The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1920-07-02
NOME time since an American pub.

NOME time since an American pub
Usher invited group Of men. In
~ Guiding among others Roosevelt,
Barnes, Spears, Connolly and the
writer, to select the six greatest ro-
1mances of the sea. "The Two Ad-
mirals" was the one Of C0oper's sea
tales included by unanimous vote.
Well does the book deserve Its Sc
lection for 1t is without question the
greatest of all the novels Of the sea.
all of which have read and not a few
of which have written.
II has more Of the best Of Cooper.
and less of his worst, than any OF his
naval or other romances. No writer
was ever more at home on q ships
Geek than Cooper-not even Marryatt.
and all his knowledge Of the great
aeep, the way Of ships therein, the
habits and customs Of sailors. has been
atilized In full measure in this immcr-
tal story. 1t rings true alike to sea-
men and landsmen.
There is subsidiary story concern
eng the love affairs Of a gallant young
sea officer, Sir Wycherly Wychecombe.
and Mildred Dutton-B luewater. q dam
eel as lovely, as delicate and as inane
as Cooper at his worst could describe.
Whenever she appeared she was either
.suffused with bushes or bursting into
tears. On one occasion she wept
steadily for above one half hourt
The supposed daughter Of a drunk
en-, retired officer and a woman Of the
middle class, Mildred turns out to be
the lawful niece of one of the two adj
mirals, just in time to soothe his dying
hours; while her husband, VIrglnian,
turns up In the NICK Of time with the
papers In bis hands to prove his sue
cession to the ancient title and lands
of Wychecombe. ALI Of which is ex-
tessively tiresome.
Fortunately the greater part OF the
book is taken up with the doings of
the Two Admirals. The puerile. pre-
mid-Victorian romance viii easily be
forgotten but the remainder will rich
Iy repay the reader.
In 1745 when George II relgned In
England the young pretender, Charles
Edward, made that daring and unsuc-
cessful dash for crown which came
TO a bloody end at Culloden In the fol-
lowing year. 1t Is that abortiye but
gallant effort which furnishes the mo-
tive for the action Of the novel.
Vice Admiral of the Red Sir Gervalse
Cakes commanded a well fitted. well
-oficered. well manned. homogeneous
feet OF ships-of-the-line which had
been cruising in the Bay Of Biscay. As
ISOLATED with him was Richard Blue
water, rear admiral Of the White, sec
-ond IN command. These two men.
both welded to the service alone. had
been shipmates and friends. during q
naval career Of nearly forty years.
Cakes was a typical English admiral,
q superb sailor, a downright fighter
Biuewater his complement and oppo-
site. subtle thinker and brilliant
sactician. The combination was Ideal.
rs was the completeness Of friend
ship. not to say an affection. as sin
cere as II was lasting. Nothing had
ever broken It; nothing. II was be-
gIeved. ever would break II.
In but one point did the true friends
<siffer. Cakes was Wing. Biuewater
= Tory. II did not seem possible. how
ever. for political consideration to In
e9rupt their warm relations. The
aoid adventure q Charles Edward
babe fair % do that very thing. how
sser. FOR Bluewatsr. frank. unworid-