The sun., 1918-08-04
By GERTRUDE ATHERToN.

L n stories and relentless realism.
Clifford Smyth, long known as an editor
and a newspaper writer, has written not
merely story of romantic adventure
we have many laborious or melodra-
matte attempts of that nature-but one of
that high rare quality that gives it
the air of classic in the DAYS Of
its youth. Invention is the common quail
ity of the yarn" In no division of fic-
ton is imagination so rare Or, if the
writer happen to possess that gift and
applies it to the story of adventure, the
result is often wild flight which has no
basis in fact, and fails to convince, often to
hold the interest While the highest order
of Imagination is necessary for first rate
novel, the author is remorselessly held
down to earth by the facts of life and the
reality of the situations among which his
characters must move; but the average, or
even the exceptional writer of purely
imaginative fiction is bound by no such
rules, and unless he happens to have an
intellect and sound knowledge of life,
like Stevenson, for instance, he is more
than liable TO tangent flights.
Mr.. Smyth not only has intellect and a
practical experience of life, but first
hand knowledge of one Of the least known
haunts of the authors of romantic adj
venture, the South American Andes.
A Quiet Beginning.
| must confess that l took up The
GiLded Nan with some reluctance, for
L have a decreasing appetite for yarns of
the remote past, setting indicated by the
subtitle of the book, 4 Romance of the
Andes. But my attention was arrested
Immediately by the fact that the book be-
gan in a New England village among
people of the living present. Mr.. Smyth
does daring thing for the maker of
romantic fiction. He begins his story
with a group Of everyday people, and
but for vague note of mystery deity
sounded at once one would infer that the
author was about to present charming
idyl-a type of fiction always welcome
when well done, but hardly thrilling.
Very subtly, however, the reader is ear
ried along through swiftly unfolding
scenes, both in the present and in retro
spect, and, always conscious of this I'M
e.sy hint of mystery, to realizing sense
that great things are coming. BY the
time the scene changes to South America
he is absorbed in the strongly accentuated
characters, so like ourselves, but indubi-
tably destined to adventures that never
will be the good fortune of one in a mil
lion of those aspiring souls who must
stay at home and take their adventures
vigorously. This is stroke of art, and
not the least of Mr.. Smyth's gifts; an
tales Of adventure, is the firm, verisimil-
liant characterization of the least of the
people who carry forward the rapid ac-
ton of this romance.
Characters and Action.
The hero, David Meudon, and his sin
lister friend, Raoul Arthur, three years be-
fore The story opens nave gone 10 DoSola,
Colombia, TO attempt solution of the
mystery OF Lake Guatavita, the legendary
site of that FL Dorado which has left SO
many bones on the dazzling highway TO
fortune, and once had recognized place
in melodramatie fiction. The treasure is
believed to be in the depths of Lake Qua
tavita, where it was flung year after year
by devoted subjects of the king of su-
perior tribe of Indians possessing I'M
mense wealth before the Spanish Invasion.
All efforts of the Spaniards TO drain the
lake and find his 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 engineering. MeudOn had the
wealth and Arthur the brains, and as is
often the case the brains had an ugly