The Detroit times., 1913-05-12
B O O K S

and unreal may be the incide1ts por-
trayed or the point OF view maintaiu-
ed, the material OF which 1t IL made
up must be familiar to the readers.
Tales OF pirates and hardy adventur-
ers are losing their fascination as we
get further from the strenuous days
OF pioneering. Even the schoOlboy
nowadays. In spite Of his vivid mag
ination, cannot quite rid himself OF
the impression that pirates are 1T
tie far-fetched.
Stories OF auto bandits are more
tangible. In the place OF the soldier
OF fortune and political adventurer
we turn our commercialized tastes to
the doings OF the Gentle CRATER and
the one and only J. Rufus Walling-
ford. Perhaps the fact that the COM
mercial aspect OF present.day life Is
supreme. is in part, an explanation
of the perennial popularity OF George
Randolph Chester's works.
"Wallingford In His Prime" Is the
title OF complete volume of new
sketches by Chester In the same
the Bobbs-Merrill company. Toad
JtsSop, blnChie Law, FANNIE du''
Violet Bonnie are woven In as the
connecting threads running through a
series Of dizzy financial operations
Several wildly portrayed new char
acters also are introduced.
The book starts of with rush; j
Rufus strikes the trail of money In
the frat scene and never loses II TIL
the curtain Is rung down for the last
time and >Blackie Daw calls for hfi
saxaphone to play you out Of the
door. To begin with he floats o
scheme for making portable summer
cottages impervious to heat and colo
as well as all other possible annoy
ances. With the skillful aid of Daw
and Toad, as an office boy, In brass
buttons, at the psychological moment
railroad stock for an immense profit
to the one man who ever got the best
Of him and thus got revenge for thai
loss of half million dollars.
Following this the women take Z
hand in helping stage the Great Lama
in which the delightful new charac,
ter. Melissa, plays q prominent part.
The upshot IL that Blackie Daw
makes hit as an actor and ]. Rufus
makes another pile of money out OF
an option on the theater In which the
success Is staged.
Misfortune alternates with pros
perity until We ind Wallingford say
ing, We're are 30 near broke that
dread to have the porter brush our
hats" 'Tis not for long however. A
total stranger offers $4,000 capital on
which to operate and Just to show his
sporting disposition the wizard OF
finance returns to Cinderburg, a town
which he and his partners recently
fieeced, and there he regains the con-
fldence Of the citizens and pulled on
bigger haul than before.
A boom town and an amusement
park project follow In quick success
sion with the invariable of large prof.
its directed by skillful manipulations
into the pockets of the promoters. But
why continue. The story Is worthy
Of its title. "Wallingford in His
Prime"
"In lnothsr Moment"
1t Is q new novel by Charles b.
Davis. Published by the Bookseller.
rill company. AZ the story goes. q
girl and youth, very much in love.
both young, intelligent, capable and
ambitious, are enticed to New York
from their little home town by a de-
signing broker. who sees in the girl
the one to adorn his after-thsater sup
per parties. Fired by tales of luxuries
and ease and wealth. the pair come to
the big city to win fame.
The lad finds employment In the
brokers' Office. The girl, because OF
her startling beauty. is Immediately
made way for on the musical-comedy
stage.
Then begins the struggle.
Mr.. Davis gives a powerful study
Of life back of the footlights when
parts" are lived, not read. with
fidelity lightened by humor, and real
ism frightened by romance. he paints
the Gotham of the Great White Way
the Gotham Of the stage door and the
wings, the cafes and the actors board
ing houses. From the standpoint Of Z
man and non-professional he pioturel
the stern necessities, the temptations
the tragedies, the shams, the social
standards, the morale Of the stage In
q manner that Is at once frank and
fearless.