Evening star., 1918-12-29

tions of the vicinity. That the trail
Is q false one adds to the excitement
OF the adventure, since the author has
worked out. even to the mystifcation
substitute for the right trail. A
young woman from the east sup
plies the romance for at least two
young men of the wild region, and, at
the last. helps to round up the story
to a happy. though somewhat
stormy, ending.
BYWAYS IN SOUTHERN TUSCANY.
By Katherine Hooker, author of
Wayfarers in Italy" New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons.
An impressive book, from the out
side. beautiful in pictures and book
dress. useful in an excellent map con-
veniently placed. Appreciative and
also waywise in the whole Of Italy.
Miss Hooker has. for the purposes Of
this book, confined herself to the
southern part of Tuscany. And by
further exclusions. as we'll, she has
within this limited area. chosen, in the
main, those corners of southern Tus-
cany that have been the least dwelt
upon by travelets and writer's. There
fore one comes into fresh fields here.
This writer is the good story teller.
setzing upon the salient point Of land
scape. or history, or legend, upon the
striking feature Of fortress or crumb-
ling citadel. There is here. besides,
an easy mingling of the past and the
present, an informal and interesting
portrayal of the people Of today in
their ancient and romantic setting.
The work Is, moreover, definite and
clear. One is able to go along in
company with this good traveller
through these little-known corners of
historic Tuscany.
THE CROSS OF FIRE. BY Robert
Gordon Anderson. Illustrated.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
New York city and the French front
give this story its background. The
figures that move across it are today
familiar-the invalided soldier, stump
ing the country for the allies; the
young woman grown suddenly from
1dleness into patriotic industry, the
sleek spies, of whom we have several
interned samples in this country, and
then the more or less interested pub
lie, that stood ready for the awaken
Ing of the war on this side. War
york and spy work alternate here.
war on the one hand; explosions, ship
sinkings and murder on the other.
with this mass of material the au-
thor mere constructs story of i'm
mediate appeal. Over on-the other side
1t narrows somewhat, drawing into
closer compass the daring war-front
work OF the one girl and the one
young soldier whose romance it is the
prime business of this novel to unfold.
the trouble to the story writer these
Gays, one Judges, Is to be able to Sc
!ect material for tale when stories
for thousand nights crowd upon
MN. 1t is in such selection that this
author has produced compact and
interesting narrative.
THE UNITED STATES IN THE
WORLD WAR. BY John Bach Nc
Master, author of "A History of
the People of the United States"
etc. New York: d. Appleton & Co.
Here Mr. McMaster devotes his sea-
soned and tried sense Of historical
research and treatment to that single
chapter in the history OF the United
States that faces this country upon
the great war. 1t is the purpose here
to examine the American attitude,
the American policy, the American
position from the outbreak Of the war
joined the allies in warfare against
the central powers. From this cul-
minating point the narrative ends
with chapters that cover the general
features of American participation in
the great event. The points consid-
cred are familiar to all-the war re-
strictions placed upon neutral trade,
the sinking of ships that were un-
armed. the German propaganda inside
this country, the conspiracies whose
end was to hold the United States
away from the war, to prevent. also,
its giving assistance to the allies. and
so on. What stamps this work is its
fair and impartial treatment. it's
scholarly handling Of material. It's
scientific attitude of truth seeking.
These animate 1t throughout. A very
comprehensive and reliable study of
the period with which it deals, one
that the student will value, one, too,
that the general reader will find most
useful.
THE CHILDREN OF FRANCE AND
THE RED CROSS. BY June Rich
ardson Lucas. With seventeen H.
Illustrations from photographs. New
York: Frederick A. Stokes Com
pany.
This pathetic chronicle of the
wrecked childhood of France is made
up of daily letters written through
out the ten months in which Mrs.
I.u ,as assisted her husband, Dr. Will
liam Palmer Lucas. with his work as
chief of the American Red Cross
children's bureau in France. To
quote from the foreword OF Horny p.