SOME RECENT FICTION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1764, 31 May 1913, Page 9

SOME RECENT FICTION.

THREE NEW "AMERICANS,"

A new story by J. C. Lincoln is always welcomed by those who, like myself, have enjoyed '"Captain. Warren's Wards, "Captain Eri," "Tho Depot Master,", and "Tho Postmaster." Mr. Lincpln's latest story, "The Rise ol Roscoe Pain© (NA., Appleton and Co.; per Georgo Robertson and Co.) is fully equal, both in plot and treatment, to previous stories dealing with tho quaint mannered and kindly hearted, if sometimes sharp-tongued "Capo Codfolk", from amongst whom llr. Lincoln has drawn so many amusing characters. The here is a young New Yorker, who has held a good business position, but who, upon the bankruptcy and suicide of his father, a defaulting and sadly dishonest banker, changes his name and retires with his invalid mother to the little coastal fishing town of Denboro, there to live on the residue of his mother's private fortune. The young man is disappointed and soured with life, and has neither fixed occupation nor ambition, save to tenderly watch over his mother. Suddenly to Denboro there comes a NewYork millionaire speculator - and Wall Street notable, with his wifo and daughter. Tho new-comer builds a big mansion and covets a strip of young Paine's land. The young man refuses to ssll and thereupon begins a long struggle which is complicated by the fact that tho financial magnate's daughter and the young man be"in to take sympathetic interest in each other. How Itoscoe Paine first thwarts the magnate's designs, and then saves them from ruin, finally winning, not only the lovely heiress, but a valuable partnership in her father's business, is told by Mr. Lincoln with great smvit. But the special charm of the story lies, as was the case with the earlier novels of this author, in the long gallery of. character sketches of the quaint and homely people of Denboro. Mr. Lincoln's humour, _ as before, is unforced and most entertainfne. A good wholesome, quite jolly, story which does one good to read.

"The Destroying Angel," by L. J. Vance (Little, Brown aiul Co.; per George Robertson and Co.) is a very good sample of the highly sensational, but essentially readable fiction, of which the author ot "The Brass Bowl" and "The Black Bag" has proved himself so eminently skilled a compounder. It was a decidedly original idea to choose as a hero a gentleman whoso physicians have given him only six months to live and to marry him, at a day's notice, to a young and beautiful lady who has been made a fool of nnd almost ruined by a rascally adventurer. But Mr. Vance goes further, and packs off iiis hero to the South Seas for fivo years or so, bringing him back alive and well—for, of course, the learned medicos were all wrong—to New York, to find his wife, a wife in name only, a successful and popular actress. Now add a first-class villain, the hero's old partner, and a half-mad theatrical manager, throw in motor-boat adventures, a wreck on a desert island, arid half a dozen other cleverly staged and most dramatic situations, and you can understand that Mr. Vance gives us as generous a supply of sensation as in his earlier novels. The story goes with- a good swing throughout, nnd' sfioult fully satisfy those who like their fiction hot and strong. Illustrations by Arthur L. Keller.

"'Shenandoah.' or Love nnd War in the Valley of Virginia, ISGI-5" (Putnam and Sons; per George Robertson and Co.), if a story of the American Civil War, based upon a famous play by the American dramatis, Bronson "Howard. The author. or adapter, Mr. Henry Tyrol!, had previously dealt with the war period in iiis excellent biographical work, "Lee, of Virginia." "Shenandoah" is not, per-ha-a a novel of the same literary merit

ns Miss Johnston's "Long Roll and "Cease Firing," but it is a well-told, stirring, indeed, very exciting story, into which is ingeniously worked, without, however, any semblance oi mere padding, much interesting historical information. The book is well illustrated by various artists.

THE SUFRAGIST IN FICTION. •In Silas Hocking's latest story, A "Woman's Love" (CasselT and Co., per oj and W. Mackay), three of the principal femalo characters are actively engaged in the suffragist agitation. Tho plot turn, on the persecution of the heroine not a suffragist—by a rascally Jew, a™ "J 0 story is, in certain of its incidents, liigiily sensational. Mr. Hocking makes h s suffragists talk some dreadlul nonsense. Indeed, two of the three aro simply cal- - I liavo little sympathy with the militant fanatics, but it is ridiculousi .0 draw such characters as Mr. Hocking .gives us, and to attribute sentiments to them which would be worthy of of a mental hospital. Many o:tthe - ragists are well-bred, highly-educated ladies, and no good purpose 13 to be pi served by depicting them as vul B ai cranks. But Mr. Hocking .has niado a "book" on a subject of topical interest, and perhaps that is all he cares tor.

SHORTER NOTICES. Three new volumes in Putnam s Tu 0 Shilling Series reach me per Messrs. George Kobertson and Co. The titles aio "The Lovers- of Sanna," by Mary Stew ait Cutting; "Their Hearts' Desire, J>} Frances Foster Perry; and "The Mission of Victoria Wilhelnnna," by Jeanne l>aitliolow Magoun. The first is a very pleasant love story, with a New York suburban background; the second a charming littio study of child life. Each makes light and agreeable reading, specially suited io. "family" perusal. In Miss (or ilrs..) Magoun's story, a sterner note is struck. The heroine, an innocent young girl in New York, somewhat, 1 am afraid, too naively ignorant ot the worm s wickedness to lie true to her environment, falls a victim to a middle-aged and usgustingly callous seducer. She pays intterly for her weakness—'her sin, it you are conventionally "moral"—but is rewarded for tho patience of her suffcrin o by a position which makes fair promise to future peace and happines. All three books are beautifully printed, well illustrated, and attractively bound.

A beautiful young llussian lady of revolutionary views, is the principal figurei in "The Golden Girl," by Alice and Claude Askew (Ward, Lock and Co., per S. and W. Mackay). A young Englishman, engaged to a very charming cousin, becomes ouimeshed in the intrigues in which the "Golden Girl" and her sister and father are engaged, and the result is a series puzzling complications, which the authors work out to a satisfactory conclusion with all their usual skill.

"The Great Lord Massareno" (Georgo Bell and Sons, per Whitcombo and Ton'ibs), by that industrious novelist, Alia. L. T. Meade, is a sensational story, the leading character in which is a desperately wicked old aristocrat, who is, i brilliant scientist, with a special ability in the invention of high explosive., 'lliifnrtuuatelv, lie is also a sKilieu 'Otologist, 'and When he finds that the young lady whom ho has practically bong t from her extravagant and niot'hor, "loves another, Pa! h-u the cal lously "removes" her. Quite in tie good old "London Journal style of pennj awful" is "The Great Lord Massarene.

A well-constructed story of crime and its detection and punishment, is Mr-. Coulson Ivernahan s Mystery of MerHail" (Bell and Sons, pel » c ~oc and Tombs). Mrs., Korna.au la, concocted a very ingenious ® . works it out to a quite unexpected and equally ingenious, though convincing denouement. There is some stronger character drawing and brighter dialogue in Mrs. Kernahan's story than is usual in fiction of this kind A good railway 01 steamer book.

[Several other novel notices held over.]