Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-03-07

" is made up of half a dozen
"a short stories by Joseph Con-
rad The first one, "Gaspar
Ruiz" is "A romantic sketch.
drawn off from the South American
wars for independence, with RulZ III
the foreground of events TIL ne is
finally defeated and overthrow. me
next one THE Informer. is an anar-
chist story. an ironic tale eholhs III
suicide one. The Erute. is a TRAGIC
narrative. of the sea wherein ship
pIays the title role by killing 4 man
on every voyage. AN Anarchist re-
counts the escape of a convict from
the penal colony where he is conhned
and goes on to tell how he became the
tool of a group of anarchists beihS
found with Il bomb in his possession. he
was again deported to Cayenne. where
his existence is most wildly pictured
in this story. The murder of two men
by this convict brings the matter TO a
close. Another 1.-The Duel, the long
est and best of these adventures. goes
back to the time of the Napoteontc
wars. 1t engages two subordinate OF
ticerS in a duel over some trlhlnS CIR
cumstance. This duel breeds series
of dueIS between the two that lasts Tor
fourteen wears when both have risen
of this tale is of lighter. more lndui-
gent cast than is to be found In any
other of these grim narratives IL
Conde," the last of the set. is an cpl
Sode involving the persecution OF a
refined old nobleman at the hands OF
a young bully and brute. until the ola
man is permanently driven away from
his beloved Naples. which turns out 10
be the only place where he is a Bile to
live at all. \ group of dark stories
which one would choose only when he
must at any hazard have thrill ana
excitement. The admirers of Joseph
Conrad will love the book because IT
is compound % the literary Conrad
himself. pitched in a different key
from the one that produced his earlier
splendid effects, and concerned more.
much more. with the inner workings of
consciousness than those earlier
stories are.
a RUSSIAN COMEDY OF ERRORS. Fly
George KEENAN, author of siberia
and the EXi.e System. etc New
York: The Century Company.
This volume of short stories on Rus
81 takes its name from the initial one
among them The Comedy of Errors
is a half humorous account of the
troubles that came to an American
salesman in Russia fro the simple
fact that his name CHANGED to be Cor
don. a perfectly good name in the
United States and elsewhere but one
that at the moment spelled suspicion
among the Russian authorities. The
most OF these adventures have to do
with the activities of the police and
spy systems of the country. Except
for the lighter touch of this first one
they are all grim and sinister in tone
and atmos pleFe. one of them gives an
ac sunt of the escape OF Prince kra
potk!n from prison, an account that II :
reader follows breaLhi.Ssly lest 1T one
nj or h. II n
escape fail through. Another describes
the mouse trap. Russian device Tor
wholesale arrest and detention. one
is a heart -brea king picture of Il inu-
stefan eXiled to Siberia, fomesick and
soulsick for mis- beloved art. All OF
them bear sad evidence that the racial
temperament and political fact of this
country are at bitter enmIty with each
other. the source of an endless chain
OF aSitaJ .on. conspiracy and revolution
and punishment Mr.. KEENAN, long ago
adopted the Russian political exile and
made himself ma ster of the system that
produced this o. moot of Russian life
These stories, therefore, Strang as
they all are and Inhuman as some OF
them are, stand above his signature as
true and dependable pictures of Ger
tain phases of life III that country.
THE SECRET OF THE REEF. BY Har-
old Bindloss. author of prescott OF
Saskatchewan. etc New York:
Frederick. \. stokes Company.
Ever since the buccaneers two and
three hundred years ago raked the
Spanish Main for plumber legends of
hidden treasures have captivated the
fancy OF those writers pens run,
BY choice, along lines OF lusty adven-
ture- The secret that Sustains MIR
Rindloss' neW novel is a fragment of
this tradition left in the wake vi the
Old lndrauderS To bring the theme
within range of mo eru appeal the au
thor makes the treasure fortune OF
kloudyhe gold, sunk and abandoned
with its ship off d rocky island in the
Alaskan region OF the Paciiic. The
quest fer TINS lost snip among the haz-
ardous channels that sweep through
the island rnazeS OF this quarter NAMES
d splendid sea adventure, which stands
as, by all odds, the most interesting
and important part Of this romance.
The sea venture is, "u the hand side.
supported by plot Of SoineW hat ne
Tirlous design ana by tue huddIag and
biossoining of Il good love story. Mir
Bindloss knows The sea lie - on Intimate
terms with its jetupcTS and moods ami
powers. This know ledge he has woven
INTO aa adventure whose realism is 50
fins and communicable that the reader
comes into an actual sense Of taking
part la the perllS and escapes Of the
quest OF the SUnk"ii treasure. ship,
BEFORE TIiEs.RiNGO GAVE. I5y Ger
fvTuiaGS, etc. New York. Fred
srIck =. stokes Company.
''t:efore the Griugo Game" GOV ers
Two stories Oh the picturesque days OF
early California. '-Hez.noy'' the tirst
o. these, IS q romance Of tnat Russian
aJysuturcy vino. ~ Ill" poginniEg oil
The et2hi.eui.s century. cherished visions
OF a l;BSs.In empire on Tia. Pacific cI.st
tn" dissolution OF THIS dream under
oH. falling plot after another, the love
sp.iEtsin= w between KezaHnN and
Com h. .tue laughter uf the Span
list governor. aud tHc death q: the R;u+-
sian ia iou"ly Siberia. are tHv steps by
which the rornau". advances in a
spletldoT Ui color and DIES IA. The Sec
ond Siort. 'IHr it1tius woman IL in
part historic lu lar=er part. however
II H. symbolic 81 the change Of cali
foruia, its slow and reluctant change,
from Spanish aims ana ideals To those
Of america aud tue u.v. 'Iay. iitth of
these Itlss bcipu-. w. lin. 'sur,y.is singh \
romantic period Of CHiIfprnI.4's origin
This period makes .rr irresistible :tp-
peal 10 til" nature stgI pussrr- OF Mrs.
Anterior. and uut - II Sh. has drawn
the richest and war CO.. ct her pic
lures Of California l.fo- Just now ,his
stat. has the center 81 the stag in tIIs
country EverSthlug pertaining 10 il
has stn Important place in public inter