The Washington herald., 1918-08-11

sinister TREND, Haoul Arthur, three
years before the story opens have
gone 10 Bogota. Colombia, to attempt
. solution Of the mystery Of Lake
Guatayfta. the legendary site of that
FL Dorado which has loft 50 many
bones on the daxzling highway to for
tune, and once had a recognized place
in melodraInatic fiction. The treasure
10 believed to be In the depths of
Lake Guatavita, where II was fiung
year after year by devoted subjects
Of the king of q superior tribe Of
Indians possessing immense wealth
before the Spanish invasion. All ef-
forts Of the Spauiards to drain the
lake and find this vast treasure house
met with defeat. and the legend was
almost forgotten until these two
young explorers undertook the task
with all the resources Of modern en-
gineerfne. Meudon had the wealth and
Arthur the brains. and as Is often
the case the brains had an ugly twist.
Raoul Arthur IL by no means the
common villain of fiction, but he
wss an unredeemable one: In spite OF
the scientific bent which perhaps in
ninety cases In hundred gives a GER
tain impersonality to the mind. The
first attempt ended in disaster. Da.
vid. after an explosion In the tunnel.
disappears for three months and then
appears In village near Bogota with
no knowledge whatever Of what has
befallen him. HI returns to the
Northern world. travels, falls in love
with Una Leighton. and would have
been quite happy but for the haunt
ing shadow between them. To this
shadow he had no clue. being the VIC
tim of double personality. Una's
scientific uncle, who has his doubts,
puts David to the test with the aid
Of his electric psychometer. with the
double result that David himself Is
determined to clear up the mystery,
and that he returns to Colombia ac-
companied by Una and her uncle.
her chaperon, Mrs. Quale. who fru-
nishes a delightful comic relief and
OF that other mystery, the lost treas
ure Of ouatavita, and the equally
amusing schoolmaster, Andrew Par
melee. The other humorous charac-
ter is Miranda. the South American
doctor. who attaches himself to the
party on the trip up the River Mag
dalena. described with SO much life
and color by the author.
Far be IL from me to give away
the story. a story whose finish. Or ev-
en- coming incidents. no man can
guess.
Mr.. Smyth Is married to q grand
daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne,
and 1t was delicate act Of restitution
to name his fine heroine after the ILL
fated daughter Of the first Of our
great novelists. Her tragic history Is
known to few. There used to hang
portrait of Una Hawthorne in the
London house of Richard whiting,
when he lived with the Corkran
family. The scotch had been made
for Miss Alice Corkran, whose init
mate friend she was. and when there
often stood for a moment before that
haunting face. 1t expressed the con-
seriousness Of inevitable tragedy. suf-
fering. defeat And lifting the shadow
was the high and noble courage Of
Mr.. Smyth's heroine. Una Leighton.
Long live THE Gilded Man" 1t is
a masterpiece. not only as a feat Of
imagination. but in its power to COM
pei the interest OF every degree Of in
telligence.
'"The Gilded Man." by Clifford
Smyth.. Introduction by Richard lie
Gallienne. Boni & Liverwright, $50
net
The Royal Americans.
Few people know that the Kings
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The corps was raised in 1856 in
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At Loos. Mons, the Marne, the
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The book helps to bring out the
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The Kings Royal Rife Corps, by
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'sThe Cloud"
Under the title of THE Cloud" Sar-
tell Prentice discusses the war prob
lens and the ways that all can help
solve them.
Strong and thought compelling is
his description of the war. "A mans
hand is a very little thing. frail and
weak, but we have seen a cloud like
a mans hand, a mans hand clad in
armor, rising up beyond the sea. The
shadow Of that cloud fell on Poland
and Poland died.
"It fell on Russia, and a great en-
pire went down in darkness and
eclipse. 1t fell on Serbia, and blotted
her out; on Rumania, and Rumania
passed into bondage. 1t fell on Bel
GUM. and Belgium cried out little
and then grew still.
THAT shadow fell on France and
even the trees withered and died. 1t
stretched out over the sea and touch
ed the Lusitania, and she crumpled
and went down. carrying with her 12o
American dead. ".
"And now the shadow falls upon
our nwn shores and do rkens the