The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-21

sey suburban life to which William Me-
Zee treats us In Aliens" uOngmans.
Green and Company. title already
way, he will get to a puzzling and excit-
ing tale after time. The ainlable
household that watches the commuters
and takes a lively interest In its neigh
bors is very amusing: II is intended
simply to be an audience and delay the
beginning Of the play too long. When
the seafaring man starts his queer yam
IL listens very attentively; he does not
look nautical. being the chief engineer
OF q cargo steamer. and the audience
and reader suspect at first that he Is
taking them in: he is serious enough,
however. and his contest with his scapc-
grace brother. who draws all women to
himself. is exciting. Tho acropanc per-
Torrance. as the tale turns to tragedy
IN spite of the humorous tone. is not
30 incredible as the transoceaniC coin
cidences. IL Is a we'll written and enter
tanning story that will surprise the
seasoned novel reader again and again.
Save for the short love story at the
end E. V. Lucas's Landmarks" tMac-
millans) reads like an autobiography.
The author compares IL to moving
picture show. a form of amusement for
which he seems to have high esteem,
because he deals only with the moments
that count in his hero's life. That we
imagined was the ambition of every
good biographer. There is a tone of de-
preston throughout the tale that does
not always get the better OF Mr.. Lucas's
habitual cheerfulness. His hero is an
amiabe apd sensitive boy, who unfor-
tunately does not think highly of his
parents: the incidents that impress him
are vivid sketches of English life. in
some of which real people play part.
He studies medicine, but cannot stand
the dissecting room. so he turns to
literature and also has taste for art.
We leave him as successful journalist
and Just married. 1t is not very cNcit-
ing, but it is pleasant and kindly. as
Mr.. Lucas always is. We regret that
his Retrospective mood this time should
be tinged with sadness and even little
bitterness. The boys friends arc fine;
the fault seems TO be in him.
Starting as sort OF allegory Eve
lyme Rynd's I'm tho City OF Under
lLongmans, Green and Company turns
into a tale OF heller SHELTER adventure
az exciting as it is bewildernG. The
town is the embodiment OF drtariness
and selfish materialism. little boy
Is spurred to do something and get out
OF it 10y mysterious stranger, who is
apparently the pagan god liermes come
back TO earth. The boy begins by
climbing the elm overhanging the town
and finding himself in the Wild woods
Then the author seems to tire Of poetry
and the supernatural and turns ia
humor. The boy undertakes to find a
paying job, and a clustering young
friend accompanies him. They get into
all sorts OF queer places and terrifying
And ridiculous sCrapes all OF which
are tangled UP with q sort of detec-
tive plot, nearly as incoherent as the
hsrlc qunade in a Christmas panto'
mime. The ending is rather Nat fol-
the reader would have liked to have
tho boy ind that job. but it is anus
ing aud pretty and will be enjoyed mor'
by grown people than by children.
British humor Is fcarfully and won
derfuly made. In The Tale OF Lal,
by Raymond Patton Chapman and Hall
Brcntano's) one OF the lions OF the Mel
son monument in Trafalgar Square
comes to life in order to give an imaGi
native small boy a good time. Tn'
author docs not show much original
iiy with the entertainment, being oc
cupied with making the lion properl!
witty. The second part, in which thu
street boy and his dog appear, is Z
pretty good story. The conclusion, il
which the lion is brought into cOur
aud made to listen to the authors fun
over lawyers and Judges il ponderous
a massive jest which will stupcfy tn,
reader, even IL it makes him regre
that he cannot share the authors evi
dent enjoyment Of it. The book recon
Giles one to American humor with nj
its faults.
\ cheerful tale ~ marital intellect!
"a told by Henry Russell Miller in ''Th
Hous, Of Toys" CThe Bobbs Merrill
Company. TndianapolisD The two hav
married for love, but the girl il frvo
lous and selfish and fond of the orna
mental side Of society life. When tinan
cial trouble comes they part, she goin
with her child 10 "A rich relative, Will
he * taken up by an eccentric philan
thropist, whose interest is to set fail
urcs on their feet aSain. with hi
aid and that OF a worthy stenographel
who mourus the loss OF "A voice, tn
youth pulls himself together and make
good in his profession. by that tim
ho loves the stenogrdphcr aud think
OF divorc.ns his wife; that does nc
seem right, however so the two par
and the wife is taken back. The au
thor tolls the story simply and easily
We could wish he had left out the sec
ond love affair aud suggested a toler
able solution for the young mans prob
lem. He Is not very interesting; tn
minor characters have much more lif
Tt same trouble OF love.ess wedloc
ia dealt with in the British manner b
Mrs. George de Horne Naizey in Lad
Cassandra" CO. T.. Putnam's Sons) w
regret that the squires wife should h
bored 10y life, for she Is allowed t. d
nothing as She wishes save to ador
herself Her husband and her son ar
wooden and do not respond To her de
mands for affection. She thereupo
starts Irritation with man who Ina
recently become engaged, it grows int
something more serious and they an
tempted 80 c'0pe. Both are too respect
ahlC 10 do that 50 she returns to h,
family duties ana he marrirS the CIR
w wish we could feel sympathy (,
either. The author Introduces many ,
the AIDES in the village, who are ger
orally discontinued, and is frequent
4