SOME RECENT FICTION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1984, 14 February 1914, Page 9

SOME RECENT FICTION.

A NEW ZEALAND NOVEL. As a rulo New Zealand fiction has hitherto been characterised by no special or deliberate' element of humour. Mr, Arthur J. Rees, however, the author of "The Merry Marauders" (William Heinemann, per George Robertson), has not only set out to give us the low ccmedy side of a certain . phase of theatrical .life in ■ tho . Dominion, but must bo credited .with having scorcd a distinct success in this direction. His [■■fro is a young Englishman, who set 3 ciit from Auckland as the advance agent of a- company of travelling mummers, "The Merry .Marauders,'' whese self-appointed mission is to "travel the smalls, ' and ' introduce to the bucolics of. tho Ring Country, of i|ie East Coast, and the Rangitikei_, such theatrical-attractions as-lie within the Thespian capacities of a company of a dozen or so performers—l beg pardoa— artists! Mr. Rees has evidently "boon there," and clcarly rejoices iu the curious mishaps and ; misadventures, which he recounts in so. vigorous and essentially humorous a style.-Audiences-which are cold, not to say..oV'C-nl.v, demonstratively hostile; landlords who are obdurate as to the; payment- of-board bills; billposters who threaten-to'''jjlay out tho company" because thoir services are dispensed with, and who carry out their throats; troubles with the loading lady; flirtations with tho soubiette; weird experiences of lost "props" and ingeniously make-shift 'scenery; transport problems—on one occasion the whole company travelled from one township to another , in a hearse I—difficulties with printers and editors; all the small worries; and, on occasion, grotesquely comical impasses into which tho travelling mummers aro forced by a mischievous fate —from these and many other features of the career of "Tho Merry Marauders," Mr. Rees extracts a liberal supply of most humorous entertainment. Perhaps, here and there, tho light comedy degenerates into wild farce, but when laughter comes so easily, as it must do to every reader of this original and capital story, it woro churlish to be hypercritical. Tho author's account of how the company staged that .highly "moral temperance drama," "Ten Nights iii a Ikr Room." at Wanaunga, when the "Merry Marauders" temporarily, and alas, disastrously, allied themselves with the Waiiaunga No-Licenso Association; and allowed Mr. Abe! Baggpott, "Worthy Chief Wagoner of the Wamuuiga Young )l;u\d, and certain of bi.s followers to take part? ia the pfo-

duction, is snost excellent fooling. .Several of tho townships which figure mi tho story could, 1 think, bo ciisik identified. "The Mertf .Marauders 6 can ho commended as a most niirtliprovoking production. In certain North Island townships ita pages ,-iiay, Imwcyer, be read with rather mixed toolings. A NOTABLE feEW "AMERICAN." If you want to meet the real Amori*' catts, go to the Middle Western Suites •Indiana ior choice," was tho advice-s'-en. to '"Liber" in New York a few years ago Unfortunately I can only meet .tne- Indiana people in lietion, but assuredly it Jtr. Meredith Nicholson's latest, story,, "Otherwise Phyllis" (Constable and Co., pel - George Robertson), ana gives a fairly true .picture of them, there must be some mightily pleasant an ,, , n -t« r -fliting_folk in what Americans "iheHoosior State." The .heroine or Mr. Nicholson's new story is one of the most, lively and resourceful young damsels 1 have ■ met with in recent American.fiction.. It is rare to find an American' ;heroino with real character, and Phyllis Kirkwood is a very welcome -exception.' There is . a divorce problem in tile story, but tho lady who figures therein is not, Heaven bis thanked, or the type of the much-married Amelia Spragtie of Mrs. Wharton's much-discussed story, "The Custom ofthe Country," ■ 1 am not altogether sure -that Lois Kirkwood could, in. real life, have triumphed so easily over the outraged convenances of Montgomery's "best people'' as did' the lieronie's charming, sinning, repentant mother, but tho fact' -that- tho doclaSse came back with a million or so of dollars,; and all honestly acquired, would probably have its due effect in most small communities. Mr. Nicholson crowds-his stags a little too much, but there arc no mere "supers" in the co-in-edv-drama, AH have speaking parts, and each item in the whole mosaic is an artistic necessarv part of the whole. If only for that eccentric, but 'shrewd and good-hearted banker, IJnole Amzi, and Lois Kirkwood's trio of quite "too proper" sisters, "Otherwise' Phyllis" would be well worth 'reading. Some readers may think the author has been rather cruel vo the woman who loved Phyllis's father, and for whom the return of the wile spells .rriin to her' happiness, but. at least 1 they will not question the' delicacy and tact with which Mr. • Nicholson has dealt with a somewhat awkward problem. By all means put "Other-.vise' Phyllis" on your next order list, , THE SOUL OF A SUFRACSETTE. There is some cood stuff in Mr. W. L. Courtney's "Soul of a Suffragette and Other' Stories" (George 801 l and Sons; per Whitcorsibo and Tombs). Mr. Courtney's style has liardlv.tho crispness, ■ the astonisbms: . vitality . which characterises the short stories of Mr. Frank Harris, but he is an agreeable storyteller, and amazingly versatile in the choice and'treatment of his subjects. Tho title story shows to what a degree of self-sacrifice a woman can proceed when once she decides, oven in a cause over which she has but little real enthusiasm, that she must "play the jiaifte." It is a clever bit of psychology. Of the other steries. two or three, strike a note of tragedy which rings true, but in "Herodias's Daughter" Mr. Courtney is more daring than successful. -Wilde's "Salome," nuieh over-rated as I think it lias always been, were better left unchallenged. . "THE HEART OF A HEBO.' s Sir. Morice Gerard is greatly daring 'when in his latest story, "The Heart of a Hero" (Hotlder and Stoughtoii; per, g. and W. Mackay.). lis challenges coin-' parisons -with Thackeray in'.making, the gallant- Wolfe his hero.- Mr. Oerard, howeverj succeeds in imbuing' Melite's, romantic figure with a-new and strjljing .interest, arid lias writ-foil a vorv:..'.re3'ii : " li.blo story,- in which the herom'e.-Mi'ss Kathe.rii.ie Lotrth>ri--tb whom, Wol|i;,was engaged.before going out to Canada, is it vety rliai-ining /figure. • A strong feature of tlio story is its ably ex.'prjNssed insistence, upon one ofi'the fiircst traits' in. Wolfe's character, his_simple.and liiifailing devotion to dutyi i