Evening star., 1914-11-28

came the episode of Merriam Lemesur
ier, which deeply affected him in his
subsequent development Then later
he went abroad and while in the Ri
viera he was thrown into contact
with Silas Beltervane, proprietor of a
great stores" in London, husband of
a wife much younger than himself and
father of a handsome daughter nearly
the age of her stepmother. Owing to
the passing folly of Mrs. Beltervane
Gambler was involved in a situation
from which the only Immediately safe
outcome was the hasty arrangement of
a pretended engagement with Miss
Beltervane. The mock affection be-
tween them on his part deepened into
love and he chafed under the false sit
uation. and just at a critical juncture
came the murder of Merriam Lemesur-
Ter, of which Gambler was accused,
and acquitted through the advocacy of
his f1ancee. Mr.. Macdonald has drawn
some exceedingly fine character out
lines in this well balanced story. and
the figure of Silas Beltervane. absurd
though 1t may be In some respects,
commands ultimate admiration.
WILD HONEY, Stories of South Africa.
BY Cynthia Stockley. author of
Poppy" etc. New York: g. P. Put
MANS Sons.
Mrs Stock1ey knows South Africa
thoroughly. and in these stories she
manifests her familiarity effectively.
The title story. which Is Of novelette,
proportions, deals with the adventures
Of young English woman travelling in
Africa on a journalistic enterprise and
thrown into a strange relationship
through the mischance of being lost on
the veldt. The terror of her situation
when lost and wandering is as nothing
to that compared with her rescue by
a ruff1an travelling over the veldt with
a team Her final rescuer arrives op-
portunely and romance then develops.
This is an appealing, effective tale. The
others are shorter and less conSeQuen-
tial. but all breathe the spirit of that
remarkable land south of the equator.
THE GAME OF LIFE AND DEATH,
cord, author of THE Drifting Dia-
mond" With frontispiece. New
York: The Macmillan Company.
These stories have been printed in
periodicals and are happily brought to-
gether into relationship. In some Of these
appears the figure of Lee Flu Chang.
friend of Capt Nichols. who is the mar
rator of several Of the stories. Lee Flu
is a remarkable Chnaman, and when he
speaks his words are of wisdom and his
experiences are thrilling. He Is the ex-
ponent of the east, inscrutible, un-
fathomable. The initial story deals with
a poker game played by Lee Flu with
a pirate leader, with his own life and
that of Capt. Nichols at stake Few
bits of late fiction possess the tension
expressed in these pages. These are
mostly stories Of the sea, in the telling
Of which Mr.. Colcord Is exceptionally
adept.
THE HOUSE OF TOYS. By Henry
Russell Miller, author of THE Man
Higher Up" etc. With frontispiece
by Frank Snapp. Indianapolis:
BobbsMerrill Company.
From the author of THE Man Higher
Up this Is a somewhat surprising per-
formance, for it deals with quite a diff
ferent theme and in different manner
than in that story. This is the evolution
and romance of a young architect of rare
ability who failed because he lacked the
punch" to make business, and whose
professional failure affected his domestic
affairs, as result of which another woman
than his wife came upon the scene and
disaster was about at hand when re-
adjustment occurred, fortunately. Rather
more effectively drawn than the figure
of David Quentin Is that Of Jonothan
Radbourne. his good angel in his hour
of deepest misfortune. d man who sue