The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-31


field and Company, II It does contain ,
hideous tragedy. The novelties he OFFER
may be somewhat artificial. but they ar,
new in fiction-thc detailed description
of life on board a cable ship. and thu
placing the scene in modern Iceland
The cable laying in the Sea Of Japar
serves to make us acquainted with thu
hero and his friend and to utilize som,
OF the authors Japanese memories
with the return to Iceland the hero'I
character changes and so does the au
thor's style. He has caught the trick Of
simplicity that marks the Scandinavian
authors; he makes us feel the charm o
the sea and the strength Of people whose
motives are not complex We regret
that monopoly should threaten the hard
working fishermen of Iceland. but are
content to have the solution OF the
economic problem left unsettled by the
intrusion of heroic love tale. That tale
In told with poetic feeling and with
vigor. II gives distinction to the book
and justifes whatever Is disagreeabls
In II.
With his third attempt Oliver Onions
In THE story of Louie" George II
Doran Company manages at last to tell
the business college and the sordid MUIR
der tale that have fascinated him and
have filed two previous volumes OF his
In telling the early history OF this par
ucular young woman he gets away from
them for a while and at times promises
to be amusing. He invents a queer Ber-
nard Shaw sort OF parentagc for his
heroine. TO account for her readiness to
nae go ,,,
euce in order to provoke other people.
He makes her father, her stepfather and
the people at the maternity hospital
quite human and likable. and the horti-
cultural college scenes are something
like farce. Unfortunately she enters the
business college. and from that time on
the old story Is rehashed over and over
again. To those who have read the
earlier books matters are made palmer
by the addition of further details. those
who have not read them will feel be-
wtldered. As Mr.. Onions has now killed
of nearly all his characters we hope he
will become interested in some new and
more cheerful police item before starting
on any more tr!!ogies.
In much lighter and less pretent!ous
vein is THE Best Man" by Grace Liv.
IilIl L1ulL I'd. ID. lSlpplNCOtt lOm-
pany). This belongs To the class Of fic-
ton that depends on the rapid success
sion Of events for It's excitement as in
the Palais Royal farces that the late NJ
Labiche used to construct. The hero
has two strenuous nights and days in the
performance Of the task assigned to him
and manages to make friends with a
dog and newsboy. to get married to
an unknown girl and to make her love
him besides. There liz no question OF
probability in tales OF this sort-action
OF some sort IS all they call for. In
spite of the preposterous wedding, which
is clums!ly contrived, the author man
ages TO keep her readers interested right
through. She finds time too to do up the
Objectionable bridegroom thoroughly.
Tho book can be read once with amuse-
ment though It is hardly the kind one
would care TO read again.
Wholly delightful and entertaining is
the first half OF Betty Standish," by A.
j. Anderson (Dodd. Mead and Company
II tells of a days Irritation on an old
English estate between a nice man and a
charming grl-a we'll employed day that
Is Allied out still more by amusing d.
gressions OF the author. 1t Is all han
died lightly and dellcately. with a keen
sense OF humor though It may need
British sporting instincts to relish the
shooting of pigeons and rabbits and the
horror at the accidental slaughter OF a
fox cub. The Irritation rushes rapidly
into sudden marriage and perverse IL
natural misunderstanding on the we'd
ding day. which is contrived for the pur-
pose or enabling the author to show his
A..
dexterity In handling an extremely tick
lish situation without improperly. This
takes up the latter half of the book, in
which the readers interest Is divided be-
tween anxiety for the fate OF the lovers
and curiosity as to how the author will
get out OF his predicament. No small
part OF the enjoyment of the book comes
from the obvious fun the author has in
writing 1t. 1t is literary work out OF
the common run.
The predicament Of a young America
girl who insists on travelling alone on n
European railway train and is stopped
at French custom house il described
very prettily by Frances r. Sterrett in
The Jam Glrl' (Appletons). The hui
NOR becomes more commonplace when IL |
turns 10 mild travesty OF Romeo and
juliet the opposing families being rival
manufacturers of jam in Western town
and the contention being over the own
ership OF recipe. Parents are Of slight
Importance, however, in American love
anairs, nor can the Vaccinations of a |
phenomenally despicable cousin prevail.
The story becomes still more like the
common pattern toward the end, but II |
Is told fiuently and may be read once I
with enjoyment at any rate. The brave |
attempt to invest a French custom house
station with romance deserves COM |
mendation; we wish the author had |
taken as much pains with the Ameri- |
can portion.
There Is plenty of mystery in Anna |
katharine Green's Dark Hollow" lDodd !
Mead and Company, the greatest per-
haps being the extraordinary conduct Of
all the persons concerned. After the
original murder Is eXpla ned the over /
critical may find flaws In the authors
presentation Of the facts, but the story
holds the Interest. Ii the reader Is in
different to the outcome, as he is likely !
- suspect the perpetrator early, he will |
certainly want TO lind out why the sew |
tral individuals act as they do
II Is not so much IA story as a TRADE
against English conventional!ty in every !