The San Francisco call. [volume], February 08, 1903, Image 12

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
Although Anthony Trollope never smoked
he liked being with those who did. It
poothed his nerves, he said, and sent him
to sleep. On one occasion, when he had
just returned to London from South Af
rica, he was talking at the Cosmopolitan
Club to the late Lord Carnarvon, Lord
Derby, Froude the histoMlan, Lord
Wolseley and one or two other equally
famous on the future of the country. In
the midst of the discussion Trollope fell
asleep, and after a quarter of an hours
There are several first-class stories In
the February Everybody's. "Hygela at
tho Sollto," by, O. Henry, is a capital
Western yarn with some unusual figures
in It. "A Japanese Gentleman" is a
mighty clever little story of Oriental love
making in Washington, and there ar«
several pleasant short stories of real life
contributed by G; W. Ogden, Juliet Wil
doi Tompkins and Katharine Holland
Brown which are well worth reading.
William Dean Ho wells evidently has
high regard for Brand Whltlock's politi
cal novel "The Thirteenth District." In
a recent Issue of the North American Re
view Mr. Howells declares that in this
novel Is "embodied the very spirit of
American politics as politicians know it
in all Congressional districts."
George Wharton James, explorer, eth
nologist and author of "In and Around
the Grand Canyon," is at work on a book
devoted to "The Indians of the Painted
Desert Region." The story of the domes
tic life, superstitions and dances of thesa
Indians will make fascinating reading.
Literary Notes.
The operas of Gilbert and Sullivan have
so long enjoyed popularity that it is
strange that it has never before occurred
to a publisher to publish some of the beat
Of the libretti for, which' W. S. Gilbert has
made a world-famous name. Doubleday,
Page &:Co. of New York have recently
mluptfd this idea and the result Is an edi
tion of "Putience, or Bunthorne's Bride"—
giving the text of "Patience" In full.
Aside from the musical Interest In "Pa
tience,"-it has long been recognized that
the lines held great merit in themselves
and so this book will prove of real liter
ary value. Mr. Gilbert, has written an In
troduction, teliing how the opera orglnat
ed and was worked- out. The preface Is
characteristic of the author in Its fac
tk>U8ntus and facility. The price of the
bcok Is JL
Patience.
HOW TO GESTURE— Dy Edward Amhcrst
Ott. Hinds h Noble. New York. fl.
FOL.TAIRK — By Georjre FrankTyn Wllley.
N>w Hampvhlre Publishing Corporation. Man<
Chester. N. H.
Books Beceived.
"By the Golden Gate," by the Rev. Dr.
Joseph Carey of Saratoga Springs, is a
bok of pen sketches^ of California and San
Francisco. The author visited California
at the time of the General' Convention of
the Episcopal Church in .1901, and
upon his return to his home was
asked . by the Rev. John N. Mar
vin, president of the ' Uloeesan Press,
to contribute some articles to the Diocese
of Albany." These sketches suggested the
present volume. The book is Interesting
as presenting to our notice the view point
of the strangtr when In California. The
book includes a certain amount cf local
history and has a large part of its con
tents devoted to Chinatown. The price of
the bcok is $1 25. It Is published by tha
Albany Diocesan Press.
By the Golden Oate.
I,. A. Rhoades &. Co., Milwaukee, have
Just published a book of short stories by
General Charles King that, will prove
rr.ost acceptable those who delight In
titles of love and war. They are written
in General King's unua.1 entertaining style
and possess an added Interest, Inasmuch
as they are stories of the Philippines. The
present book contains ten stories, vary
ing in length from 2000 to 12.000 words. The
book le very well' illustrated by line and
half-tone reproductions. The titles of tho
utorles are as follows: " A Conquering
Corps Badge." "Jack Royal," "Dove Cote
Days." "A Rival Ally." "The Senator's
Plight," "The Luck of the Horseshoe,"
"A Cumera Capture," "The Fate of
Guadalupe," "The Manila Wire," "Bc
tiaycd by a Button." The book closes
With a sketch of the author by Forrest
Chrlsscy. Price. Jl 25.
A Conquering Corps Badge.
Mrs. Alice Hegan Rice, the author of
the new book "Luvey Mary" and of
"Mrs. Wigga of the Cabbage Patch?'
wrote the latter, her first book, under her
maiden name. Alice Caldwell Hegan. She
Is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. 8. "W.
The Popular Science Monthly for Feb
ruary contains the following articles:
"The Science of Astronomy," by Profes-
Bor Asaph Hall; "The K volution of Sex in
Plants." by Professor Bradley Moore Da
vis; "The Economic Importance of For
estry." by Overton W. Price; "Mental and
Moral Heredity In Royalty," by Dr. F. A
"Woods; "The Smithsonian Institution";
"Recent Jewish Immigration to the Unit
ed States." by Roger Mitchell; "The Be
havior of Blfnd Animals." by Professor
"Wesley Mills : "Preventive Medicine," by
General George M. Sternberg; "A Statis
tical Study of Eminent Men," by Pro
fessor J. McKeen Cattell; "The American
Afcsociation for the Advancement of Sci
ence"; "The Recognition of the Import
ance of Preventive Medicine"; "A Newly
Recognized Factor In American Anemias
—the Germ of laziness": "Carnegie In
stitution of Washington."
The Lothrop Publishing Company of
Boston Is publishing "Exits and En
trances," by Charles "Warren Stoddard,
whose "South Sea Idyls" is one of th«
little classics of American literature. Mr.
Stoddard in this book gives personal rem
iniscences of interesting- literary figures
like Kingsley, 'George Eliot, Stevenson,
Bret Harte and Mark Twain; writes prose
poems of travels as fascinating as Heine's
"Relsebllder," or treats his experiences
In the form of ha If -fiction and half-essay,
an altogether delightful kind of literature
In his hands. The book makes a series of
easayu nnd sketches full of charm, and
Is enriched by a frontispiece picture of
Mr. Stoddard. reproduced from a painting
and here for the first time printed.
doze he awoke, shaking himself togetner
like, the faithful, growling Newfoundland
dog he so much resembled. Dissentient
even in hia unconsciousness", he spluttered
forth: "I utterly disagree with every ona
of you. What Is It you said?"
He knew at once what the hoarse breathliu
meant.. He had geen them before — workmen
in the factory, tramps on the railroad — thos*
fellows with the crushed nKulls; that monoto
nous robbing otit of life; that last, slow, heavy
running down of the machinery of the body,
already vacant of a bou!
His whole training had prepared him for
such a crisi* — the old hard school of the non
chalant fatalism of the streets. Not an ex
pression of fear or regret came Into hU face.
Only the twitching of the muscles of the Jaws
nrid the deep revengeful stare of the eyes
fixed on the prostrate form.
."Clear the way for old Dan Tucker,
. He> too late to get his supper.- '.;V.-'--
Clear the road for old Dan Tucker,
lie's too late; too late, late, late."
The minute that they struck, the murderer
was up again., realizing already what hail
happened from the feeling of the flesh in his
hands.
"You haven't caught me yet," said the man.
Thorndike looked up: a new. tone was In that
voice- a fierce hate burned In those deep, blue
eyes. A pusplclon of the real situation tla«hdd
u.ti.w him.
Nearer' perceptibly nearer. cam«» the piping
of the drum corps— irregular waves of Bound.
riRlnp and falling on the »tlllnt»s of the night,
stopping at a corner for the column to reform;
coming on again — the same oid exultant re
"Clear tne road for old Dan Tucker.
Cl'ar Urn road for old Dan Tucker."
"That's all you ve got to bay. is K?" asked
the man In a oulet voice.
Thorrdlke nodded
"Well, now, I'vo got something to tell you.
Thorndike looked up at th</ clock: It «va»
neven nilnutes of tisJH; ty the hour they
should be there.
"You want. to hurry." he .said; "they'll be
here in -a nilnule or.tjKo."
"Don't you fret about me." sneered Carney.
"What 1 was troln' to tell you." he weut
on. "wan about niyaelf. and I want you to
jiay attention to It. 1 beuan here a* a boy
in your mill; I wasn't the best buy that
ever* lived, and I wasn't the worst. 1 got a
Job early as helper in the machine shop- H
a week: then I learned the machinist's trail.*.
I couhl play ball »oine. ho that I got a Jub
now' and then In the summer at that; winter*
1 kejit workln' |n the machine shop.
'"Ihen I g:ot this," extendlnj his mutilated
hand: "and 1 had to fjuit the ballplayln' and
get Into the shop regular. I wag a good work
man — you can a*k any of them — except that
old wooden Indian, Allen. 1 was gettln' my
$-J 60 a day and 1 earned It. I got pramiceJ
to n girl— there ain't no better or Whiter Sirl
In the country to-day. I'd like to meet tin
man who said there was." He paused.
"And then one day you came along — and
you caueht me doln" nomethln' you didn't
know the leatt damn thins about — and you
fired me— on the nuy-so of a liar, • without
giving me the chance to nay a word lor
myself. Now, If you'd let me alone It would
hav« been bad enough: — these days. whe:i
they're all out of a Job — the best of them.
But that wasn't enough for you. You'd got
to chase me; you'd got to blacklist me all
over the (section. What chance did I have to
get work around here? You know damn Will
I didn't have any.
"I didn't af.k you for any favors; I only
atked you for a show. And you'd a Rive it
to me? You "chased me up and down tne
country like a mad-dig— for a had character.
You knew a lot obuut It, you did! but you
sit tiiere now and think you proved It be
cause I cot to drlnkln'. That's a liell of a
proof, that Is. afcaind a man fixed like me —^
thrown out, bubted — by yourself."
"How abuut blackmail?" tuggested'fne man
ufacturer. .
"Yaas," snarled the man. "it was a wonder
1 tock that up. waan't It! after all you ve
done for me! You ruined me. by Ood, ana
the tlrl I was g?!n' to be married to. \ou
fcrcke my people's heart; and then you set there
and holkr about blackmail, you '. .
He- broke off in a great, black mouthful -of
Thorndlke scarcely heard him. His mind
was Intent upon something elite. Slowiy, war
ily, under the cover of the de*k, his hand
was cret-plng. sliding toward a certain drawer
b.eide him. Th«r quick eye of the man cdJRtit
the movement at once. : He. atood up ami
sruKptd In hi» rlfeht hand the old. litbt stan.p
of the Mayhew ml'.i- a heavy, awkward, old
fashioned thing— with a Jtgtsed base— a lor
midable weapon In hands like his.
"Never rnind about that," he sneered.
The n.aftufacturer utopped. .
"Put. y6iir hand dpwn." he said sharply.
The mHDUfatcurer obeyed. - ' ... .
"I hope you llnttned to what I was tellln
you," eatd the fellow. Hxlng bis desperate eyes
on the I dark .ace ttvrpM the Ublte.
• I did. What of it?" . ,„
"la there anything you want to m.v now?
"Nothing whatever." said Thorndike.
"You've got no proposition to make me 7
"No, nothing," cried the manufacturer.
He sprang to his feet. Both men stood fac
ing each othor. The man's eyes had focused
tliens^lvfct .n or.e point in his «» ri! ''-- r fi "f.V, '
a umall white epot In the dark flesh, a little
childhood scar. There, right here— how he
had hungered to close his ringers on tha*
spot— all these years. And NOW '. y ,,
"Well, ti.ere'H aoinethm^ I've r"t to tnj..
he cried, hoareely. "You were right— I was j a
damn fool- to think you would give me any
thing; that • X could beat you at that Kma
of a tame. .,
"But there is something I can do. fc ._ w .
He- broke out with another great blasphemy,
bis deep eyes dilated like a wild beast b.
"I can get something yett 1 can pay you
W H| t 8 hand* closed""!™ the old Mayhew stamp.
Thorndtke understood. His } on *; tinp / T .t i
hand »hot out for the drawer ln-«»« desk.
The wood was swollen— a little catch some
where. A boratehlnfT of flng>rs on the wood—
a fumblir-gr — a clutching at the knob —
The old' stamp hurled with all the powpr
and accuracy of the tra'.red athlete, shot
through the few feet of Intervening space and
buried one Jagg»d corner in the skull of the
manufacturer. In a moment, before the tall
tiguro could pitch sideways to the floor, the
murderer was upon him: his fingers In his
throat— there, burled boslde that little scar on
the dark neck, over the finger nails In the
warm flesh. Down, they came, Ump.muscus
and tense knees. In one confused jar upon the
floor. . >.
H» paused again. j^lji
"We could show up that «chem« in *oo<l
shape. That would mean quite a number or
yearn. But that Un't necessary now.
"Now?" ' •
"Now that I've caught you here." wud
Thorndike. •-,-.,
The political element of the town plays
an important part in the story and is well
presented. There is also a sub-plot In
Carney's efforts to get even with Thorn
dike for the persecution that has fol
lowed him ever since he struck his boss in
the Thorndike factory. Carney finds ma
tt rial that he hopes to work again -t the
manufacturer in his campaign for Gov
trnor and tries to accomplish by black
mail what he cannot do in an open tight
against the forces of a man as powerful
as is Thorndike. The disastrous ending
•of his schemes forms one of the climaxes
of the Ktory. Without straining prob
ability Mr. Turner brings his book to the
conventional happy ending— which Is a.1
.ways the most satisfactory way, even
where the tragic element Is so strongly
Every well-regulated novel must have a
love story running through its pages or
it is no novel at all. according to tho
lights of the day. In this case Mayhew
la in love with Ruth Thorndike, the manu
facturer's daughter, and as the hero Is
lighting the father it can readily be lm
agintd that numerous dramatic situations
result from the possibilities that would
naturally offer in a case of this kind.
There Is a double Interest created In
the general struggle of labor against cap
ital and In the specific right of John May
hew against \Vili!am Thorndike, one of
the "taskmaCrers." John Mayhew is the
son of Thorndlke's aid partner. Through
the cunning of Thorndike Mayhew Sr. is
robbed of all his fortune before his death,
s?o Mayhew Jr. comes back to his home
a poor man. He early realizes the
wrongs perpetrated by the manufac
turers against their ignorant employes
and goes In to fight for their cause. It Is
an uphill struggle and while the young
man does his all for the side of right,
his efforts are not particularly success
ful. This part of the story Mr. Turner
handles with skill. It is not overdone.
Nine authors out of ten would have sac
riliced plausibility to make their hero a
winner on every turn of the wheel and
would have utterly lost the artistic effect
so cleverly gained by the author of "The
Taskmasters."
"The Taskmasters" Is a. story of New
Kngland fifteen or twenty years ago and
the Fcene of the drama is restricted to
the environments of a large manufactur
ing town, where the destinies of the poor
are controlled by a few millionaire manu
facturers.
years of writing ana personal Investiga
tion, but his faults are merely those of
the young writer essaying his first at
tempt in long fiction and ones that will
disappear us the realization of his own
ability comes to bring confidence to his
pen. Judging him from his first book,
he has all those qualities that go to make
a writer of mark. His sense of judgment
«>n dramatic situations is excellent and
his characters bear the stamp of life.
Mr Turner writes with that virility and
inherent crasp of great events and forces
that hate rr.a.le the name of Frank Nor
ris so well known. He lacks the finish
and power that came to Norris through
Last year Harper & Brothers Inaugu
rated a series devoted to the maiden at
temps of novelists, and though none of
the books *<.ared ui) into the class of
"five best sellers in the ¦world, etc.." still
eeveral of them far surpassed the produc
tions of tried and better known writer?.
HcCtare. Phillips & Co.. New York.
have also begun a series devoted
to "first novels,'' two volumes of which
are already on the market. The first r>ne
published was "The Ripped Edge," by
John T. Mclntyre. and gives promise of a
bright future for t^is budding novelist.
Mr. Mclntyre takes the reader into the
*or!4 i>ol!tlcal on these same Ur.es made
popular by Churchnl Williams' tine story,
"J. Devlin. Bops," and by Band Whit*;
lock's popular bcok, "Th»» Thirteenth Dis
trict." He paints ft vivid picture of social
life in the ward and of Its political in
trigues. A thread of love holds the read
er's interest through the book, but its
greatest reading value lies in the charac
ter Kfcetches of those personalities which
always figure so largely In municipal pol
itics—the bosses, heelers, pugilists— and
alsu the atmosphere of verity the author
imiHits to the various functions, balls
and i-rimarice that arc the essentials in
•uj,;.: political campaigns.
The second novel of this series is "The
Taskir.jis.ters," by George K. Turner, a
book that fhculd go far toward establish
ing lit«. rary credit fur its liuthor.
Mr. Turner f.r.ds the motif for his writ
ing in the words of De Tocqueviile, writ
ten in ls."a: "1 am of the opinion, upon
the whole, that the munufneturing aris
tocracy, which is crowing up under our
eyes, is ere of the harshest which ever
existed i'i the world. • • • The
friends of <i«=-mocracy should keep their
eyes anxi<.t>'.y fixed in this direction, for
If ever ¦ tienaane&t inequality of condi
tions ar.d aristocracy again penetrate into
the voiid. i: may be predicted that th.s
is the pate I y which they will enter."
ed the idea to the fertili^Dral!i
•d and BOVfltjr^seeJdaif publishers that
here was a field that misht possibly have
been neg>cTed. Why should net en au
thor's first bo«.k prove one of his best?
Certainly a writer in tssaylng his first
long fiction puts into the work his best
efforts; he writes deliberately and with
the realization than on this trial he muft
etand or fall. Ke is not in the position
of on# who has made his nair.e and is
loaded down with offer* and orders lor
books to fi'.l which he must grind out
copy with the facility of a linotype ma
chine. He is u yet untried in the field of
letters and it is certain that when his
first ewe lamb 'goes into the hands of a
publishers c< py-readers it will be decked
out in the besi style of which the writer's
brain is capable.
WHEN Bertha Rurtklc made such
a bit with her first novel. "The
Helmet of Navarre." published
a peason or so ago, it suggest-
Tha following Is the contents of the Feb
ruary Bookman: "Chronicle and Com
ment"; "Futility" (poem>. Roscoe Crosby
GaJge; "The Last of the Burlesquers."
Mary Moss: "Love's Waiting Time"
(poem). Curtis Hidden Page: "Robert Ma
calre. the French Pecksniff" (Illustrated),
L. K. -Rousslllon; "The Centenary of
I>ouglas Jerrold." Lewlst Melville; "Sir
Henry Raebura" (illustrated*. R. A. M.
Stevenson; five books of the moment <l>
Kruger's "Memoirs." (2) De Wet's "Thre«
Years' War," A. S. John Adcock; (3) "Tha
Life of Max Muller." Alexander Macalis
ter: (4) "Frank Norrls' 'The Pit.* " Albert
BIjrelow Paine; (5), A. E. W. Mason's
"The Four Feathers," Carl Hovey: "Wil
liam Harrison Ainsworth" (with portrait »,
Beverly Stark; "Voice" (poem). Zops>
Gale: "Our Secret" (poem). Martha Gil
bert Dickinson: "A Cheerful Retrospect,"
Annie Nathan Meyer; "Reflections of a
Rejected Manuscript." Walter Pulitzer;
"Dr. Watson's Wedding Present," J. Al
ston Cooper; "Venice In Recent Fiction"
(with Illustrations by Walter Hale»,
Louise Closser Hale: "Mr. Kip
ling: Where Does He Stand?" Wilfred
Whitten; "The Violin" (pornV Klsa Bar
ker; ."The Drama of the Month," Frank
Moore Colby; "The Bookman's Letter-
Box": "G. K. Chesterton." C. F. G. Maa
tcrman; "Here and There." II. T. P.
Miss Hegan was married on the ISth of
December, and is now Mrs. Cal» Young
Klce. Her new book. "Lovey Mary." will
be issued under the name of Alice Xlegin
Rice.
TTegrmn of Louisville. Kentucky, where
her father's home has been for many
years a center of social life and hospital
ity. As Miss Hegan she was for a Ion*
time Interested la the people of the "p<>*
white" quarters of Louisville. There she
found her characters, and while It haa
been paid that Mrs. Wlggs is an actual
personage, this Is denied and it Is under,
stood, that the character was made up
from a number of, Individualities. Th<*
sale of "Mrs. Wlgjs of the Cabbage
Patch" has been very large; In fact. It
has exceeded that of any other book
ever Issued* by the Century ¦ Company.
During: the three weeks preceding Christ
mas 62.S00 copies were sent out by th«
publishers, and even after the holidays
were over the sals was averaging 1000 ami
2000 a day.
Inside the sound of hurried rapping; beats
upon the ranels of the locked door; a girl's sur
prised calling comes Into the high room.
"L">ad. dad." It bays, "they've come: they've
come. Where are you? where .are you?"
The French band has wailed solemnly
though its grotesque travesty of "The Star
»il ¦¦•iKled Banner.' The murmur and hush of
expectancy has fallen on the Incongruous as
sembly.' outside the porch — waiting, waiting:,
waiting, for the appearance of the tall figure
at .the window.
Over the crest of the driveway cams thu
muelc, clear and shrtil and open now; the
?moktng yellow torches of the parade — th»
Home Market Defenders In their white oil-
Cloth suits, the Republican Stalwarts In their
gorgeous flannel uniforms, the Father Mathew
Society with their canes, the Hibernians, all
classes and political conditions of men, come
together to the honor of the master of tha
mill — the lord of Kllingtoii. the next Governor
of the State. The hour of triumph bad come!
The flfe« of the drum corps w-er* almost up
the hill; It was a matter of seconds before they
would be her*. He moved quickly to th«
drawer In the desk. Yes, it was th«r»— th« re
volver, as he expected. There wa» a box of
cartridges beneath It. He took both: the bl(
window clld silently up again: and he was
gone-— back through tha deep garden, out Into
the vacant lot behind; away into the black
silence of the fields.
CONDUCTED BY
B. G. LATHROP
In evidence- as It Is in "The Task
masters."
One cf the most dramntic chapters in
the book Is "Two Men In a Room." It
t**lls of the first opportunity presented to
Ehawn Carney of wreaking vengeance on
the man who has ruined his life Carney
has been in jail, and upon getting out
forces a way through the library win
dow Into the presence of Thorndike. The
manufacturer has locked himself in his
study for a few minutes' quiet while
vaitinc for the triumphant procession
that is already on its way to his house
to honor him *vith his election as Gov
ernor. He finds himself suddenly con
fronted by Carney who, not realizing
that he has bt-en betrayed by his former
confederate, Uarvln, expects to collect
b):ickm*»'l. t
Thp rran *eaie-H hlmceif lightly on the arm
of a blar chair. "I pot you wh"re I want you, '
he Md. "rrian to man, once In your life.
"Now." he went on "I've come up here to
talk this thing over— without any funny busl
riHS.. \\e'\> frot soiTiPthlns "you .want — and
you've cot to b«\>. ird yoi'"ve (tot to piy for
It sooner or later. You coL bv the elect'oi
all light. O, you're slUkl But that won't
rrake anv Ilfrert-nc?. We've got some few
things thRt'1! inak<» you sick— ret. Some
th'r.ps a Governor of the State won't care to
have b.-m:«ht out— not tf he can help It. Not
what v.-e've got. What are you going to pay
Tor It?'
"Nothing." F6ld the manufacturer, quietly.
"t/K»k hero, niy frlrni," *ald Carney. lean-
Ins forward: "Thin i* no tine for bluff"."
"There's no b!uPf about this. You didn't
*e- (isrvin down ptreet did you?"
"".Veil. 'Hpoain' I didn't." e:ild Carney, sus
plrloui<ly. . •. . .
"Well, you won't," Raid the other.
The brown eyes inn the blue and held
thrm.
"There's been a number of thlnsrs happened
In the la.it month you don't 8cem to know
abO'Jt." i
"Well — for .'nstance?"
"Wen. for Instance. I've had a little con
ference with Carvln. It aeemsi that h» has
fi-ipotten about these, things you are trying
to ta k about just now. s»o he told me whea
he l.ft. lie raid a.« far a* he was concerned
he «hou'd never r-member them again. We
had a very agrr*abl* talk about It." .
"You He ." khU the man with fear and an
g>r In his voice. "Oli all right," said the
manufacturer rtafhlnp' forward. "Did you
over a«-e thl»-T" he a^t-ed. taklnir up a tin box
from und?rn»ath a pile of papers.
"Give me that box " said Carney, threaten
ingly, rip i;k to hln fiet.
"drain ¦¦¦• " ?h d the manufacturer, tossing
it to the ofler eMe <,f th* deFk.
It v.ai> perfectly empty.
"You d'dn't piij<ro - I -vould keep those p&
p*Tts for anythinK?" he taid.
The ir.an laid the box back on the desk,
muttrrinf; a black oath against his treacherous
confederate,
"That'n all rljjht." he went on, defiantly.
He may have k.j rt out; but I ain't. I know
a r< w thlnfm. mysilf."
"^•"o. you dtn't." sa'd Tliorndlke. staring
him in the ey«B. "Not that are any u?e to me.
If I war.tol you I'd have bought you lon^ ago.
lie Aa* sharp, the oth'r follow. But you're nj
use whatever — you'-re a Ki*a: awkward drunk-,
? n brute without a spoonful or brains In your
tody. You've made a botch of this every time
you touted it. I knew from the first time I
fiot ftito tMs thin?; 1 didn't want you."
"That" i< a good game" tad h? man. wi'h
the rnuschs of his Jaws working. "But It
wont po. I don't want to tail: to you much
longer. he went on. "I'm gain' to ask you
once more — and that's all. What ars you
Ko!n to do about it?"
Thr manufp.'tuitr'a confidence was carry
ing him too far.
'Tin going to put you In State's prison." he
rn'.l simply "I was a little in doubt at flret
what on. That ca*e of your nteallnir In itit
l'atch was jietty clear. I mlitht have u»ed
tlat. Or I. might have used the blackmail—
if neceg-nry."
"niackmatl?"
"Vee. blackmail."
" v ou don't dar» "
"Don't I? I don't know why not. I" ire KOt
a (rood witne-s who's wlllinsr to tuwi State's
evidence any time. What have you got?"
The man was <iar.e»rously silent
"You've pot nothing:: not a paper. Not a
witness: not a voice but your own. What
wou d you amount to— a common criminal with
a jail record— .-otnliKt out w»h a cock and bull
fctory twenty- five years old?" D "
THE illustrations on this
page form a very interest
ing part of an excellent
work just published by D.
Appleton & Co., the New York
publishers, "The Story of the
Trapper," by- A. C. Laut. This
book is one of the "Story of
the West Series," edited by"
Eipley Hitchcock. Miss Laut
has followed the pathways of
the Hudson Bay Company and
has become familiar by study
and by experience with the
life of the North. Her name
is already v/ell known in the
literary world as the author
of "Heralds of Empire," a
book that met with great suc
cess upon its publication last
year. In the present volume
she traces the career of the
trapper who started at St.
Louis or Fort Independence
and crossed the plains to the
mountains, the trapper of the
South, the French trapper who
descended from the North,
and the other American,
Scotch, English, French and
half-breed types who ventured
in tie most distant parts of
the wilderness in search of the
pelt which laid the founda
tion of so many fortunes, in
cluding that of the Astor fam
ily in New York. Her book
affords a graphic view of the
little-known phase of our
early history, and the adven
turous flavor of this outdoor
tale gives it all the zest of a
romance. The price of the
book, published in cloth, is
§1.25 net.
THE SUNDAY CAL,!L.
BOOK REVIEWS
AND LITERARY CHAT
12