SHORTER NOTICES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1860, 20 September 1913, Page 11

SHORTER NOTICES.

"Greater Love Hath No Man," by Frank L. Packard (Hoddcr and Stougliton) is tho story of a man who nobly sacrifices bis own honour and condemns himself to years of misery for tho sake of the wastrel son of the man and woman wiio had befriended him. Harold Morion, in a fit of passion, murders his father, and Varge, the nameless boy whonr tho murdered man had befriended, and who has grown up to manhood in his service, not only pleads guilty to the crimo he had not committed, but arranges incriminating evidence, and is sentenced to death. Because of his "confession," the death sentence is commuted to one of imprisonment for life. Later on, Vargo fights a band of desperate convicts, saves the gaol governor's daughter from death ill a burning houso and performs other extraordinary deeds of valour. Ho might now go free, but true to his oath he still refuses to apeak the truth, knowing that Harold Merton's guilt must then be exposed. Finally, by a device which is more original than convincing, tho truth is made known. Merton conveniently dies, and for the hero of the great self-sacrifice a now career of love and happiness is opened up. A highly ' sensational, slightly hysterical, story, "Greater Love Hath No Man" will delight the many readers who find pleasure in this class of fiction.

"The Hippodrome," by Rachel Hayward (Heinemann, per George Robertson and Co.) is a refreshingly original mid attractive, though pathetic story, the heroine of which is a circus rider of Irish-Jewish parentage. The background is Barcelona, and the plot turns upon poor Arithelli's connection with a band of anarchists.' Two men, one a Polish Counit, Emilo Poleski, the other, a young Italian, Vardri, play important parts in the drama, the end of,which, for tho heroine, is pitiably tragic. Tho author has evidently made a special study of the anarchist movemont. The novel i.v exceedingly well written, but many of its readers will quarrel with tho conclusion as being unnecessarily cruel to tho long-suffering heroine whom sheer ill-luck forces into such fatal associations. ,

A recent addition to tho well-known series of shilling novels published by tho enterprising Sydney firm of publishers which trades under tho title of "The Sydney Bookstall Company," is a highly sensational, but by no means badly-written, mining story, from the peai of Mt.- Ambrose Pratt. "The Golden Kangaroo" is the title. The hero suspects tho bona fides of wtiat is supposed to be one of tho best paying enterprises the Australian mining world has over known. His methods certainly do not lack originality,, for he abduots tho daughter of the chairman of directors, works in fthe mine until ho has unravelled the deep-laid plot to "rig the market," brings the designing directors to book, saves the shareholders from losing their money, and finally marries the young lady who ha.s been his partner in so many strange ' adventures. Juist tho sort of story so many people like to read on a railway or steamer journey.