The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-09
TENDING HIS SOUL"

per BrOInerS, PuDllSnefS, New | AOrk.
 Although Norman Duncan's story Finding His Soul,' is told in the spirit of the Nativity, thus becoming essen t1ally, It would seem, a holiday book, but at the same time it is such a appeal ing and sympathetic little story that it can't be said to belong to any especial season of the year.
 The gist of the story Is this:
 James Falcontent. salesman for Groot & Mccarthy, was a thoroughly good fel- low, big-hearted and easy going. He was sane according to every notion of $-yhe times.......He was precisely like every one else in his world" Falcontent was in vigorous health. No alenist could possi- ply have discovered in him the least di- vergence from the straight line of nor mallty Neither coud a surgeon have found any honest occupation for his knife nor could an enthusiastic practitioner of in- ternal medicine have supplied need of Falcontent's healthy body.
 'Falcontent's soul? Falcontent had no soul. Or rather, to be precise he had a soul of course. Everybody has a soul Nobody doubts that any more; it is not in good taste even to discuss the thing But Falcontent was not abnormally con- sicous of having a soul.
 In fact it was not until some months after little Jimmy's death that he found \ his soul Jimmy was his little son-an tonly child, and motherless-on whom all This hopes were centered and in whom he hoped to see all that he was not.
 The shock affected him so that he re- voluted against Providence, railed at faith and lost his grip on life itself His bark was rudderless. Just at this critical mo- ment, his firm, hopeful that a change may retone his balance and commercial elfi- ciency. sends him to Palestine. He falls into the hands of a particularly intuitive and far seeing dragoman, and there in the .l tn fpnl fI,A l;txr of the place and it's associations with his early religious teachings. On Christmas eve, upon the hills of Bethlehem, there comes to him spiritual revelation, and he finds himself face to face with his own soul.
 ASHORE AT MAIDEN'S LANE"
 By F. F. Bingham. The Broadway Pub i, ~lishing Co.,, Publishers, No. S35 Broad ssf way, New York.
 Ashore At Maiden's Lane, by F. F. Bingham is of unusual interest to south ern people since MT. Bingham is d Flori- dian-from Pensacola, where he is favor ably and popularly known
 His novel recently published has att tracted great deal of attention at home and abroad and among the most pleasing comments that have been made concern ing it, are those from his home town newspapers, among which is the follow ing:
 Mir. Bingham is one of the busiest men in Pensacola. He is secretary and assistant manager of the Southern States Lumber company-with which firm he has been connected since 1890, when he came to Pensacola, youth of 1S-a member of the board of bond trustees; man of af- fairs in both the commercial and political t&ife of the city. Let notwithstanding kttese facts, he has written rattling good yarn, story that is not only in- teresting but in many ways remarkable
 Ashore At Maiden's Walk was writ ten by MT. Bingham in six weeks time, at night, after the business cares of the day had been laid aside. Lest this statement may convey to the reader the impression that the writing of this novel was merely for relaxation. 1t may be noted that it was written and rewritten by the author on the typewriter four times--that it is a volume of 190 pages. each page averaging 2S0 words, making q total of over 53,000 words, which would seem to go towards proving that the writ ing of novel is not play, for the busy man of affairs who takes up writing a . b . side-line. and does book in six weeks, VStime in his off hours.
 But, notwithstanding. the joy of the craftsman speaks in every line and it is this more than anything else that gives the book it's charm. One IS swept along from the opening chapter. when the hero
 
 ton, by name, a tall, broad-shouldered young man, with red hair, long crooked nose and great abundance of freckles' until the closing pages, when the sails are furled on a chapter wtere everybody is made happy in the most delightful and natural manner
 ,k,N, This is another charm about the aS1ook-its naturalness. One opens one's k Syes a bit when the hero is iktro duced and wonders what great deeds he can do, to offset his handicaps, and one reads on to the end of the book with sa tisfaction, as chapter after chapter reels off. without one heroic deed. Nothing ever happens to mend his nose: no alchemy is ever used by the clever author to bleach his freck les: no turn of fate or trick of for tune bring to the hero new words with which to express his clear thoughts, but unto the very last he l trips over parts of speech in the mos. natural manner in the world. He is nor even allowed the privilege of hav- ing won his broken nose in any great feat of prowess--he had received the full weight of misguided rammef on the side of his nose. in his first en- gagement when serving as member If inc gun crew on the Wabash i Stranger still-he enters the pages as RAa boatswain and goes out of them as FA boatswain--and one likes him all Ane better fo Nrit After having read l<Nf>x much of the opposite type of fic- ! 5A5i the average reauer ilhas some fhing quite refreshing in just readine about man.
 There are wonderful possibilities Il that hero, just as there are wonderful possibilities in the book. One closes Mr. Binghams first novel with ths