SOME RECENT FICTION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2150, 16 May 1914, Page 9

SOME RECENT FICTION.

"ON THE STAIRCASE." ■ ii ' —* ■ e Tlie literary methods of Mr. Frank ij Swiimerton, author ot "Oil the Stair- s caso" (iMetlnicn and Co.), remind nw as « tinies of those of Mr. Antold Jkiinett— u in tho "Clayhnnger" series—at others a of those-of Mr. Gilbert Caiman in his a "Round the Corner." But Mr. Swm- o nerton is less meticulous —the adjective 1 is inevitable in tins instance—than is r Mr. Heunett, and iiis aloofness as an j observer of'men and women, and their > cvery-day life, is "hardly so coldly pro-, b nounced" as is Mr. Caiman's customary ' attitude towards life. In the crisp-ness, 1 the realism, of his dialogue, he is easily I the superior ef both writers I -havo named. He depicts , the life of two or three menages in a dismnl back street in Bloomshury. His principal figure, a lawyer's clerk, who bears the aristocratic name of Adrian Velanedurt, is a morbidly-minded, egotistical young man, who has literary ambitions.'YeJaneoiirt is foolish enough to marry an emptyheaded, girl, th© daughter of his landlady's daughter, and memories- of more. than one of George Gissing's heroes are evoked by the story of his misery—a misery ending in despair and suicide. Contrasted with the unhappy Velancoiirt and the equally unhappy Cissie, are Joseph Ambeiiey, an optimistic philosepher, and a strongminded girl, Barbara Gretton, both anxious to help the feckless Adrian, but thwarted by the latter*s obstinacy and the rulings' of an, unknown fate. Mr. Sw.innerton's portraits of these people and others in tho story have all the vivid clearness of a dry*poi-Mt etching— the" novelist has a distinct gift for dharacterrdrawing. There is, perhaps, too much "talk" in the story, hxA far the most part it js strictly relevant to a proper realisation of the part'played by each of the figuws in the eonwtfy-aramn. They are all, perhaps-, a trifle- toe selfconscious, but the study of their attitudcto each other and to life generally is replete with real human interest. "On the Staircase" may puzzle some readers. To others it -will nonte as a strikingly original and curiously fascinating story. "COtD," ■ ■ It may well bo that- Mr. Stewart Edward Whito's uew story, "CMd" (Hodder and Stpugbioh, pej" Whitcombe and Tombs) is a sort of composite narrative, in which actual persoaal- experiences are cunningly blended with incidents which have had their source iii the active mind of the author. Bo this as it may, Mr. White must bo credited with having, produced one of the best, assuredly- one- of the most readable; stories of tho;- great OJifornian uolil rush, of 1849, which have ever seen print. It is, ia fact, an historical document placed before us in fictional form, and in such form will reach and. interest tens of, thousands of readers who, had the strictly historical style been employed, would probably never hear of the work. Mr. White introduces us to a little company of young, ilifln, fall of vigour,- alike in mind and body, who set'out for California from tlie pastern States, by way oE Panama." A vividly picturesque-description is given of the crossing of the isthmus, and tho difficulty,', when once fto Pacific shore hfl.d been reached,, of getting aecomm-odation on.'lVisco bound vesscu. Of San Francisco, in the earliest, stages of its' career, -wo get, too, some lively pio-! turcs, but .soon tlie a-dveiiturefs make for the diggings, and immediately we! are amidst a lio-st of Bret Harte-an fl#- ; ures, >nd eagerly _ porusing t the story .of the many exciting, experiences , and adventures which fall to tho lot of the young Easteffi-crs-,. Specially excit* is. tho -.account of ihew the camp whero they temporarily-settle is, ior a [: time, under tho control of a gang of '} ruffians, thieves, ganiblerSj and desper- !■ adoe's, who push tn-csir ' impudencn- to the . extreme of electing a mayor and setting '. up their, own .".p&lree , . , l-., f. The..'lawless ' deeds of these criminals fikally.ffall for tho sternest of'measures,, and'.we-'then ■ witness tho formation ef'-a .VigjUuitoa , . '■ Association, and the intreductioix of ,: Judgo Lynch and his court The young adventurers meet with va-fying for- '; tunes and every possible phase of pioneer J,' and goldflelds life- finds representation ,- in Mr. .White's vigorously written and i vastly interesting story, ' ! Go-td" ean bo • unreservedly commended, not merely as p- a well-teld story, but as affording much, interesting and curipus intematian con--1 'corning phases of. life now rarely to lie r met with.

A NEW AMERICAN. "Liltlo Corky," by Edward Hunger-, ford (A. M'Uluro iiji.d So,; per George Kbbertson . and Co,) is an .agreeably-, writton story, the- leading motif in which is the struggle, between his love and his; business interests,' in which a smart young American, iwltling n. posi* tion ol hign trvrst in a tramways com-' pany, becomes jnvojrcd. The company requires, for posver-houso purposes, a site upon which stands a private mansion, of almost historical interest to the city, and the maintenance! of ' which is regarded by the bettitii'ul young lady who owns it, as a sacred obligation to her dead father. But James Edward Rudolph Corkingliam, popularly known as "Little Corky," also hat] his duty to perform, his duty towards tho "Consolidation''Traction" Company of Tremont City, and as lie loved the fair Geneviove most deeply, his duty toward the "Consolidated Traction" weighed on him like a nightmare. A completely "honourable action is misinterpreted by the young lady, but time and a kindly fate can work wonders,- and in the end it turns out, after-all, that the. sacrifice, of his' position which Corey had contemplated is quite tuuieecssary, and the tramways young man wins his brkln, although lie. does have to "hustle ,, half across the Continent to prevent some one elso getting in ahead of biffl. A wholesome, and interesting, if not notably clever, story is "tattle Corky."

■•-■-:- FRIVOUE. Kate Horn, who wrote that very amusing .story, "Edward and I and Mrs. lioneybun," now follows up her first success by a smartly-written and humpiiotis'nqvet, ."frivole" (Stanley Paul'aii'd Co.). 'WTieii the Htißourabls Daphne Eslcourt (otherwise Frivok), only daughter of Lord and Lady fistcourt, announces lurr intention of hiarryiiig a young Socialist lecturer, arttl exponent of advanced freptlwught, Mr, Albert Gadby, whose parents koop a .small.-cpnfootioiiery -cetabiishmoit .in the Commercial Itdad, somet-faing like a bombshell is -thrown iflte tho aristocratic" and usunlly sefiaio. atteosplipi'c oi ] the Estcourt household. Mr. Gadby jr !i solhßh. and conceited young bounder, but he possesses.a certain "gift of tha gab;" which 'pastes uit-h Daphne, who is temporarily'-- enainoui'ed, b theory, of the . "simple . life" and tim of otliers" principles, for the most llluminiiip; eloquence. Luckily for tho youne, l:tdy, she-'possesses a tnamma ih both shrewtl and resourceful. Tl>o exact manner of Lady listcourt's disiihisioning tho infattijited giri with her fiance, and showing him' wp in his i> - wo colours as n jelf-scelcina and worthless "waster" I may not tell, but my rPad» ors can be assured of some excellent amusement' in the- story thereof, as tin* folded by Miss Horn. Tho exporhinces of the "simple life," .is heroically endured by Lord and Lady Esteourt with a special view to disenrWnting the s:\iilcless Daphne, are set forth in a vein of lighl comedy .which is vastly amusing. "THE GREAT ATTEMPT." :

■ Yet another Jacobite, or rather,' 1 should say, a novel dealing with the Jacobite period. In "Tlie Great Attempt" (John Murray, per 'WhitcOniha and Tombs), Sir. Frederick Arthur, after entering, in a lengthy preface, an eloquent plea for justice being done to .what ho clearly ee-teems the righteousness of the Jacobite causoj gives W' a

full-blooded, and, in places, highly exciting story, his'hero being a North Country genUernsiH, who is both a Jacobit* and a Catholic. It is a stirring and entertaining effort, with enough lighting, hoth in formal battle and by foad-\ siiip, to satisfy the most exigent in such matters, and many of the leading figures, which i«cludtf smugglers, Jacobito and Hanovfliiaii spies and'conspirators, and Jesuit priests, are well and vigorously drawn. There is, too, a delightful love interest incidental to the main narrative. Mr. Arthur's Jacobite sympathies do not Wind liiiii to tho goad qualities of certain adherents of the cthnr side who play prominent rcles iu the story, which is eminently calculated to please lovers of good fiction of a serai- [ historical flavour.

SHORtEB NOTICES. "MarceUe "the Lovable" (Greening and. Co.) •is an English -translation of Augusto Alaquet's novel, "Les Veftes l«'eu'illos." Maquet was, it may be remembered, ona of the many collaborator* ■ of Alexandra Dumas, It was his lot to "devil up" historical matters for his; chief, ami in the composition of. the '•Three Musketeers"-series, tho "Vaiois ' 'Romances." and even of "Monte thnsto," he played no unimportant part Andrew ' Laiig has put on record- , me opinion that when Maqaot wrote strictly en , his own account he was unreadable, but after reading Mr. Monkhoods ; translation of "Les Vcrtea leuiiles, I am some-vhafc inclined io consider Mr. Lang was too severe. For the story has a very charming-heroine m Marcelje cm Iα Bliftais,, and a quite first-class yillsun, and contains many mtarcstag pieturese of French life of the period.dealt.with; The translation is a little stift, especially in tho latter chapters, but this fact will, not prevent readers following the narrative from first to hf With unabatmg "interest, /

Two recent additions to John Long « Colonial Library (per Whitcombe and Tombs) are "Thin Ice," by Anne Reaver, and "Tho Ransom for London,' by J S Fletcher. Miss Weaver s "novel is a well-told story of county society life, the. leading figure being a handsome- and otevcr widow, Lady ft.it Uγ'deftnis, who, good-natured as- trail-.as worldly wise., sets lief self the task of preventing a marriage between Peggy J Bamngtou. tho daughter of au oM friend, and a middle-aged ' peer, Lora I Ve'enor. Peggy marries a younger and more eligible party, but misnnderstand- . ings occur and the girl goes near to wrecking his life. , . The resourceful Lady Kit plays the seed angel, and saves the girl, and herself marries the peer, whoso earlier attachment to tiro younger woman she had successfully- interrupted. Lady Kit is a capital character, and 'there is-much smart dialogue and clever character-drawing in the story, which make excellent reading.

In- 'The Ransom for London" Mr. Fletcher Introduces us to a gatta; of Italian criminals, whose loader is a skilled chemist and- scientist. This worthy possesses the secret of a mysterious "eWor" of force, by'which' he can compass the- death of persons afc j a distance, Demanding from an astonished'Primo Minister, Mr. Poniifex,: the "ransom for Loiidim," β-f ten millions sterling, and- being refsised, 'the viUainons Signer Vespucci first gives Mr. Pontifes"a prebt of his awful power I»y destroying, at one swoop, the Prime Minister's licrcl of nriws cattle, Soon England is horrified by the niys-' terious pitrnlj'Sis of poor Mr. Poutifex himself, and as still no "ransom" is forthcoming, ■ the mysterious "other" wipes out, with horrifying suddenness, the nineteen guests at n '.'fronk" dinner party, given at a fashionable hotel by an American millionaire. Other crimes follow, and still the authors of the crimes defy detection. How the secret of the mysterious- force is discovered, how tho "ransom" is paid-—in uncut diamonds—and is recovered, and ' how tiie ch.fefv.'iK'ter, • ti>. the; villainous {flat woets a- oikL ynji may read'for vohrselvos in Mr. Fletcher's nages. As si nrst-rliißS tlirillAf "Tlw Eansom for London" is "no slouch of a kink" as tho late iamenteitl Mark j Twain would have expressed it.