The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-27

Starring out with promise Of a good,
round tale Of high adventure, Eden
rhil.puttss latest" Faith Trcsilion"
tMacmlllansD, slows up. runs a rather
duh middle course, then finishes on
the high gear. The sternly simple. UNI
IN the safe handling OF explosives; 80
much human material 50 much love
and jealousy ana hate, and yet 80 little
excitement. There are smuggling and
wreckins and plotting and man hunt
ing; cross purposes and clash Of hostile
Wills, but no nerve rackinS ciimaxcs, no
tense crises of emotion.
The goods runners are honest IL mis-
guided folk; not monsters of crime
Very natural Is their combination OF re-
volt against man law with reverence
for God law. THE States the snug
gler," says one. Precisely SO the noun
taineers Of our own South are said to
regard the revenue service. To Mr..
Phillpottss gentry OF the contra band
bearing lugger free trade with France
In goods and liquor above proof was
natural. honest and honorable pursuit;
the tariff a robbcr.
Old man Tresllion fought with hated
gauger; both went over cliff and died
each In the others hostile grip. The
son Nicholas took his fathers place in
command Of the lugger Gray Bird. 4
new gauger came. Robert Pawlet. In
the end he married Faith. That young
woman was storm centre, herself
I'm. MI iah
six feet, six inches of sin" Rugged the
girl and kissed her all over her face"
She hated him, and he hated Paul Des-
champs. ardent Bona partist, whom he
believed to be a successful rival. Paul
was also hated by his cousin, Lieut.
Warner Baldwin. a soldier but a coward
Paul hated Pawlet. tried to assassinatc
him and wounded his own sister. Bald
win betrayed Paul to the military and
Faith helped him get away IN hcarse.
Mr.. Phillpotts has painted we'll in his
minor characters. The mOralizing vicar
is good: so is the poetizing innkeepcr.
Abednego Egg. the undertaken, Is rare
old villain; bad Egg, they called him
with simple accuracy. lie came TO a
bad end. His wife was III: But my
coffin IL ready. Master Paul" she says;
"Abedncgo made 1t twenty years agonc,
when he cared for mo better than he
does now" He tried to bury her In IL
too before she had quite died.
The talk Is homely when 1t should
he: Mr. Phillpotts's artistry in repro
ducing the speech Of the lOwly shows no
sign of failure. 81 love you something
fearful" says the wooing gsuger.
would love make careful man care
less or a busy man idle" asked the
oddly sceptical Faith She would not
believe that love could be all or even
first TO man. And when Elijah
knocked Pswlet out, I'm sorry" says
Mother Tresll!on. you've got such a
whisterpoop on the chin"
Emma Treslion. bedridden queen OF
tho smugglers, she is the book. a char
acter to have invented. Female noun
tain" one called her: but the old lady,
taking her baccy and grog in bed, sur
passes any connoisseur in objurgation
ever known. "AmbideXtrouS lntidcl';
"hugeous. long legged, louise hearted son
Of lobster: dung beetle: "misbegot-
ten tsdpole OF an Egyptian CROCODILE"
"Them that would go to sea for pleas
ure," she says, would go to hell for
pastime." Her oaths were original and
savory. Spring onions and holy
water" was one. Here she lay like a
feiled tree. land no liver left, and my
innards a disgrace to the doctors for
twenty year" She would not speak to
the gauger of the romance Of the snug
Gler's life, for "'twould be too much
like talking Of sage and onions TO a
goose" Drinking hollands and smok-
ing birdseye "to the glory OF God" she
Is rare fine old creation.
But should the materials of romance
h written up with quite the colorless-
ness Of a ships log?