The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-29

Tleanor Hallowell Abbott, whose "Mollie- Make-Believe'' and The Sick-A-Bed- Lady are among the most charming and delightful stories published within the last decade.
 There Is always a bit of pathos and gentleness mixed with the humor and in- tensely human side of the clever authors books, and in "The Indiscreet Letter. is not a naughty letter at all. but rather bewildering one, inasmuch as it has been written by a girl to a man far away whom she is journeying to meet after mere chance acquaintance.
 Becoming acquainted with fellow trav eler the train she confides to him her fears of having written a really indis- erect letter. and he being good natured. kindly sort of person, becomes quite in- terested in the girls story.
 She declares to him that she does not think she will even recognize the man she has written the letter to, when he meets her at the station, so her travelling companion says he will Keep a watchful eye on her and that when his wife meets him at the station, if she needs a friend, she will befriend her.
 The story turns out satisfactorily and that "they lived happily ever after is not doubted by the reader after a most interesting journey with the girl who has written ''The Indiscreet Letter"
 THE LANDLOPER."
 By Holman Day Harper Brothers, pub fishers, New York.
 Holman Day has written some very in- teresting stories, not the least of which Is this latest, "The Landloper-the Ro- nance of a Man on Foot"
 The scene is new England manufac- turing town. its mills filled with French Canadians. its water supply in the hands of private company which rules the state, appoints the health officers and from them exacts certificates of purity for it's typhoid germ laden river water, To tap the lakes up in the hills would cut down its handsome dividends. Into this town wanders the landloper, a young tramp who is unmistakably gentleman by birth, a cynic whose pose of indif- ference Is not proof against the sight oi gain at the cost of human lives. This then, is one more story of the reformel who. single-handed at first, gives battle to the apparently invincible interests and erds by driving them out of their strong holds. Of course there is love story but-and for this let us be grateful-ii does not concern the daughter of tho chief malefactor of great wealth and tho young champion of the common people
 Humor. sentiment, and adventur, tread upon each others heels in thi, new novel of Holman Days. It is the romance of the highroad of { modern knight errant who did not SC out to redress human wrongs, but wh' did good almost against his will. Tn, story abounds in those quaint, humor ous types that MT. Day so successful. creates.
 LORD STRATHMORE'S RUBY" By Ruth Harl with frontispiece b,
 Walter Wagner. Albert H. King
 publisher. 2011 South Halstead street
 Chicago
 A dainty little volume entitled, "Lor Strathmore's Ruby" by Ruth liar marks the advent of this author int the field of the novel. her work hither to having been confined to the "Shor Story" of which she has been a mos successful exponent.
 Lord Strathmore's Ruby" is vel written, the characters deftly delin eated and the plot original and inter esting and readers of the story wi look forward to other novels iron the authors pen with unusual pleasure
 THE FLYING U's LAST STAND" By B. NJ Bower. With frontispiece b
 Anton Otto Fischer Little, Brow
 & Co.,. publishers. Boston.
 The Flying U ranch was forced t Its last stand when Florence Grac Ilallman sent a company of schot teachers and farmers to take up claim on its grazing range She miscalcu lated the character of Andy Green an tried to engage him to soothe anxiou settlers inquiring about subsoils an water, instead of which Andy and tn other boys in the happy family put 1 their claims first so as to surround tn ranch. Their efforts to graze thel hired by Florence Grace furnishe many lively pages. with the escapade of the Kid" a boy of six whose vo cabulary and ideas are the result ( his days with the men on his father ranch, assist in complicating matter The wel1-known people of the Flyin are here-Chip, the Little Docto Pink, Irish Big Medicine. and tn other boys-and the story is alive wit the vigorous and breezy atmosphef of the fast-changing ranch country ( Montana.
 This Is the plot of B. M Bower clever story. "The Flying Us La' Stand"
 1.-THE SOUL OF GERMANY"
 By Thomas r. A. Smith. Ph.D. Geore
 H. Doran Company, publishers,
 West Thirty-second street. Ne
 York.
 An intimate inside study of Gel many during the years 1S02-1914 ''rhe Soul of Germany" by Dr. Shit an Engllshman who has during a that time been instructor in Englis in a German university and cons' quently--being a servant of the sta all tt1t nR rel iAm m---h Q