The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-04
THE HARBoR MASTER"

Painting From a Picture by John Goss.
l.. c. Page & Co, Boston.
~The Harbor Master by Theodore
Goodrich Roberts, is a story of adven-
ture on the bleak coasts of Newfound-
land. Its author. Theodore Goodridge
Roberts. has written such stirring ro-
mances as Comrades of the Trails and
a Captain of Raleigh's" and his new
novel gives us a fair taste of his quality,
while in his descriptions of fife along
the ice bound shore of the great mari
time province. he is thoroughly convlne-
ing. Evidently he knows that part of
the world much better than American
writer's know the east side. His chief
character is, like the legless beggar in
Mr.. Morris east side tale, man of
immense power over his followers. But,
unlike the cast of that mendieant, we
can understand why he is power. 1t
| Is because he has a good strong pair
of fists and is not afraid to use them.
Moreover, the other inhabitants of the
| little village of fishermen and wreckers
depend largely on him for their means
of livelihood, Black Dennis Nolan is the
| name of this man of strength. He is
the leading citizen of the little village
OF Chance Along, whose inhabitants have
| made a seanty living from fishing and
salvaging cargoes and occasional wrecks.
Nolan is the sort of man who would have
succeeded in a great commercial trust.
for he organizes the villagers into a
wreeking company, with himself at the
head the object being to encourage
wrecks and systematize' the pillage of
the shipwrecked and their vessels.
| The descriptions of the wrecks at
which these gentry officiate are admir-
ably well done. Evidently, Mr.. Roberts
| knows the sea and seafaring people
| Certainly he has the art of writing read
able matter. From one of these wrecks
they gather enough gold to be divided
into liberal shares among the wreckers
and there also is a diamond necklace
in leather case that Nolan finds in
deserted stateroom and hides in his chin
ney. His mortal enemy, watching through
the window digs out the casket and
carries it away. His intention Is to get
as far as st. Johns, where he hopes to
sell the diamonds and live thereafter
in ease and luxury But he encounters
a snowstorm, loses his way and falls
off cliff. Nolan, knowing him to be
the thief, searches for him in every di-
rection. but without success.
Another ship is cast ashore on the in
hospitable rocks and on her we find
the inevitable heroine of all wrecking
tales-a beautiful young maiden. Nolan
brings her ashore takes her to his grand
mothers cabin and falls in love with
her, as was to be expected. This maiden
t. En-, .t,,. .,-I,..
success in London, where she had act
ually sung before the Queen, is on her
way back to New York Nolan is care
ful not to make known TO the outside
world the fact of her rescue He de-
stroys the letter given him to mail for
her and hopes that by keeping her with
him for some time she will learn to love
him. But the maiden has a sweetheart
in the person of the third officer of the
ship that took her to London, and he,
learning of her predicament, arms him
self and comes to Chance Along for the
purpose of saving her. OF course, he
takes his life in his hands, and it may
be added that he does not accomplish
what he started out to do without encoun-
tering much trouble.
1.-The book ends in a satisfactory way,
and in comparison with either one of the
tales of manacal fiction referred to on
this page it is like CLEAN of fresh COM
mon sense.
JAMES o. JAMESTOWN"
BY Vaugan Kester. Illustrated by M.
Leone Bracker The Bobbs Merrill CO.,
Indianapolis
The importance of 1.-THE Prodigal
Judge" and THE Just and the Unjust"
both in literary achievement and IN pop
ular success. has impaired an extraordi-
nary interest to all of the writings OF
Vaughan Kester This has induced the
republication of John o. Jamestown"
which on it's original issue failed,
through publishing accidents, to secure
the circulation it deserved.
For John o. jamestown is written in
that easy, personal, wholly charming
manner so characteristic OF kesters
later stories and possesses all OF those
exceptional literary qualities that made
his later books so popular. But 1t re-
yeals the author moving with sureness
and finesse in a new sphere--the happy
realm of historical romance--and Of
Cers a splendid illustration of Kester's
wonderful versatility.
Lovers of beautiful staid, old-fash-
ioned Puritan English and readers of
fiction who enjoy engaging romance
written between the lines of history
with which they are already familiar,
will find rich delight in this spirited
novel 1t deals with other days and
other ways but so clearly and dis
tinctly do the settings and characters
appear to us that we seem to have
been suddenly taken back to live dur,
ing the period in which the story is
laid
John o. jamestown is a narrative
based on the founding of Virginia. 1t
is a story of Lord De la War;, Pow
hatan, John Rolfe, Pocahontas and
Jack the Spaniard." One figure paint
ed full length, dominates the canvass
however 1t is John Smith, the hero Of
the founding of the colony. a figure
OF humor and courage, brilliantly real
and glowingly alive.
But the story takes us back bit fur
ther than the coming of John Smith and
his men to America. 1t takes us back
to the mother country, to England and
the Scottish borderland whore lived
Richard Farrady and Mary Marshall
The love of this lad for this maid be-
comes the central theme of the book
~~~~~~~>~~~~~-~~~~~-~~
ment is in league with assassins and rob
Ders has made a stir. ST. Petersburg
swears that Kluisteff is a liar He is an
ordinary robber, it says, without protec-
tors, and Miss Tserbitsk misunderstood
him. or he was pulling her leg That is
always the way with st. Petersburg, but
the average Muscovite would believe IA
bandit sooner than he would believe the
"Okrana." which is the real source of
nearly all Russian crime.
DQTINKENNFCC