The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-11
THE BOOK SHELF
tContinued from pag. EighD

in the much abused but never subdued Mir. Betterton.
 Baroness Orczy has had an interest ing and romantic career. a fit back ground for the author of romantic ic- ion. Born in Larnaors. in Hungary the daughter of Baron Felix Orczy, she l received her artistic training in the Quartier Latin in Paris and later in England where she met a clever young Ieilow artist. Montagu Barstow, and married him. Inspired hv the success or an acquaintance in the literary field, the baroness embarked on her own career with immediate success. It is said that it was through her fourth novel. The Son of the People" in which she describes the vast estates of her uncle. 1t was discovered that she was the sole heir to his vast fortune which she afterwards inherited.
 THE FORCING OF THE PIKES'' By Anison North. George H. Doran Company publishers. New York city. Here we have a stirring tale of TO- nance and adventure in upper Canada The time is the Rebellion of 1887. and the scene, is set for the most part in tse great forests within sound of the rushing Indian rivers, among race of people with hearts at once simple and courageous. Through the thrilling scenes of the rebellion runs the charm ing love story of Alan and Barry, touching in it's passing both the old world and the new. The Forging of the Pikes" is a rousing, out-of- doof story, told with real imagination and simplicity. It suggests Stevensons David Balfour" and ''kidnaped" in it's fresh, hearty atmosphere of youth, love and adventure
 THE MYSTERY OF THE SILVER
 DAGGER"
 By Randall Parrish. George H. Toran Company. publishers. New York City
 On the floor of the dark touring car Philip Severn found the dagger - "a long. thin -bladed dagger-an ornament rather than a ,weapon-with an odd. fanciful hi1t. There were stains upon the polished steel" And into his mind came the thought of the girl with the silver dagger in her hat. It was Philip. too. who found the folded slip of paper in the false bottom of the lacquered jewel box and that was the beginning of everything
 ''The Mystery of the Silver Dagger" is good mystery story among good mystery stories. It is carefully and well developed. and has a considerable "thrilp' to it. It's one of those stories that should be read at one sitting.
 Mir. Randall Parrish certainly ought to know something about the writing of stories of adventure and excitement. He has adventured himself in almost every state of the unlon. He gained I gl!Apse of the old frontier in it's clos ing days. the early eighties; was in Arizona during the Geronimo trouble and helped to bury the dead chieftain's raiders left behind: was in Fort Sum ner when Billy the Kid was killed; has punched cattle in Texas. fought In- dians and Mexican rustlers. prospected in Arizona. fired locomotives on the Santa Fe. and has held about every kind of newspaper job between Chi cago and San Francisco. He is the au- thor of twenty "best selling books of fiction. and two histories-"Historic IT, Iinois" and "The Great Plains which presents. so he says, what he would like best to do were it not for the sad fact that 1t is fiction that plays.