The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-14


 want of respect for their betters. Tod 1 Freeland, Dereks father merely de- votes himself to his bees, birds and l flowers, leaving his wife and children to do the thinking and agitating. A house party of bigwigs at Stanley Freeland's home affords a fine exhibit of products of the English social system. As Felix cogitates on these things he finds at his side a typical bigwig of the finer sort, sincere. clean, charming. The author continues
 And suddenly he knew that he was face to face with the tremendous ques- tion which soon or late eonfronts all | thinkers. Sitting beside him was the highest product of this system. With its charm, humanity. courage, chivalry up to a point it's culture, and its clean- liness, this decidedly rare flower at the end of tall stall.. with dark and tortu-
 ous lpots and rank foliage was in sense the sole justification of power wielded from above. And was it good enough? Was it quite good enough?" The love story is deliciously told by Mir. Gallworthy in his ininiitable manner of Nedda and Derek, and when Derek fi- nally does not tell her of his plans to | stir up a general strike on the Mallor- I ings farm she becomes greatly hurt and turning away from him the world seems l to collapse beneath her and here some I of the authors best work is done. "A full minute passed, each straining l to make no sound and catch the faintest sound from the other, till in her breath | ing there was little clutch. His fin- | gers came stealing round. touched her l cheeks, and were wetted. His arms sud- | denly squeezed all breath out of her; his l lips fastened on hers. She answered 1 those lips with her own desperately, l bending her head back, shutting her wet | eyes. The owl hooted. and the white I flowers fell into the dusk off her hair | and waist.
 l After that they walked once more en- l laced avoiding with what perfect care
 any allusion to the sudden tragedy, giv- | ing themselves up to the bewildering ec- | stacy that had started tiirobbing in their blood with that kiss, longing only not to 1 spoil it. And through the shelterjng l larch wood their figures moved from 1 edge to edge, like little souls ein Para- l disc, unwilling to come forth" ''The Freelandss' is MT. Galsworthy at | his best-eXen better than 'The Dark | Flower if such thing IS possible, and I that is paying him the highest compli- | ment possible. It smaclSs of MT. Mere | diths .'The Ordeal or Richard FevereI what more can be said in its praise? THE TRAITORS SON" GA NOVEL) By Ruth Shartel Mcvoy. The Neale Publishing company pub fishers, New York city.
 Ruth Shartel Mcvoy presents in .'The Traitors Son. her first work of fiction to the public and it has been most cordially.
 The story is intensely interesting from the Proem,' to the closing, chapter and is told in remarkably graphic, virile, sort of way
 nd Tn tso,, ,f characters. all are capably done, show ing that the author has a keen insight into human nature, and a mind we'll
 stored with learning and wide information. "The Traitors Son. Is an historical novel founded on certain incidents in the
 war of 1872 and the Creek was of Ala bama, periods redolent of adventure, in- terest and epoch-stirring episodes. In a Preface" Mrs Mcvoy says of her hero, Philip Arnold
 "The character Philip, as developed in this story, is purely fictitious. The record of Benedict Arnold's progeny seems to be well authenticated. He had no son named Philip, but Margaret Shippen bore him four sons, as follows: Edward Ship pen, 17S0-1S13; James Robertson, 17S1-1S54: George, 1787-182S; and William Fitch, 1794- 1928. In studying the life of the man who is best known in history as The Traitor, than whom there is scarcely a more pathetic figure in recorded time it oc- cured to me that, however proud he might have been of his stalwart loyal British soldier sons, 1t would have been considerable consolation and joy to him to have had at least one American son, American bred, and true to the cause for which The Traitor himself once fought. No man wholly forsakes a cause to which he has given the nobler part of his life rather the cause will not forsake him, but will remain forever in his affections Hence the fictitious character. Philip" The characters which go to form the story, include Andrew Jackson, Dolly and James Madison, Sam Dale (the Daniel Boone of the south). Sam Houston and
 David Crockett, while Red Eagle" the Creek chief, plays an important part in the events.
 In the "Proem,, Mrs. McVoy draws a very pathetic picture of Arnold-The Traitor-and the sweet loving wife and
 mother. when the son comes home, not knowing that these people are anything to him-least of all-hs parents A very beautiful line from the book contains the pathetic sentiment from the traitor to his son about the mother:
 She is your mother" he says to the lad as he inquires breathlessly who the
 lady Is, "and the best woman in all the world. She has loved me and stood by me- though she hated un- speakably the thing I did. Without her I should long ago have added self destruction to my other sin. Your Uncle Roger pledged himself to spare no pains to teach you truth and honor and above all. self-control. I am de- pending upon you to rehabilitate our name in the land I betrayed. You are