The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 15, 1902, Page 4

THE SUNDAY CALL. - 3 1 L re tw at the world could very do w out—“A Pasteboard ¢ by Clara Morris, and “By- 1ov W. Cable, published by ( s Sons, New York. ¥ e 1 Crowr « w stag worl s enjoyed popu- better books to books are well sh, most de- ether unwhoie- who th of these wn'' it is easy to c ess in the perfect f the book. The —of the kind the tly spoken, even though r of “gallery 10t have been bet- , the description and 1t part which tells of The enthu- , Lefebvre and they sce the hich they are to show , the-try & out of boxe at, the complete chan$a commonplace people rtists of their peculiar vs- they are given a subject 1d professional de s only one versed consistency in the rat shows the ) studied char- rs of hard and A breach of this al- occurs once, how= illain shot the girl he has consent of shame bears for Sybil is shown for 4 man e him when h yet that es her her: her so dc heroine’s skirts shooting and po ty ble at he story is cer- ¢y and most struggl family P once wealth inst povert . The fath 0K pes of dear old gentl n ell known to us through Thack- « nel N me. He is the true school, kind, ut an easy mark for the beginning of the m obliged to move into ing daughters cour- me of her best work cter of the w reck of a good ma d sacrifice her designs of rer, might pro- ghter’s sorrow. Fortunately ks the brains to carry out Dorothy, the younger e wife of a noble and ughter tries to redeem the and through the acquain- aire Morrell, an actress of re- pproximation to not?) she meets actor of distinction, a y and a man who has life of more than one ine in minor parts companies out West, S to appear as a so- Gebutante in the role of Juliet 16 Romeo. She does not know that for the s and that his wife is still She falls a victim to ¢ learns the truth when his resses, through mad y and anonymous letters, brings the true wife on the scene. Here is a fine chance for a climax and the author makes the most of it—the interview be- tween Eybil and Thrall after the wife has @ramatically announced her presence by eppearing in a box-at the theater in the midst of the play. 1I's wife refuses to give him up, al- she does not love her husband, ly out of spite forces him to rec- ze her 2s his wife and to establish her in his own home. Sybil finds that she loves the man too much to part from him forever and so their secret love continues. Such a state of affairs exists until Jim , 2 broken-down hanger-on of overhears & conversation from b he draws the conclusion that Sybil bout to be deserted by the man she and th clety Rober loves, 1 in a drunken frenzy Jim ends it & killing Thrall. Roberts also has & story of his own, for Thrall has. becn the death of Jim's only sister at & time prior to the beginning of the story. From the above brief outline an esti- PRIVAT Lib£9ry Calalogue vpon application. Fine Library Editions of Standard Works, Pericct Condition, Large Collection. -~ Elder & Shepard, 238 Post Strecl, San Francisco. mate of the moral flavor of the book can be deduced. Stories of a worse tenor have made great successes, but there has been more literary merit in them than is evi- dent in. this novel by Clara Morris. It seems unfortu! e that one po: ing the evident talent of this author and one So well versed in phases of stage life should have put her pen to the work of showing the worst possible side of a theatrical career. Her heroine is pictured a% a refined and altogether lovable girl who might as well have enjoyed the same beautiful life of domesticity that fell to the younger daughter but for her laudable effort to support her family by taking up the only course apparently open to her, that of a e on the stage. Her histrionic success is great, her moral downfall deplorable. Thrall, the acto: stands well at the head of the profession; as a man he is of the low: , low. Even Jim Roberts, with < apparent kindness of heart and gen- eral just to see how much tragedy they can take from the Cable literary snuff box without sneezing. Let us say he 18 trying a little Mark Twain on us or giv- ing us a touch of the humorous fancy yhat Eugene Field loved to indulge in at the expense of the credulous—that is the kindest way to lcok at “Bylow HIlL” Practical Forestry. D. Appleton & Co. of New York have just published a book on ‘“Practical For- estry,” by Professor John Gifford, New York State College of Forestry, that will be found useful for those who are inter- ested in the subject either as students or a commercial way. The recent estab- lishment of the Bureau of Forestry at ‘Washington, the steps taken in different States for forest protection and the move- ment for national forest reservations which began a few years since, are tan- gible evidences of the increasing interest in a subject of immediate and general im- & & —5 The above fllustration is from a drawing by Howard Chandler Chris- ty, done for “A Pasteboard Crown,” published by Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Copyright, 1902, by Clara Morris Harriott. erosity, is after all but a drunken wreck. The stage women who appear can well be passed by without further comment. Honorable members of the theatrical profession will not thank Clara Morris for this book; for coming from the pen of a woman who has been one of the world's stage favorites, unthinking people may consider it as authoritative on such life. “A Pasteboard Crown,” from such a pen, is unfair, ungenerous and a gallery play that deserves the hiss but not applause. G el e George W. Cable has never been truly great, but he has at least had some good work to his credit. “Bylow Hill” will give his credit marks a severe cut. It tells the story of a minister who becomes a monomaniac on the subject of jealousy. The best thing that the minister does is to fall on his head at the foot of a flight of steps and leave the field open to a better man. Arthur Winslow, the young minister, wins for his wife the charming Isabel Morris, whose first and great mistake is that she did not marry the other man, Leonard Byington. Leonard and Arthur have been close friends from boyhood's early days and even now an effort is made to preserve this friendship. Arthur's in- sane jealousy, however, gets the better of him, and though he has won, by means not entirely honorable, the falr Isabel from his best friend, still the green mon- ster gives him no rest and he suspects a clandestine love exists between Leonard and Isabel. He stoops to all sorts of pet- ty meannesses and spying to trap his wife until he*makes life a burden for her and himself as well. The climax is reached one night when, carrying his Jjealousy even into his dreams, he gets up in his sleep and carefully drowns a bundle of bedding and a huge rock in the mnear-by lake under the impression that he is kill- ing his wife; then he returns to the house and proceeds to strangle his wife under the impression that sne is his rival, Leon- ard Byington. This the lady resents so forcibly that he is thrown across the room and awakened from his sleep. The wife hides under the bed while the hus- band goes back to the pond to see if the rock that figured in his dream has been moved from its resting place. In his ab- sence Isabel thinks out a scheme and rushes off to her mother’s house, leaving her infant child asleep in its cradle and at the mercy of this crazy man. It s evi- *dently clear in the wife's mind that Mr. Cable will take care of the child, but it is doubted if any other mother placed in a similar position would have left her babe. But the author takes good care of the child and Arthur Winslow returns to the house fully under the impression that he has killed his wife. The wife goes away to a relative’s house in the South for a few days and then comes back to stand by the head of the crib for the dramatic purpose of having her husband discover her there when he thinks that she is ly- ing drowned at the bottom of the pond. The plan works to the author’s satisfac- tion and Arthur Winelow is so frightened by what he considers an apparition of wrath that he promptly proceeds to fall downstairs on his head—so endeth the les- son. 1f Mr. Cable did not take the matter so serlously it would be a pleasure to enjoy his book as a new species of farce bur- lesque, Possibly, as it is, he iIntends to perpetrate a huge joke on readers in gen- portance. The need of popular informa- tion regarding this subject, presented in a form comprehensive and practical but in- teresting, has prompted Professor Gifford to prepare this book. It is based upon actual experience as well as sclentific knowledge, and also upon an acquaint- ance with the needs of the many different classes of those interested in the forests for economic or partially sentimental rea- St The author explains simply and arly the points of practical interest re- lating to soil, the growth of trees, their care, their relation to the water supply, the evils of wholesale cutting and the practical value of judicious selection. He places before the reader in his sketch of forest distribution a most interesting pic- ture of American woodlands, which em- phasizes the importance of a source not only of wealth, but of safety; much neglected in past years. Aside from the value of this book to spedial students and to those interested in the forests for eco- nomic reasons, the work is full of sug- gestions to owners of country, homes and to all who care for nature. Trees and for- estry are treated with an intimate knowl- edge and a breadth of view that give the volume a distinctive character for educa- tional and practical purposes and for the general reader, Professor Gifford’s exten- sive fleld work has enabled him to select unusually effective illustrations. Price $1 20. A Welsh Witch. The latest additionto Appleton's Town and Country Library is “A Welsh Witch,” a novel by Allen Raine. In her new novel the author portrays a phase of Welsh life which is passing away. Upon her first ap- pearance on the scene “A Welsh Witch” is a girl of 15, wild, ill-clad, uneducated, driven out of doors by the harshness of a drunken’ father and the brutality of his farm servants, hooted and stoned as a witch by the village children, but finding her life and solace in the open air and eky, the fields, the sea and the affection of her dog and other animals. Her devel- opment from an untamed, biting and scratching outcast to the most lovabie of her sex is narrated in’a convincing man- ner. The chief factors in her evolution are her father's fatal illness and her love for the one soul that shows her any kind- ness, a handsome young farmer. The love story is well told and the delineation of character is capitally done. Price $L Heralds of Empire. A romance that will appeal to those who wish reading of stirring interest is “Her- 2lds of Empire,” by Miss A. C. Laut, pub- lished by Appleton & Co., New York. It is in historical vein, but not at all to the detriment of the story. The tale deals with the adventures of Plerre Radisson, a character prominent in the times of the Hudson Bay Fur Company, and with the rivalry between France and England for the control of, the great white wilderness of the north. This man is recorded in history very little outside of his own writ- ings; but when contrasted with the pup- pet men of the court of Charles II and of the French court, he stands out in won- derful relief as a man of indomitable pluck, courage and foresight, who pitted kimself against nations, and to whom the raatter of allegiance was a matter of ex- pedicney. Touching upon the witcheraft days in Boston Town, the story smacks of com- edy; but, as the scene changes to the great north country, if becomes one of tragedy—deep and earnest! When, how- ever, all parties in interest find them- selves in London at the court of Charles II it is once again comedy, pure and sim- ple, as it reaches its final satisfactory though unusual climax. 7 The Westcotes. Henry T. Coates & Co. of Philadelphia bave recently issued the initlal volume tn & new series designed specially for trav- elers, the Griffin series, published in half- limp covers. The type is large and alto- gether the gperies should prove most at- tractive and handy for those who have been deterred from carrying reading mat- ter with them on account of its bulk and inconveniently small type. The first vol- ,ume of the series is “The Westcotes,” by A. T. Quiller-Couch. This story will be found quite charming, for it is written in Mr. Quiller-Couch’s usual easy and enter- tairing style. Some of this author’s sto- ries are at times almost too morbid for the average reader, but-this tale of awak- ening love in the heart of an old maid is entirely beautiful in conception and rendi- tion. His heroine is a difficult type even for an experienced writer to handle, for it is hard to take age and a plain face and then hold the reader’s attention while you weave a plausible and consistent love story. This, however, Mr. Quiller-Couch has done, and done well; and if the sub- sequent volumes of the Griffin series are as good as this first one is in appearance and terary merit it will undoubtedly win popular favor, Price, $1. Animals at Home. The American Book Company of New York has just published ‘*“Animals at Home,” by Lillian L. Bartlett. This little supplementary reader contains material suitable for the fourth or fifth grades. In simple style it gives sketches of the lives and habits of twenty-five representative birds, animals, fishes and insects. These are most interestingly presented and spe- cial care has been taken to make the sub- ject matter correct. The author has gone to reliable sources for information, and used the descriptions of eye-witnesses for many of the incidents. The book is at- tractively illustrated from drawings and photographs, and will tend to awaken in the child an appreciation for nature and a love of nature-study. This volume is the latest addition to the popular series of Eclectic School Readings. Price, 45 cents. The Game of Love. Benjamin Swift’s latest book appears under the title, “A Game of Love.” The story drags to a certain extent and it pos- sesses this peculiaraity, that the heroine dees not appear on the boards until half the leaves have been turned over, and then it is easy to foretell the end of the tale. Another point that is rather exas- perating to one is the number of charac- ters who divide honors with the real per- scnages of the book and distract the read- er's attention without giving him any compensation therefor. There is a starv- ing poet, and then a pickpocket, and a miser, and a Young man of the nobil- ity who cuts a wide swath and then is obliged to eat his bread in repentance as a groom., The Jatter we find to be the true herofof thé story,@ndfof course he wins out in the end—the beautiful Lady Dorothy Barfield and the ducats of the miser as well. The book will entertain for an idle moment. Published by Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. $1.50. Twenty-Six and One. Maxim Gorky, the Russian tramp nov- elist, is said to be at his best in the short story. Ceriain it is that he writes with great power, but his siyle in the tran tion is crude and the flavor of his stories, toth short and long, is morbid to a de- gree. Gorky is not healthy reading. A book of his short stories, under the title of “Twenty-six and One,” kas just been published by J. F. Taylor & Co., New York, that is quite characteristic of Lis style, and if you have yet to make the acquaintance of the author will answer as well as any others of his tales. The con- tents include three stories—‘Twenty-nix and One,” “Tchelkache” and ‘“Malva.” The first has for its theme the seduction ot a young girl by the strutting wiles of aa ex-soldier, who comes as a baker In an underground bakery and js dared to the conquest by his twenty-six fellow bakers, who have always looked upon this EIrl as their own especlal pride and charge. The story is more filthy than in- teresting. The others are proportionately revolting. . A Millionaire’s Love Story. Another detective story - comes from Guy Boothby, “A Millionaire’s Love Story.” It is written in the usual vein af- fected by Mr. Bootkby, plenty of compli- caticn and adventure and rather interest- ing reading withal. Just enough plot and excitement to carry you along without too much effort or mental strain. This time it is the adventures of George Kil- vert that hold center stage. He, with the able assistance of Detective Burrell, car- ries on a search for the beautiful woman of his heart's desire—the charming Mad- ame Cadew. Many dangers hover over the trail and one murder impresses that fact on the mind of the reader, but all ends bappily at last. The book is published by The picture here reproduced is from a drawing by F. C. Yohn, in “Bylow Hill,” published by Charles Serib- per’s Sons, New York. Copyright, storles are fine examples of her insight, as well as her clever style In the written expression of her thoughts. Six short sto- rles make up the contents of the pres- ent bock, and they are all equally de- lghtful. Her bad boys are especially fas- cinating little imps. Literary Notes. The {llustrations in Hallie Ermlni? Rives' new novel, “Hearts Courageous,’ are in some ways unusually notable. When A. B. Wenzell was making the pictures he was so enthusiastic over the book and 80 expectant for the excellence of his part in it, that he asked the publishers to give special treatment to the reproduction of his drawings. It was at his suggestion that M. Haider was engaged to make en- gravings on wood for Mr. Wenzell's very attractive pictures. Messrs. Elder & Shepard of San Fran- cisco have issued a prospectus announc- ing a serfes of publications that should e 1902. €~ R g * F. M. Buckles & Co., New York. Price, interest the young people—the little fel- $1 .25, lows from 4 to 10 years of age. They ol promise a series of letters called “The R Birdalone,” which should not only ap- Jho Madness of Fhilip peal to children as wonder stories, but Anything from the pen of Josephine Dodge Daskam is always good, and her latest book is no exception to the general rule. Miss Daskam is wonderfully clever, as has been shown by the variety, quan- tity and quality of her writings. This latest volume frem the press of McClure, Phillips & Co., New York, Is called after the first short story that appears on its table of contents—*The Madness of Phil- ip.” Miss Daskam has a remarkably keen appreciation of childhood and these should instill into them a love and proper appreciation of dumb animals. Here is their plan as announced: “The letters purport to be written by many hands and from many places in the world actual and the land of imagination; Wise wood fairies tell of the forest and its people; brown men and good moun- tain folk narrate thelr adventures and speak confldentiajly of wonders; the trees, brooks, grasses and flowers sing or talk; dogs, cats and many dumb things tell —p or write their opinions; ¢ romance and mytks are simplified; historic characters are woven into the storles of the humor of a health- ful kind ft e; moral maxims w a pleasing garb, all letters are un fllustrative and entirely devold of tion. “These letters are fac-simile reproduc- tions of writing and are natural in every way, varying in length from four to elght pages of matter. The sheets of paper are quaintly illustrated. No two letters wil be alike, save iIn the size of the lette paper, which is to be uniform so that the collected letters may be bound or properly preserved. They be folded and in- closed in envelopes; sealed and addressed with ink and sent with a ‘2-cent stamp.’ The children will receive a letter a month, but at no regular time of the month. They will bear headings whence they purport to come—from such as ‘The Hill of Four Oaks,” ‘The Cave the Hill,” ‘Back of the Hay Barn,’ ‘The Yellow Wheat Field,” ‘The Happy Hllls," ‘The Forest of Love and Good Friends" and a hundred more pleasant places. Each letter wil be a surprise or contain & surprise of some kind. The collector of these ‘Birdalone’ letters has gathered a series that will win and hold the fancy of the child who receives them.” their stories The Bookman for June, besides its usual “Chronicle and Comment,” con- tains the following: “Effigles” (poem), Florence Wilkinson; “The Great News- papers of the United States,” Frank B. Sanborn; “My Heart Hath Sung of Thee™ (poem), Herbert Muller Hopkins; “The Bound of the Astorbilts,” Charlton An- drews; “An Oxford Man’'s Impressions of American Universities,” E. S. P. Haynes; “To the Sound of Rolling Logs,” Annie Nathan Meyer; “Marion Crawford's Rome,” Louise Closser Hall “Mother- hood” (poem), Elsa Barker; “The Drama of the Month,” Norman Hapgood; “Fuel of Fire,” Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler: *“The Queerness of Henry James,” Frank Moore Colby. Hamlin Garland get the {dea which was to develop Into “The Captain of the Gray- Horse Troop,” recently published by the Harpers, away back in 1 At that time he went in company w lieu- tenant, who was statlo to see him inspect a drove of cattle which had been brought into the Crow Indian agency for sale to the Government, fer the use of the Indians. The lleuteniaffi, noting the poor condition of the animals, rejected the entire herd, in spite of the demonstrative anger of the cattlemen. the un- the Mr. Garland was impressed by daunted action and few words of young army officer, and the charac Captain Curtis took form in set him wondering as to the possible pow- er of a man like that if he were appoint- ed Indian agent. The lieutenant wi spired the thought is now a capt is the head of the Forestry Department in the Philippines. Judging by the season, and the subject, the most appropriate contrib > the June number of The Critic is ) Russell Marble’s extensive pape “Where Thoreau Worked and Wandered.” Mrs. Marble here gives an accurate interesting pieture of Thoreau in his v rious favorite haunts in the neighbc hood of Concord, Mass. The poe alist’s attitude toward nature is explained at length, and the article is enlivened by many admirable views of Thoreau's Concord and vicinity, especially taken by A. W. Hosmer of Concord. Of somewhat the same scope, though of course more critical and interpretative, is the Rev. Stopford A. Brooke's third pa- per on “Browning’s Treatment g ture.” Rev. Stopford Brooke traces the growth of Browning’s appreciation of na- ture and its increasing definiteness of ex- pression in his poetry in a manner both logical and stimulating, the present paper being one of the best of the series. Other features of the current number of The Critic include Mr. W. G. Colling- wood’s paper on Ruskin’s “Jump” and Ruskin as a waterman in general, Mr. Frank Norris’ second causerie under tho caption of “Salt and Sincerity,” togetitg- with literary notes from London and the continent, and a “Lounger” which covers current phases of life and letters, and which is prefaced by a frontisplecs of Queen Wilhelmina from the admirably executed relief by Mr. Henry Hudson Kit- son, the Boston sculptor. None but With Illustrations in Color, $1.50. A Delightful Bit of Romance. An Altogether Story of Love and Charming Adventure. A Story of Brave— | By Hamblen .Sears. A Book You Ought to Read. Great Historic Value Attractively Written. Now Ready and for Sale Everywhere. moods of & meld and the adventures of a Revolutionary hero are here worked up into ome of the most fascinating and exciting tales yet written about the stirring days of the Revolution. Merton Balfort, the hero, and his fellow-soldiers, John Acton and Robert Curtis, are bound up together by both choice and circumstance much as were the “three guardsmen” of Dumas, and their adventures are no less and romantic than the deeds of those classic heroes. Rarely has there appeared in fiction a maid of such versatile powers to charm and pierce the soul of a lover as the tantallsing royalist, Dborah Phillpse, for whom the hero gets into trap after trap, risking life and honor for her sake, only to be ignored and insulted a few moments afterward, unt{l—but that’s the story; and a charmi graphic and original denouement it presents. % o §g Every one who loves the scenes of galloping cavaliers, brave swordpiay, VE— hearts will want to read NONE BUT THE BRA’ desperate adventures and the flash and charm of a game of Dodd, Mead & Company PUBLISHERS, 372 FIFTH. AVENUE, NEW YORK.