The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-22
THE DESIRED WOMAN.
By Will N. Harben. Harper Brothe,

By Will N. Harban. Harper Brothers,
 publishers. New York.
 VIII N Harben has never done a liner piece of word painting than in ! nis latest story, '.The Desired Woman 3
 Life with all of it's sorrows and per plexities is depicted graciously. and he slves us hero who has tasted the very lowest as well as the highest fay- ors that are possible.
 With a master hand, Mir Harben draws the character of Moyston, who. when the story opens has reached the age Of 35, and IS on the verge of A break down physically and mentally. the culmination of his commercial. so- c1al and other affairs being almost too much for one man to bear, for he hasn't always been above suspicion-no, not by any means.
 Moyston is an unusual type and after naVlng blasted the hopes of one poor woman and ruined several men in a business way, he goes down to a little country place to reeuperate Here at Ridgevilie, he boards with a family whose name Is Drake and one of the members of 1t, is a lovely daughter Lilly, whom he met three years before when he was there
 The girl only 15 when she first met Moyston, fell very much in love with nun. Without the knowledge of her parents Of course, she has quite an "af- Fair with Moyston. who really was very much influenced by the girls sweetness and purity and during his three years absence she believes that ne will ultimately come back, which he does, only to find her faithful and very much in love with him.
 He knows he has no business even so much as to touch the hem of her garment, but he does so after the man. ner of men, and he promises himself that he will be decent and patch up the bad parts of his life and marry the girl and settle down into respectable citi- xenship.
 Just at his juncture an heiress whom nas been mixed with in his city home write for him to come back which he does, gaiRpromising Dolly that he will return.
 Once in the city under the influence of the woman, however, his weakness become paramount, and he marries the woman leaving poor little Dolly to the mercy of the cruel world.
 Kings go on and misfortune pays him word for word, in every way for his perfidity to the girl and his wife taunts nim with having married her for her money, and their little child, whom he adores is neglected by it's mother and all of his business affairs go wrong and poor Moyston pays the penalty.
 His wife finally runs away with one Of his best friends and the child dies and in the meantime Dolly has grown to beautiful young womanhood-a par agon of virtue and modesty and sweet ness. She crosses hts path again and in discussing certain phases of life with him, which has to do with a certain family, sLe says:
 I've been through it all They hate you like snake. I don blame them When you get down in the very dregs through dealing with a person you slearn how to hate. The thing stays in the mind night and day till it festers like 1 boil and you want to even up some way. And the worst of all is that you | do sooner or later, unless you get it out l Of your system." 1 One fine thing about Harben Is that | he always gives his characters a chance | 1t matters not what has happened, and | 80 with his unusual generosity he allows Moyston to make new resolves and de- termine to make of himself what he "might have been'
 In the meantime, one of Moyston's busi- ness associates, a very fine true loyal man, has fallein love with Dolly, "The Desired Woman while Moyston himself. with all of his dark past, still aspires to her hand.
 The man Saunders finally wins the girl and the story leaves us interested. speculative, anxious as to the fate of them all.
 Mr. Harben has never done a more in- teresting piece of work, and 'The Da- sired Woman" is already widely read and appreciated.
 THE NEW DAWN" By Agbes c. Laut, illustrated by Jean Paleolosue; Moffat, Ward X Co.,, pub fishers, New York. We are always sure of a good story from Miss Laut. The only regret is that do