LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 56, 29 November 1919, Page 15

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Stray Leaves, William J. Locke's forthcoming new long story is entitled "The House of Baltasar." Like "The Red Planet" and "The Rough Road," it ie to appear first in Now York. Why Mr. Locke should 6o persistently favour his American admirers in this way I cannot imagine. The making of lists of books for a bedside bookshelf never ends. "John O'Londoni's Weekly" recommends all of Jane Austen, "The Pickwick Papers," "Lorna Doone," "Tom Brown's Schooldays," and soino of Arnold Bennett's tales of the "Five Towns." I confess the list does not greatly appeal to "Liber," who would vote slxaight away for a complete set of E. V. Lucas's essays, together with, say, Belloc's "Path to Rome," Stevenson's "Travels With a Donkey," und — tell it not in Gath—-a couple of odd volumes of Casanova's "Memoirs," and, oh,' best of all "dipping" bonks, the four volumes of FikGernld's "Letters.'-' With these, and an odd volume of Walpole's "Letters," I think I could laugh at insomnia. A new novel by Edith O. E. Sonierville and Martin Ross will be published during the autumn by Messrs. Longmans, entitled "Mount Music." The book, which is more on the lines of "The Roal Charlotte ,, than "Some Experiences of an Irish R.M.," was projected some years before the death of Martin Rosts, and "could not," it is announced, "have been completed without her help and inspiration." Her name, therefore, appears on the title page. Methuens announce a. new volume of essn.ye by Mamrice Maeterlinck, entitled "Mountain Paths," nleo a volume of essays by G. K. Cheetcrton.

"A man that feels jealou'e denieana the woman ho loves," said Trevor. "How extraordinnry," murmured Andrea, "hecause I don't bpliove any woman in the world ever really loves an unjenlous man. Of course," eho added, thoughtfully, "we despise jealousy—everybody know'a it'« so horrid—but that doesn't keep us from adoring it in just one man."—"The. Shining Bond," by George A. Chamberlain.

A book which fhould nfford pleaennt reading for art lovers is "Essays on Art." by A. Glutton Brock. Mo«f of these essays appeared in the "Times Literary Supplement" and attracted a good deal of attention in English art circled when first published. J)ents are issuing Mr. Joseph Conrad's now famous nulnbioirivtphienl work "A Personal liecord" uniform willi tho same publisheis' edition of Conrad's novels. Bad news for lovers of French novels. <U n. meeting of Krench publishers, held in Paris wrly in August, it. wnr- decided io rnis» the price of novels from !I.Sofrs. to just double Hint figure. One hundred per cent, rise! Phew! The n?w edition of Leonard Meirick s novel—by Hie way. the author was christened Leonard Miller—i« being fiuelv banned bv his New York nublisherfi. It annears that n<? n yonne man the novelisl Iricd his luck in Neiv York fas a journalistic free lance and playwright) nnd went perilously near actual starvation. Ho had previously teen a superintendent of Kaffir labour at Kimberley. Both his South African experience and hie brief experience as an actor are put to profitable ugo. in certain of his etoriee.

SOME RECENT FICTION "Mandalene." Kathleen Motvbray, the principal ligiu'b in E. S. Slovens'.? latest novel, "Magdalene" (Casscll and Co., per S. and W. Mackav), is the wife of an Anglican chuvoii dignitary. She is a good woman, tremendously intoreetou' in various relisious and philanthropic institutions, but desperately narrow-minded. And yet, this highly respectable wife of the highly respectable Canon Mowbray is a "woman with a past." having, whilst still a girl, been seduced by ft young Frenchman to whom her father was acting as tutor. She is taken away on a Continental trip, and her child is brought up in a convent, the mother believing it to havo died. T'wenjylivo vcara later her stepson, Leonard, invalided' home from the Dardanelles, falls in lovo with a beautiful girl, a Miss Guyon, the adopted daughter of a sprightly, witty, but rather worldly damp, Jadv .lex, of whom the puritanical Mrs. Jilowbray strongly disapproves. The stepmother does all she win lo| prevent (he Young othcer'.s marriage to Mips Guyon. and eventually, through the Rcand.ilniongering of a mischief-making neighbour, discover,", that the young lndy had been seen at a Swiss hotel wilh a gfmlU , - ninn who w.is repulen. to havo eloped with her from Rome. the marriage lakes place, but the slepmother m«liciouslv repeats the wnndalour, slory lo tho husband, who leaves for the front on the evening of his wedding day a sorely perplexed man. When the stepmother discovers that the girl she has ™ malignantly pursued if her own daughter, ami. that the slanderous story pln< ha* repeated can bf> easily, disproved, her repentance, am; , grief are deep and poignant. The husband is reported dead, but the report proves false, and (he end for all three principal characters is happiness. The author has perhaps a trillo over-elaborated thr narrow-mindedness of (he stepmother, but the story, as a whole, is cleverly planned and well told. "Monster's Mistress,"

"Monster V Mistress," by E. EverettGree.n (Stanley. Paul nnd Co.). is a pleas-antly-told story, in which one of tlie principal characters is a <log named Monster. His master, a young man of Rood family, whose father had been ("arranged from his relations, is interested in South American mining enterprises. He goes out to Peru, intending to placo his dog friend in good hands before he hops. The, <log, however, strays away, and is picked up some vHcs after by a young lady who is a great favourite with the hero's grandfather. !>. rich baronet, who, in his old sge, laments the breach with his dead son and wonld fain find out his grandson. The yoniiß lady and tho do? become fast friends, and when at last the. animal's old master. Sir Hnfrlrs grandson, returns to England, tho dog w the moans of bringing him to his grandfather's house. Tho returned wanderer, as any experienced novel reader soon sees is inevitable, falls in love with pretty Margery, and although for a timo 11)9 course 'of true love doc? not run very smoothly, the day comes at last when Sir Hugh h'ns his wish and the young people come together in a life partnership. Some New Americans. "The Branding Iron, n Romance of East, and West," by Katherine Newlin Bnrt (Houghton, Mifflin Co.: per Wlntcombo and Tomte), k a first novel of ouito consnicuous promise. I lie ece.no is laid at first in a Western State, where a passionate and primitive girl is brntnllv ill-treated by her iiusband, a youn? trapper, who is madly but quite unjustifiably jealous. "Rescued by a novelist and"playwright who is recuperating in the woods, and believing her husband to be dead, she forms an alliance with the former, but after a while is deserted by this man. who has taken a mean advantage of her friendless condition. Later on, when she has gone to New \orfc and made a great hit at a Broadway theatre, the Dlar.vrizht seeks |o renew the old relationship, a Jewish theatrical manager nl«o uesterine her with his al tentions. She is sought out, however, by her husband, whose repent iince for hie brutality has been deep and sincere. On both aides there ie a new understand™, anjl this' i= followed by reunion and happiness. A powerful, exceptionally wellwritlen etory. , , "The Cricket." by Marjone BentonCoolce moublcdnv. "Pauo and Cα. per Whiu-ombo and Tombs), is described W its publishers as a "nove novel. It is ho stow of a bright, little, lady who Twins life by beinu H.e enfant, ten-,We of her family and later on carries her love for outrageous mischief to tho extreme of wrecking the pat nlay of a great manaser, to the hilarious iilee of all playeoin>'"New York, but winning for her froin the Thespian tho polite desißuatior. of "hell-cat." Her stage

failure upset's her nerves, and <1 trip to lim Jiermwlos in ordered. Oh the voyage she meets ii lino young Irishman, buck from the war and wounded, an;l sunn a very pieltv little romance is developed which ends—well, just ns all swell romances should end. The dialogue has an tho vivacity and chiinu which made- the author's e:\rlier stories, notably "liainhi and '".I ho Cinderella .Man," Mich good reading. . "Tim Man Thou Gnvost." b.v Harriet T. Comstock (Grossd and Duiilap, per Whiteombe and Tombs), is a story of the Virj:i.ni;in mountaineers. A child ot nature, Nella Hose, gives her heart to a young playwright from the Ea J t who goes to the mountains i'or rest and health. She promises to marrv him when he returns from New York,'whither lie returns 011 t;he death of an uncle. He soon hears, however, that ' the girl has married an outlaw lover. As a matter of fort the girl's letter to Mr fiance, lnijbuiid in all bill name, lulls 10 reach him. and the outlaw lover, when she becomes a mother, chivalrously Rives her n borne. In flip long inn. after continuous misunderstandings on both sides, file lovers crime together again and are duly mmried. The Xe*v Worker is ot : rnlh:r a shi^. v typp. hill tho outlaw is a strongly drawn character. 'the ! local colour of tlie story is picturesque and the sto>'v a l -' a whole very readable. "The A'allev of Vision." bv Sarah Coinstock (Doubiedav, Vase nnd pw AVhiteombe and TrimbsL A brightly written storv, the heroine o! v.'hioh. A.nr-c-ia AYarreii, lives in an old-fashioned down East village and grows tip tn be 11 rebrd against tlie narrow mental and suiriln.il outlook of the community. Also there is a. male rebel in Ihmbiwy. Dint Goodericli. who spurns the conventional career pianmd out for liim »>y his parents and drpaus of future weal.h and fame as a giv:it manufacturer. t lie storv tells how these two join lorecs and work together for the realisation ot their separa'o but interfusing ideals. All iudusfi'i'il upheaval plays a prominent part in shaping the destinies ot hero and heroine. There is a second woman in 'lie utor.v. and much conllici ot emotions nnd alfections. The other woman is a poo:' creature, whose attilnde towards lite is false and sellish. biii she jn saved from herself bv the stronger-willed .Marcia, whose self-sacrifice and devotion to Dick border on the hemic. 1 0 'cr, as t(- f?o manv olher women whom tate had ill-i;.-ed, 'the war opens up a new sphere of interest and forgcilnlness anu muit have come as a boon ral.ier than a calamity. A wholesome, interesting story.

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