New-York tribune., 1922-05-28

! The TRUTH ABOUT VIGNOLLES. BY
Albert Kinross. Century.
HIDDEN GOLD. BY wilder Anthony
Mscaulny.
A SON or THE SAHARA. Ry Louise
Gerard MacsuIay.
<k"HE BRIGHT MEssENGER''
Is the latest Of Black
woods stories and bears
all the earmarks Of his now
we'll established style. He found an
appreciativs audience for his meta
physical theories and he continues to
give them what they want. There il
very little in this book that has not
been introduced in his earlier ones and
the story itself is Of even less i'm
portance than they generally are.
But even go "The Bright Messenger"
is not pot-boiier.
Tho author is IN earnest and he be
]eves that there are great constructive
forces at work in the universe just be
yond our power Of conception, forces
that men when they were less civilized
and closer TO nature understood better
than they do now. In some mysterious
way, one Of these beings is incarnated
in human form and this book ia
record Of his adventures on earth. It
is not as strong nor as we'll written as
some Of his others are, especially "The
Centaur," but as an antidote for ma
teralsm it is a. good as vacation.
"The Truth About Vignolles" is
collection Of short stores with Captain
Nignoles the central figure in each
The first three are concerned with mis-
adventures in the East-in Palestine,
Egypt and Macedonia-and they are
written in bright vivid coors with an
irresistible sense Of daring and
romance. Tho description is carelessly
deft, az one would write about some
thing that Is thoroughly familiar, but
for all his nonchalance the author has
preserved his artistic consciousness.
The tales have caught the spirit Of
Kipling and not little Of his style.
Then, to the readers infinite regret, the
last three stories come back tamely to
England and are just "pretty good" ex
amples of magazine fiction.
"Hidden Gold" is a Western sdven
ture story with all the standard in
gradients. But it is good yarn,
clcverv written to hold the reader in
suspense 10 the last minute and end
ing to every ones entire satisfaction.
The author writes with an air Of doing
something altogether original, some
thing that has never been done before,
and when we are through he mas us
half convinced There is something
fresh and spirited about it that IS very
pleasing, so that, for people VINO Ike
Western stories, 1t is strongly to be
recommended.
The last book, which seems TO US to
be considerably less than mediocre, is
the sort Of story that is advertised as
wild and PAS -orace" and it INDUCES
in good dea! OF shady action under
the name Of frankness. Brazenly
modelled on The Sheik," it aims TO
thrill and resorts to every ancient
melodramatic trick to gain its ends.
Although we have searched in vain for
something to be said in its favor. it
will probably be hidden under the
mattress of many fifteen -year-oid
just the same. EDITH LEIGHTON. i
HIS SERENE H1GHNEss. BY H. c.
Bailey. f. p. Dutton & Co.
b PROJECTING res0urceful, ad-
venturous Enelishman into the
dynastic feuds of a sleepy little eigh-
teenth century German principality
MIR. Bailey secures the material for
lively historical romance. CHRISTOPHER
Hope, the Englishman, may fairly be
said to have serene altitude thrust
upon him. His resemblance to the
Prince of Sam leads him into one
scrape after another and finally re-
suits in his assumption of the princely
title. The author intersperses spark