Evening star., 1934-04-18
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.

LETTERS. OF MARQUE. BY Albert
Payson Terhune. New York: Har-
per & Bros.
A hunt for hidden treasure. which
entails q Journey Of no greater length
than the ascent of two flights OF stairs
to the garret of a queer-looking old
house in the Ramapo Valley of North
ern New Jersey, is the theme of this
very delightful and satisfying mystery
novel from the pen of one Of the most
versatile of popular modern writer's,
Albert Payson Terhune.
The house had been built a century
and. a half or SO ago by Cap'n Mark
Druce. who as a ten-year-old lad had
run away from his drunken and brutal
father with the fixed idea of making
his way to Massachusetts,, where he
would join the forces of General Wash
ington and help to win the Revo-
lutionary War. Instead he shipped
on a coastwise barque, eventually ris-
ing from seaman to navigator and
finally becoming master and owner OF
his own fine ship.
1t had been his unfaltering ambi-
ton to acquire enough wealth to re-
turn to the Ramapo country, become
large Iandholder, build himself a
handsome home and live in luxury
and authority among the shiftless,
common people who had known of his
wretched poverty, and for whom he
held the utmost contempt. But when
the time for the fulfillment of that
desire had arrived, a new avenue Of
adventure offered opportunity for still
greater wealth. The War of 1912 was
on. He sought and was granted by
Congress letters of marque," empow-
ering him to wreak all possible dam
age to British shipping. 1t was during
his enterprising exploits in this field
of endeavor, which were undoubtedly
more infamous than commendable,
that he acquired the treasure for
which succeeding generations of
Druces had, for the ninety years since
his untimely death, sought in vain.
Only two descendants Of Cap'n Mark
have survived at the time of this
story-Cameron Druce and his sister,
Maida-whose wealth is sufficient to
permit the maintenance Of luxurious
residence in New York and a country
place adjoining the old estate in New
Jersey. The ancient house of Cap'n
Mark is occupied by Hildur Gates, a
landscape artist, and its attic, &C
cording to the emphatic convictions
Of Tice and Arvilla Crope, is haunted.
Queer sounds and emanations of
light have on numerous nights dis
turbed the rest Of the superstitious
l. ~tr
ghost of Capn Mark, but he is con-
vinced that some real investigation is
required when he is confronted with
peremptory demand that he imme-
diately move out of the house, and
promptly following that order he is
obliged to wage a desperate fight in
the garret in the middle Of the night
| with an unknown and unseen ad-
versary.
The hidden treasure of Cap'n Mark
must be there, but both Cameron and
Mazda Druce have witnessed repairs
and rebuilding. and have thoroughly
| searched the place on many occasions,
and they are sure that all that re-
mains of their ancestors loot is a ira
ditional myth.
A caller arrives, asking permission
to search the attic. From him Gates
obtains a clue as to what the sudden
revival of interest in the place is all
about, and when the kindly old gen.
tleman departs Gates and MAZDA,
comprising hidden treasure expedi-
tion of two. with Sard. kingly collie,
and Massoud, queenly Persian, as
| companions. begin to hunt in earnest
What they find and how they find
the priceless relics makes a breezy and
entertaining story which in its COM
bination of the feuds of old Cap'n
Mark and the zest of modern adven-
ture is as colorful and fascinating as
the tales Of those picturesque soldiers
of fortune who search the remote
| islands and coasts of the world for the
caches OF the one time thriving pirates
Of the sea.