The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-16
SOME NEW

Slowly n deliberately in 'Spragge's
Canyon George II. Doran Company
Horace Annesley Vacheil describes the
Irritation of "a young mink from the
city with a self-satistied country boy.
The youth. In spite of the authors
admiration for him. his honesty and
the virtues Of primitive people, retains
his uncouth throughout,
which may make it difficult for many
readers to feel sympathy for him. lie
has the PEASANTS passion for the soil
he ~cultlvates and a rather un-Ameri-
car reluctance to learn anything Of
the world outside his ranch. The
girl Is an amusing study OF a common,
shallow American type. and the shat
tering of all her efforts to make over
her stubborn lover is good comedy.
The sa%gacious mother and the loqua-
cious old stage driver are picturesque,
while the silent country girl who con-
soles The hero is satisfactory IL con-
ventional: the other people who put
In an appearance do not amount to
much. The author has expended
much literary skill on a pretty meagre
plot: he will hardly rouse enthusiasm
for a wholly rural life, no matter how
beautiful the scenery nay be.
Life in a country boys school liz
what Gerald Chittenden starts to de-
scribe in The Anvil OF Chance Long-
mans. Green n Company and. ami
able though his undecided hero is. we
grow impatient over his hesitations
and conscientious qualms about the
treatment OF boys, his fitness t. be
a ohnpltpaStn hiS cA,t.t,. .l,t;ay arl
his small mi~sadventures. Luckily he
talks himself into taking a trip into
uncivilized regions. where he en-
counters people who do things instead
of Illuminating owe them: he is ma
rConed in a wretched Central Ameri-
can town during a yellow fever epi-
demic and does his duty like a man as
he sees others doing theirs. The re-
suit is highly beneficial to himself and
to the school when he gets back. 1t
is a pleasant and well written story,
the vigor of the latter portion redeem
ing the amiable dawdling Of the be-
ginning.
a brisk specimen Of the conven-
tional numbering yarn Is spun by
Henry Oyen in The Mar Trail'
George II. Doran Company. The
necessary quarrel between the muscu-
lar hero and his father is gotten over
quickly and with no discredit to the
young man. He starts In to work for
a grabbed relative, who puts obstacles
In his way To try him; these he over
comes partly by strength M partly
by his faculty of making friends with
all conditions of men. The obligatory
young woman is also present, but the
author judiciously makes the hero
work out his WI salvation. He learns
the lumber business with remarkable
speed, is then put in charge of a
camp. which he is obliged to defend
against many enemies. We are IA
vored with many hand to hand fights
and with the foiling of much villainy.
An excellent tale Of It's kind.
Though air machines and automo-
biles are employed freely in Secret
History by c. ". and A. NJ. William
son doubleday, Page and Company.
and though the scene changes fire.
quently, it is with the troubles OF the
vivacious young narrator that the
story concerns Itself. She Is very
young at the beginning and keeps just
as young in her judgments In spite OF
the passing OF years. She falls in
love with an aviator in the exuberant
manner of the early teens and sees
him pass through sordld trials. These
are due largely tn her beautiful but
preternaturally selfish sister. who APP
propriates the man, follows him from
England TO tho Mexican border and
then jilts him for n richer man. The
after by q complicated and very i'm
probable piece OF treachery has the
hero dismissed from the army. The
present war gives him the chance tn
rehabilitate himself with his aeroplane
and the heroine the opportunity ia
show her pluck and to find out that he