Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-20

had so fully prepared. The only consoling
spot in the story is at the very end
when. in the midst of wreckage, Char
milan promised to keep her hands off
thereafter, and Heath looked hopefully
into new years Of Standardization. There
is much lifelike stuff in this novel. There
are charming North African scenes. There
is very real and poignant drama at the
climax when the crowded theater convicts
Heath of treachery to his own powers
Most of the time here. Heath himself.
really superior fellow of the clustered
type, looks like a fool dangling about as
Chairman dictates instead of standing by
his own muse But one must remember,
in judging him, that every man looks like
that who is continuously associated with
so intimate an antagonist as a wife. Mr.
Hichens too often makes long and heavy
explanations of persons do the work of
character analysis and portrayal. These
weight the story without animating it.
Excellently made bad characters prevail
here-a scheming. materialistic, untrust-
worthy lot. There is not one among them
that one desires to meet again. save. per-
haps. Heath-and him only one condition
that he IS able to leave Chairman at
homeland his mother-in-law. Mrs. Mans
field, really sincere and delightful wom-
an. On the whole and quite as he plan
ned to do no doubt. Mr. Kitchens has made
a most unlovely and ruinous thing out of
the strain for mere popularity, and the
abuse Of ones powers to achieve 1t.
THE AMBITION OF MARK TRUITT.
BY Henry Russell Miller. author of
THE Man Higher Up" etc. In
dianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Com
pany.
The story. of Mark Truths rise to
wealth and power from a boyhood Of
poverty might be claimed, in outline at
least, as that of any number of men
now living within the United States. 1t
is a purely American story of prodigious
enterprises that open out opportunities
and assured success to grit and capacity,
to untiring industry and perseverance,
to fair share of selfishness and an I'M
conquerable will.
Possessing all of these qualities and
more, Mark Truitt stood to succeed. And
he did succeed. passing in. steady ascent
from laborer in the great steel works to
dictator of its policies. dispenser of it's
favors and to tremendous power in in
dustry and finance. 1t is a big and ex-
citing story-a fine drama of the making
of steel. finer one Of the making of a
man. Nowhere is this story bigger and
more exciting than where Mark Truitt
begins to reckon the cost of his indi-
vidual success to the ones left behind
him In his rise. and to feel the sting of
responsibility for the wellbeing of these.
One point. and only one strains the read
er's belief. That is the place of the girl,
Kazia. in Mark Truths later life. (. I'm
der all the circumstances the renewal Of
his love for Kazia and his intention of
making her his wife are SO exactly what
not one man in a million would do that
Mr.. Millers reading of his own kind
seems at this point strained and false,
with the effect of making Truitt in this
respect too good to be true.
THE FRONTIERS OF THE HEART.
BY Victor Marguerite. Translated
from the French by Frederick Lees.
New York: Frederick A. Stokes
Company.
This strongly developed romance,
placed at about the beginning OF the
F'ranco-Prussian war, shows the frailty
of the most passionate individual love