The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-30

~ ~ 5oN III IA
enough to give a Juvenile touch to the
story. but the older ones are fairly
grown up. reaching to almost thirty.
Their common bond 10 not very appar-
ent because the author Ia eager to
make them different from the young
people we are accustomed to. The
Oldest brother bangles around a mar
ried woman. and the second one, who
is otherwise a decent fellow. terrifies
his sisters by coming home drunk. an
event which to the author Is the &C.
casion for much humor. The girls
seem devoid Of moral sense but are
kept out OF mischief; they are used
by the author to batter down conyen-
ions. Their are possibilities In each
to express the new IDEAS about indi-
viduality. but combined they are mean
ingleSs and are a family only in name.
The author favors the use Of 'onto"
and has a preference for big hands in
women.
A story Of a helterskelter chase all
over England. in which bicycles. au-
tomobiles and aeroplanes are used. is
tod by John Buchan in THE Thirty
nine Steps" George II. Doran Com
pany). The hero. who is bored BY the
Gulness OF London. has a state secret
entrusted to him In a startling
and has a decidedly lively time in dodg-
ing the pursuit Of nearly omniscient
coIspirators until he delivers his mes
sage to the proper person and then
runs his pursuers to earth. The story
depends on quick action and sudden
| ynnltnatt, for ita nxrStan,ops 10 is
| often amusing and has the merit of
dispensing with love altogether. The
conspirators are made Germans. but
might just as we'll he OF any other ma
tionality. for this IL no wal story.
Another wild chase after a mys-
FERROUS but important talisman il the
subject OF James Francis Dryers
THE Green Half-Moon" "a. c. Nc
Clurg and Company, Chicago. The
hero certainly has an exciting day at
| Alden n nearly as lively a tim at
Port Said. but he has a habit Of losing
his temper instead Of using his brains
which detracts from the interest. The
plot Is good enough. but h author
has not taken much pains with the
execution.
" Auhs oti IVY
Indian. liz the hero OF Mary T. Wagga-
mans white Eagle" The Ave Maria
Press, Notre Dame. Ind. The story
IL told with the artistic skill that the
iauthor has shown In an earlier story.
The picture of the decayed Californian
town with it's crumbling church Is
very vivid and the old priest and rough
frontiersmen. who befriend the boy
are attractive. The boy combines the
virtues OF the white and the red man
and wins the heart OF his white grand
father. as he will that of the reader.
The hero OF two previous books by
Joseph A. Altsheler goes through more
war adventures in THE Hosts Of the
Air ,Appletons). The authors APP
plication Of the methods of juvenile
fiction to that designed for older read
ers In not so successful in this in
stance. The romantic incidents are
extremely improbable, the interest de-
viates from the Incidents Of h war
to the personal affairs Of the hero and
even the title In misleading. for the
aeroplanes a less to do with this
than with the earlier tales. 1t is an
exciting enough bit Of melodrama all
the same.
An im~perturbable asthete who keeps
dropping epigrams In an annoying
manner commits Il murder without
being detected in Frank Danby's THE
Story Behind the Verdict" (Dodd.
Mead and Company and the coroner's
Jury brings In a verdict Of accidental
death. This leads him and some OF his
aca~uaintances to apply the secret
knowledge they have Of people to
eight other similar verdicts. and In
each they detect crimes more ahom-
Unable even than the murder. In the
, later cases the aesthetic seems to take
a hand and his friends watch h per-
formance without interference. AS
the stories are told as c~ynically as pos
sible they are decidedly cheerful read
ing.