in the quest for gold. is in troduced to us and from the moment we make his acquaintance up to the time we find him in the finale, experiencing the peace that passeth understanding, at Fort O God, with the heroine, the reader never loses interest in him.
 The climax Is really dual in its nature. the revelations made by Pierre com pleted by the artist friend and the dis covery of Jeannes percentage in the locket taken from the neck of her dead mother. and the scenes when her old white haired father learns the truth-forking two dis tinct heights which the author reaches
 There is warmth of color, temperament and remarkably clever character sketch ing done by MT. Curwood and "F'lower of the North may easily be said to be one of the best books of its kind the read ing public has enjoyed this season.
 '"THE MONITOR AND THE MERRI-
 MAG"
 Both sides of the story told by Lieut. J. L. Worden, U. s. N and Lieutenant
 H. Ashton Ramsey c. 8. N, Chief Bn-
 gineer of the Merrimao. Illustrated Harper Brothers, New York.
 Back in 1862, on the 9th of March. there occurred a battle at Hampton Roads Virginia which changed ths history of naval construction.
 The volume entitled ''The Monitor and the Merrimac" is the story of this occa- sion, told by three officers who took part in the battle between these two vessels. The experiences are clevery depicted by Lieut.. J. l.. Worden and the next in rank. Lieutenant Greene. and Ashton Ramsey, chief engineer of the Merrimac tells the other, while Rear Admiral F.. W. Watson, who was an officer on the Rhode Island, which lowed the Monitor on the eventful night that the Merrimac was blown up, tells from the standpoint of an eye witness the tragedy as he saw 1t.
 The book is a valuable addition to naval literature and is well worth reading by those who want to know the inside facts concerning one of the greatest episodes in American history.
 THE STORY OE SAM TAG By S. J. Kennerly. The Cosmopolitan Press, New York.
 MT Kennerly relates fir this volume the adventures of a small boy during the war between the states. Autobiographical in style, and told as boy might have writ ten-by 0 boy who has not forgotten his boyhood, and who Is still a boy in spirit the look is one of singular charm for young and old alike. Sams adventures In ha ,,t{ ,l val ley, where the armies of Generals Bragg, Buell. and Rosencrans frequently pitched their tents. At times Sam was withi, the Federal lines, then within his own Confederate lines, and his marvellous ad ventures, his hairbreadth escapes and the many hardships that he endured make a thrilling story.
 Although the book should be of especial interest to the soldiers that fought in the Tennessee valley. and contains more than one historical fact concerning the two great armies that crossed and recrossed the valley that hitherto have been un- recorded, Sams adventures should de E.. light boys beyond measure. The Little Reb's' experiences hunter, as a fisherman as the "business man" of the farm during the absence of his older brothers, who were in the army. all are told with the freshness of recent occur rences One follows Sam with wonder as he makes friends and enemies among the Yankee soldiers. and through his exciting adventures with the band of robbers that haunted the valley in tho absence of the armies.
 As an authentic review of wartime con ditions in the valley of the beautiful Ter nessee river this book is indeed valuable The boyish viewpoint is valuable as well as charming. On Sams young mind were impressed many facts of importance