Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-27

ual OF great wealth.. nlcheo oy An doVenCur.
er? The middle-aeed spinster who tells the
story does not learn herself until the
close Of the great adventure IN which she
has become involved. and with skill the
story is so unwoven that the reader 10
kept equally in the dark AND g., at ... high
nights entertainment In q modern set
ting with an abundance OF humor and
q delightful little love story on the side.
TWO QUAINT REPUBLICS-ANDO
RA AND SAN MARINO. By vir-
ginia w. johnson. author OF Many
Years Of a Florence Balcony" etc.
Boston: Dana Estes & Co.
The tides Of travel seldom reach to
Andorra and San Marino. Yet they are
we'll worth the trouble Of the tourist
who goes out Of the beaten paths to
visit them. Little Is known Of them save
through an occasional book such as the
present Miss johnson has studied her
territory carefully and presents the mys-
teries Of these two autonomous. popu-
larly governed states that have 50 sue
cessfuily withstood for centuries the on
sets Of nations and the fntrtgues OF
political and religious affairs Her meth
cd Of telling their stories Is attractive and
the book IL handsomely Illustrated. MAX
esting works Of European description
lately of the press.
MERRILIE DAWES. BY Frank H.
Spearman. illustrated by Arthur E.
Becher. New York: Charles Serb
ner's Sons Washington: Woodward &
Lothrop.
Mr. Spearman knows railroads and
business thoroughly for the purpose OF
making them contribute to the atmos-
phere Of a good novel. In ''Merrilie
Dawes he tells of the love affair of a
westerner who undertakes to establish
and finance great steel company against
the open and particularly the secret OPP
position OF New York influences. and a
young woman who is notable as the rich
est heiress in America The tale in
wolves the usual panic stress that Is ap-
parently necessary In every novel OF New
York finance and some vivid descriptions
are given Of scenes in the course OF the
money storm which seemingly wrecks
John Adrane beyond hope. The love
story is involved by reason of the fact
that Adrane Is engaged to an intimate
friend Of the girl he really loves. But
things work out to an adjustment that
will please the implacable champion of
the happy ending.
THE PANAMA GATEWAY. BY Joseph
Bucklin Bishop, secretary of the
isthmian canal commission. Illus
trated. New York: Charles Scribner's
Sons. Washington: Brentano's.
With students knowledge Of the his
tory Of Panama, from Balboa to de Les
seps. and with q personal grasp on every
detail Of American domination, the
author presents with motion picture real
ism that part Of South America which
he calls the Panama gateway. ASK
Bishop" Is the answer that is given to
the tourist who wants to know about old
Panama and the traditions that go with
the destroyed city. Any engineer in the
zone knows exactly what to say about
present-day conditions, but the secretary
Of the isthmian canal commission is the
official source of authority in all mat
ters pertaining to the past Mr.. Bishop
has put his Information into an interest
ing, and-as nearly as one historian can
agree with another concerning the Span
ish conquestadores An authoritative
book Of more than 400 pages. De Les
seps' attempt to build a canal for
France is related with a convincing de-
tail that throws every light and shadow
mainly shadow-on that disastrous
scheme. Americas purchase and con-
troll of the isthmus-prefaced by accounts
OF the contest made by friends of the
Nicaragua route, the Panama revolution
and other historic beginnings-is related
with exhiIaratinE simplicity The entire
period Of the construction OF the canal
is told in a succession OF illustrated
chapters. while other chapters describe
the completion OF the work. which he
declares is mot a canal through the
isthmus. but a bridge of water above