The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-06-28
"Fu1T swing"

~ SNtbSs
by Frank Dandy ]. b. Lirp,ncott
Company
It is not 2 story after hor accus
toned manncr That Mrs. Julia Franknu
known TO many readers as Frank
Dandy" hns given to US In her latest
book. Full Swing" Indeed. the story
itself is somewhat convcntionaI--sur
nrisinGly conventional. coming from
the author Of Pigs in C,ovcr''-aud I.
IS as q study OF II character unusual In
fiction ihai 1T - distinctly worth while
Although there is Il proper romance
between the "Stcnsihle hero and
heroine Of tho novel. the real interest
* 10 be found in tho character of the
hcrOS mother. and in the growth OF the
SLOWLY awakened love between mother
and son
Agatha Wanstead. the Slaughter OF
IN ola county family. is intensely In
earnest imoucd with Il profound sense
of her Obligations. and acutely anxious
always To do the right thing. She is
pure and exalted in thought and in
decd. Vcritable victim to her own
conscience. but duty assumes invari-
ably SO stern an aspect to her tina.
she is in truth an insunerable. though
gentle. priS. And. withal. she blum
ders throughout her whole unhappv
hfe. She has little power of attract
Ing sEmpa thy and. In spite of her kind
heart no happiness in convcying IL
IN a word she hasn't the Understand
ing heart"
While stiil n very young woman. she
sacrifices her own romance to mn OK
pegerated idea of her se,nifeudal du-
ties. and. later. when romance comes
and knocks again At her door she
again repcla IT, because she conceives
II TO he her duty to devote her life to
tho daughter of her half-sister
Swept off her feet. she mnrrics a
wild. Levcr-like Irish lord. aud. lack
ing again the quality of sympathy that
might have influenced him to A better
Jifc, tho marriage is disastrous \ son
Desmond. is born. who spends half his
time with his father in his tumblcd
down castle in ireland and half with
his mothcr in her ordered house of
Marley. TIL" boy is warm hearted
wcll-mcanins and generous. but her
Gull lack OF sympathy. or of the means
or Expressing it, serves TO keen then,
apart, and when she finds him under
tho influence of liGuOr-by accident AS
" wcre-shc declares him unit to
marry the girl Eunicc. her sisters
child, with whom he has fallen deeply
in love.
Through influential connections. she
manages to get the boy a commission
in the army and he goes to South
Africa to engage in what the English
deemed the pastimc of whipping the
insolcnt Beers into shape. But before
which he falls under the influence OF
nm INSCRIPTIONS nurse, who invciClcs
him into marrying her. why he takes
this step, in view of later disclosures.
IL difficult To understand, but 1t is a
minor point.
Like many another incompcten dur
ing that humilintinE and Instructive
war, he leads his men into an ambush
and many Of them are killed. but he
refuses 10 surrender. Wherefore he is
Elorined throughout the empire as NO
surrender GrindeRy." But lie is badly
wounded and is confined to a hospital
for long time, and this situation
enables the author to present some
very fine passages describing the
cheerful bravery OF the mere boys who
surround his cot-onc with both legs
shot off, another hopelcssly blind.
Meanwhile his people at home have
learned that tho woman was the wife
of coHvc, still living. and the man
who has for years loved Eunicc with
out hope comes out to take him home.
The rest OF tho story--mcrcly as Il
atory--follows ordinary paths, several
of them decidedly mclodra!natic and
ono leading to a coincidence with an
incredibly long arm.
But the study Of Agatha. the un-
fortunate, is q rare piece OF work, and
tho nnal triumph of her mothcriy lovo
over her pitifui blundcrinSa is wrought
with the fine hand of an artist.