SOME RECENT FICTION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2570, 18 September 1915, Page 9

SOME RECENT FICTION

Two New I'Americans." , _ Great Mirage/' by. James L. Ford .(Harper and Brothers; per D. 0 Ramsay and Oo.)/ we are presented with some lively/ and, to many readers, very novel pictures. of New, York life. ' The heroine, Kate Craven, is attracted to the great city from her quiet homo in a sleepy country town, by what the 'author calls the mirage of its wealth and excitement, a mirage created in no small degree by ; a perusal' of thoso wonderful Sunday supplements issued with the New York journals. Her friend,'and. as she thinks, her lover, a'clever, but shallow and unprincipled young reporter, Ned Pcnneld, obtains a position on the Megaphone," a big New York daily, and, after' a. time/ secures a place ■ for tho heroine on the literary staff of that' journal. - The girl, who has dabbled in newspaper work in the country, takes kindly to her new-life, and makes quite a ' ; hit as a contributor to the "Megaphone's" Ladies' Page. .The story now resolves itself into a record of the internecine'; warfare of jealousy and ■ selfish .interests in. which the .members ■: v . ,of the : "Megaphone" staff engage.. Penfield, as he succeeds •in l mounting.' the. ladder of journalistic •fame,'' throws over Ms, sweetheart, and treats.her very scurvily. By this time, however, the heroine has found much of the vaunted attraction of tie great city to be but ft mirage, and after going through.' some , trying- experiences, emerges into,what promises to be quiet and ■ permanent happiness as the wife of a.middle-aged dramatic critic, whose refined'- tastes and. fine sense of honour are in . striking, and agreeable contrast to. Perifield's flashy attainments and sjrarious bonhomie. The inner working of a great American daily such as the "Megaphone" is laid bare in , great detail, . and , apart from the dramatic interest of the story, it is specially strong in careful and clever character drawing. ; Altogether "The Great Mirage" is a novel which stands .well out of the rusk of everyday American fic-'l tiori. .v.-. " ■

. Sidney M'Call, the author of "The Strange Woman" (Dodd, Mead and Co.; per D. 0.. Ramsay and Co.), will be remembered'by, many-of my readers as the author of that capital novel, . "Truth Dexter." His new story is a decidedly attractive production.. From his native village,: in a .mid-Western State, 'young John Hemingway goes to Paris to study art.' '/■ -'-.He is a clean-minded, honest young Amerioaj./. lad, and for some time the eternal feminine, so prominent a feature of life , in the Latin quarter, is' a missing" ekment in his At la6t, however, a'sympathetic chqrd is struck by a, young, witty, and handsome woman, of "mixed American end French. origin, and Joto marries. Returning -to hie native town,, he finds that his Parisian, wife introduces ' a strange, exotic element into tho'everyday life of the selfrcontained and rather suspicious community, Mid various misunderstandings as to .the lady's past and as to,her exact- matrimonial status jead to heartburnings and dislikes, and, in 'time, to mischievous and illnatured scandal. : It would bo unfair to Mr. .M'Call' to set'forth in detail the effeot upon husband, and wife of their delicate and troublesome position, hut the story is worked out to an ingenious and entirely satisfactory conclusion. \ A tatter-day Trollops. On more than one occasion . I. have warmly commended the novels of Mr. Archibald Marshall to those'of'my readers who like stories of English country life. Mi-. Marshall is, it has been said by more than one good judge, the legiti- | mate successor of tho late lope,- and. truth to tell, there is not.a little in tho style, tho choicc of characters, and'of background, which one finds m such stories as Mr. Marshall's "Exton Manor," "The Honour of the Clintons," and "Roding Rectory," which recalls pleasant memories of olcltinie favourites like "Franiley Parsonage," "The Small House'at Allington," and the well-known Barchester, series. In his latest story, "Rank an'd Riches" (Stanley Paul and Co.), Mr.' Marshall cleverly depicts the conflict which has, of late years especially, found. such' frequent and often amusing exposition in many English country districts, namely, the struggle of wealthy newcomers, purchasers of - historic' mansions and estates from which, their impoverished owners have been compelled to' depart to gain a footing in'couiity society. The wealthy city man, . Arroitage Brown, who, egged on by the social ambitions of a "climber" wife, and arrogant in his pride of a weE-fiJled .muse, buys Kern-,

sale, tho■ ancient and- noble country seat of the Marquis of Mcadshire, deludes himself for a, nhilo witli tho idea that wealth can successfully replace birth and breed in the estimation of the countryside. He finds himself grievously disappointed at his importance, so widely recognised in the City, being, if not exactly questioned, at least treated with mdifferenco at Kemsale, the difficulties and annoyances of his position being accentuated by the jill-will of the late 'owner of the estate, who, so tho newcomer thinks, and with some justifica-1 tion,_ endeavours to maintain his old territorial dignity and power, Tegardless of the rights' of tho newcomers. After a time, however, old and new interests commingle, mainly as ■ the result of sentimental connections, these new developments being traced by < the author with a notable discernment of the intricate workings of -that country society whioh he delineates with such delicacy and yet with such convincing skill. Our old acquaintance, Squire; Clinton, is again introduced as a typical representative of tho old landed gentry, and assists in bringing about a .conclusion which for. more than one young lady and gentleman in the story is emphatically satisfactory. The portrait of the financial magnate is cleverly drawn, .being- free from exaggeration and any touch of that ill-natured satire which is too often directed against " such characters. Country parsons, land agents, hunting men, and some very pleasant young people assist in working out Mr. Marshall's main motif very, pleasantly. - A novel free from sensation, ■ but full of well-dTawn : characters taken, so one febls, if not from - actual life, at least from something veiry close to reality 1 "Rank and Riches" makes very agreeable reading. It is essentially a story for leisurely perusal, and will be found by those who can appreciate its special flavour, both restful and interesting;

SHERLOCK HOLMES, JUNIOR. Everybody who likes a well-told story, or- series of stories,' and who/ at the same -time, : would lend a helping hand to the desirable objects of the • Marchioness of Lansdowne's "Officers' Fami-lies'-Fund," should make'a point of securing a copy of, a capital book, just published by Mr. Eveloigh Nash, entitled "The Holiday Adventures of Mr. E. J. Davenant," the author of which is Lord Frederick Hamilton. ' as he is familiarly entitled throughout the book, is a highly intelligent, but .-cheeky' youth,, "at home for the holidays," from' a' leading English public school, .when he is asked by a'gentleman who is a Temporary Assistant Commissioner. at Scotland Yard, a Mr. Ambrose, to assist .him in tracking down certain Gorman spies, who are signalling.to the enemy's warships or ferreting out arid forwarding to Huh Land iniportant information as to British military, operations and'methods.' The youngster, who - has been educated in Germany, .has a , quite wonderful knowledge of the German language, added to whioh' hi> possesses .the instinct of a' born detective. These qualifications, added to a ready wit and a special talent for ,"making-up," the result of a special fondness for amateur; theatrii.cals. all prove of great value' in the work the lad undertakes. In the adventures in ( which tho -two friends beI come engaged, the redoubtable "P.J." provos- himself a second and pocketedition of the famous Sherlock Holmes. ;Nominally the assistant of tho Scotland Yard expert, he, nevertheless, : assumes the most important role in the operations'conducted by the pair, operations' which result in the detection of ■ and capture of several of the enemy's spies. Spy .stories,_ from ' real life, or or a purely fictitious- character, are increasingly numerous, but the special feature of 1 Lord Frederick /Hamilton's live'ly ahd .well-told yarns is.':that;they one and all pbssess : a Very-, welcome element of comedy, ' and that many of P. J. 1 s adventures are, therefore just as amusing' as they, are exciting, ' 7 The long, ; and, to a-.novelist, ' very convenient arhi of coincidence 'is, of course,'not altogether ■ahsdnt, _but for , the most' part, the (stories display-a marked-originality and ingenuity of plot, ■ and the vigour -andsprightlinesslof the author's stylo are most iengaging. , By all means, make' the earliest' possible acquaintance with the fascinating "P.J." Read aloud in the family' circle; if the -audi-, enoe includes any boys, ! the "Holiday Adventures' of P. J. Davenant" will have a hiigo success.. Such; at least,.is •"Liber's" opinion, ! . based upon a pleasant personal experiment; • (New Zealand price, 3s:)

SHORTER NOTICES. There is- quite a Dickehsy flavour about Kate Langley Bosher's story ''How It ■ Happened" (Harper and. Brothers; per B. 0. Ramsay and Co.). It is : a Christmaj story, the story of how, -at the instigation and' with ■ : the assistance of a- very jolly little girl, a . New York waif, a wealthy bachelor reviews an old but interrupted attachment,'and wins back a love lie never should have lost. There is much genuine humour in the devices by, which the highly imaginative and romaace-loving Carmencita; accomplishes her ; self-allotted mission. A highly sentimental, but pretty and wholesome story.'

So many latter-day ■ American noveii deal with life in ■ New York, or other great cities that it'is* a welcome'change to find, ,in Margaret, TurnbuU's pleas-antly-told story, "Looking After Sandy" (Harper and Bros.; per J). 0. Ramsay and Co.), an intimate description of the society of a quiet little country, town, alfcJiougbj aftsr a tiniQj' tli© scgug is temporarily shifted' to , New' - York. Sandy,, the heroine, is adopted, by Mr Sandison, proprietor of a„ local -.' and struggling journal, and grows up an accepted member of tho Sandison family. _ She develops literary'tastes and ambitions,, and after m;iny disappointments, scores .a distinct success with a play. There is much pretty love-mak-ing in.; tho story, and the neroine, a whimsically "humorous girl; well deserves her good luck.

"The Man Who Stayed at Home," by Beamish Tinker (Mills and Boon; per Whitcombe and Tombs),, is an exciting and very readable story of the working of the German spy system in England. The novel is founded upon the play of the same, name, by Lechmere- Worrall and J. E..H. Terry, recently produced in New Zealand, find with the plot of which my readers will be sufficiently familiar.

Many who have read and enjoyed those . excellent stories, "The Happy Warrior" and 'The Cloan Heart," by Mr. A. S M. Hutchinson, may. not have read this now_ popular author's first success, the immensely funny novel, . "Once Aboard , the Lugger," and will be glad to know that an entirely new edition (Hodder and Stougliton; per Whitcombe and Tombs) is now available. "Once Aboard the Lugger" is a mastorpieco of humour which should not be neglected by those who do not know its quality. As an antidote to depression or ennui, it should enjoy perennial popularity. -

The,latest addition to Mr. John Murray's admirable Shilling Library of Fiction is Mr. H. A. Vachell's delightful story "Quinney's," which was reviewed at some length in these columns on its first appcarancc last year. If only for Mr. Vachell's carefully-drawn and convincing charactei study of Joe Quinney, the dealer in old furniture and pictures, the story deserves a much longer life than is granted to most-modern novels, and the fact that tho present is the seventh edition. proves that the fascination of the story has impressed itself, very • strongly on the reading public. (Ne\v : Zealand price, Is. 3d.) , . (Reviews of Other Novels 'HeM Over.).