Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-05-13
REVIE w OF
BOOKS
THE ROAD OF AMnlr,oNv

| OoHt matter now dig mis- load is, y
says Tony Dufrano. "or how steep the
grade, he makes a Decline for what
ever he sets out-and, what's more.
he gets there, tool"
Tony IL speaking of Bill Matthews.
Big Bill" to the mills. who on his ac-
count has Just whipped Ole. the brutal
big Swede. without breathing hard or
wasting a blow. Bill Is foreman Of
the cogging at the Bethel steel
works. and besides being Tony's idol
and well beloved Of his crew, he is the
hero of THE Road of Ambition" q
stirring new novel of American in
dustrial life by Elaine Sterne.
From whipping the massive Swede
in Miss Sterne's book Bill passes to
more important battles. He has been
at the works for Is years. following
his fathers occupational lead. He
loves the roar Of the furnace and he
thrills to the sense Of might that il
about him. And presently, In the
pages before US, with dream of great
riches in his mind the memory of
girls face warming his heart, he sets
out to grasp power of his own.
A successful invention brings our
hero wealth, his own readiness to
learn gives him at least a conven-
tional culture, his keenness and
knowledge of his trade make him a
most capable man of business.
through his sincerity. ardor and per-
sonal force he becomes a winning
lover. At the end Of the book his
every dream Of success has been
crowned with fulfillment and he need
not worry because he is in danger of
being elected governor of his state.
There is nothing in the career of
this big Bill' as set forth in fiction
that has not been Appropriated at
least in fact in this large and busy
land. There have been inventors and
lovers and captains Of finance very
much like Bill; there have been men
with visions like his of full justice to
the laborers at the works. But even
II she had been obliged to assume that
things could happen as she writes !
them, Miss Sterne would have been
able to make her readers believe gen
erously in their possibility. She has
written story wildly and richly
human and completely convincing, re-
vealing in herself Big Bills" own
power to reach the goal of purpose.
incidentally, she knows a whole lot
about the ways of steel.
THE GUN BRAND"
Indians good and bad fall singly and
IN punches all through James B.
Hendryx's THE Gun Brand" new
and superlatively strenuous story of
the untamed north. Knives are busy,
Rifles are overworked. The torch
plays its incendiary part. Bare fists
swing and crash in intervals between
sunshots And the feud between big
Bob MacNair and desperate Pierre
Lapierre Is fought to spectacular
finish.
1t takes the complete course of
events to give Chloe Elliston a liberal
education in the ways of the north.
Yet she has come up pluckily, backed
by her millions and the memory of
her fighting father, Tiger Elliston,
to start school for Indians and to
each a few things herself
one OF the first things Chloe has
% learn Is that Lapierre is the
smooth tongued villain in her way
md MacNair is the giant benefactor
II his own Indians and of the coun-
ry as we'll. She gets this lesson
through trials and troubles. But Bob
S long ahead Of her in the knowledge
hat finally she is to be the woman
If women for him.
BESIDES battles, Mr.. Hendryx gives
lis readers whisky runners the
mounted police, a hard winter and ,
'ther gingery interests. He is a gen.
rous provider Of sensations. For a .
ouch of comedy he brings forward
-ena, huge and muscular Swedish ,
'lrl, companion to Chloe Elliston, {
Vho gets strangle- hold on La ,
'lerre's chief lieutenant and reforms
" force of biceps. :
In the old days, when dime novels ,
ehind the sheltering biographies OF
we're misunderstood, The Gun
thrill-seeking rising generation. It 8
VIII I'LL the bill today wherever a ,
literary tonic is need. for a sluggish I
REGULATION.
STARR OF THE DESERT
Little Peter Stevenson, devoted ,