The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-07


before him, he will forgive some SEEM
ing defects. The shipwreck. though
touched UP with needless horrors. Is
merely a method for isolating u group of
men; the prodigauty with which they
are supplied with all they need and the
shiftlessness that keeps them from max
ing any eXertion may be passed over, FOR
they are put there simply to point
moral. The author takes pains to differ
ent!ate between them at the start, but
though they range from commercial!
drummer to a professor OF psychology
and though they differ somewhat in the
way they flrt they act and talk 80
much alike that ii is hard to tell one
from the other after while. They
meet a suitable number OF winged crea-
lures OF the opposite sex. who may be
regarded as birds, in the drummer
slang, or as something more ethereal from
the name the author gives to the island,
not angels of heaven, but of young
mans fancy when he first falls in love.
With one exception they behave much
ms the ballet team In "A broadway snow
might be expected to; one is the sort OF
girl that leads in suffrage or reform
movements. Each jill. finds her Jack.
They are caught by II mean trick and
their wings are clipped which seems the
only practical way of attaining the au-
thor's object. This is to set forth in
conversational, tone the wOman's ana
the mans side of the woman question,
which, in spite OF queer bits OF brutality
Is done rather brightly. The hardest
thing that can be said about the women
is that the author makes out that their
main incentive is curiosity. The ban
tering tone Is kept up consistently and
effectively 1t jars when some gross
matters are touched upon and the D!t OF
tragedy at the end seems purposeless.
AS an argument the weakness seems to
lie in the fact that there are men and
women who are not drummers or poster
girls.
The first part OF :. X. Crocketts
SANDY" tMacmilansJ Is delightful ana
good fun. The adventures oil the canny
young Scotsman bound To make his way
in London are natural and amusing,
even ii they are made prepostcrouS.
With tie Sc, ond part the author be-
comes theatrical; lac Tres to satt tIr
interest to a nirl!ns insenuc, his nero
and heroine become mann.h.ns, ana as
the story draws toward the end he
throws in haphaZard all the WORKOUT
tricks OF mcIpGrama. This is the more
provoking because the individual scenes
are generally bright. Tlere IL no great
humur In saving women from being sub
jecteu 10 gross insults, which comes to
be the main thread Of the story. II Is
readable enough, out the author should
not show 50 clearly that he thinks any
thing Will do for his readers, as re does
in the last half of the book.
a simple, straightforward love story
that runs smoothly with nothing To
break its course is told by Munsou
Ravens in "Old Valentines" IIoushtun
Miniin Company. There is nothing IN
1t that has not been used over and over
again. but it is charming all the same.
the girl, the poet lover the gruif uncle,
the Old bookseller, all have character
and all are people we are glad to know.
1t is relief TO come across book like
this. with its old fashioned sentiment,
in the whirl of problem novels, upl!ft
romances and mystery tales. We wish
the author had left out the settlement
work, though 1t is harmless
There is much that is pleasant in the
long drawn out romance of middle age
that William Game relates in THE
Irresistible Intruder John Lane Com
pany) though it would be more enjoy
able il the author had restrained his
humor more. A kind hearted old
bachelor, a country squire, tells OF his
friendship for an amazingly well be-
haved small boy and of the unconscious
growth of love for a strange young
woman who has come to his village
When everything seems to be going well
she confesses that she has come there
with the deliberate purpose OF marrying
him, but that as she has come to love