SOME RECENT FICTION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2109, 28 March 1914, Page 9

SOME RECENT FICTION.

TWO NEW "AMERICANS." As a rule the American novelist, especially of the "bc ; st-seileis" fraternity, carefully avoids sex problems. Most rules have, however, t-lieir exceptions, and in two recently published novels, "Tho House of 'ihiine" and "The Parasite," the sexual dement is quite a prominent feature. la the "House of Thane," by Elizabeth Dejeans (J. D. Lippiacott and Co., per George Robertson's), the three leading figures are a finaneier and oil speculator, John Thane, his Wife, aid: a young girl, a city waif s of Irish, extraction. Thane temporarily suffers loss of fortune, and then-discovers what he has always suspected,, namely, that his wife has never really loved him. re< garding hint simply a® a inoiwy-provift-er. She has, too, firmly refused the responsibilities of taqtherhood, and tlio pair aro childless. Driven to desperation by his wife's cold-blooded selfishness when he tetk her he ha,s last tho major part of lii'S fortune, Thana passionately reproaches her for her refusal. to bear him a>. child., and, casting hef i out of his life, g.6es West to make a ■ new fortune. Just previous to his fi* nancial debaole,- lie ha-s. iftet a delfeate, half-starved city' waif, Mary Kelly, in • whom he at; once talsos a paternal and benevolent interest. Out West ho ;is rapidly 'lpaking money wheii his wife suddenly: arrives' with tire news- that she is -enceinte. . Overjoyed at this, something of his old affection .for the woman returns. A l>ey is born, and the Thanes return to St. Louis, success-, ful oil-land speculations having, put the financier well on" tlie way to bccominj; a millionaire. The wife, however, takes up her old frivolous ..existence, Vthe father, who idolizes, his son, ' finding liis'only pleasure in "tite lad's socie'tji Judge, then, his horror when: be suddenly learns' the' awful' truth that the lad is not his _ son after all, bui iho. result of - a guilty. intrigtte between his wife aud, a man -whom, he devests. New enters' for the second time Site Thane's

life the girl-waif he had befriended, by thi,s time a young /woman. What, part' this frail but charming -plays in her benefactor's life, it frould be unfair, to Miss Dejeafis. to teli. Suffice it to say that the story ends upon the note of tragedy,. but no other ending would have 'been artistically .possible. "The House of Thane" is in many w ays a very fine story. ;; "The Parasite,", by Helen K. Mar'tJin (J. D. Lippincott, per Geo. Robertson and Co.), is another well-written American novel; in which there is a strong sex interest. Miss Martin. "Tillie,. a Memmonite Maid/' /will be remembered, as an exceptionally fine story, is specially strong, in. her character drawing.- The heroine- is' a young woman who in local society regards and openly sneers at as a parasite. As a matter of fact .Joan Laird is a very noble creature, who "is eiirswl with a selfish mother, w&o meanly forces the girl into positions in lyhioh h«f real nature cannot fail to be misunderstood. The parasite becomes • the name only—of a brilliant lawyer* Judge ltandall, who has been divorced by his wife under very peSftliar circumstances. Judge Randall obtains custody of - his boy, whose almost passionate affection for the "parasite" has induccd the

father to take, her into his home. Her .position, as wife- in name Only, i.s. cruelly misunderstood by the first wife, and a malignantly mischievous part- is played by . a .third woman who . had marked down the judge as her own particular matrimonial proy. A struggle for the possession of the boy brings out the "parasiteV* splendid nature, and eventually the hushami sees that nature in its true light, a.iicj/th;<i-' marriage becomes one ■ pf. reality. The afl-tlior-,has been singularly successful in lier . portrait' of-.: the ' :paTaaite/'''.tiut, many readers of the book will regret the inclusion of 'aji ivicident- wiiicii js

not only over "daring:, '* bui is euriously out of keeping. with the heroine's real character, as long previously the reader, if not tho husband, had understood it. With this one- exception to which I_ have referred I have nothing but praise for a story which is, in so many ways, conspicuously superior tD tho average run of jimericsn fiction.

SHORTER NOTICES. . Tho hypercritical: may. object, to the plays of Shakespeare bMug tuhisd into novels, but I for one am courageous: enough to applaud tho juv.v departure. for which the publishing .-firm of Stanley Paul and Co. is responsible. After : all, it only doing on a, lajrger scale what such an ardent Shakespearian, as. was Elia'did in the "Tales . from Shakespeare." But the, 'delightful stories which Charles and Mary Lamb drew from the plays were onjy imnia.tures>. Here, in this new series, tho first volumo of which is "Tho Merchant oi Venice," the limit of length is reo'ibved. The adaptor ("a, popular novelist") works on a largorVauvas, and' the. picture produced • presents bolder and more truly dramatic ctfeet?. Almost o\ cry character keeps, place, Slid every incident is' f&taiite'i,' only the dramatic and poetic setting ,giving placo to the devices of..the novelist. The publishers express, a hope, that "by means of this scries* tlj& charm of the stories in Shakespeare's plays will lie better appreciated than . before, and that through this means a fresh inducement will be .created' to, read the plays themselves, and see tliem on tl.rn stage." . In its. guise as a iiqvel, "The Merchant of Venice, l! is a well-written-story of over 300 pages, Sol'ne welldrawn illustrations, by Averii Biirfeigh, reproduced in coloiir : ,are. .flu attractive feature of a very iifteresting production.

There is a fine luil-blooclcd sensational interest in Mr. Louis Tracy's latest'novel, "Tho Terms of Surrender'' (Cassell and Co., per 8. and W. Mackay). The hero, an American mining 'speculator, is cheated, out of the womS.ii lie loves by au unprincipled rival,: and, tlie lady's equally unscrupulous father. The .wife, however, meets her off! Iwer at a, seasido resort, and elcrpe-s with liini to the Adirondack?, where the pair have. ' a brief . taste of guilty happiness. The woman's father suddenly appears .on tlie scene,. and threatens to kill the seducer. To save her lover's .life the woman leavtes h.iin. Wheiv, after years e,£ wandering ia South America, the' iaver returns to civilisation, ho finds. tho child of the liaisou a beautiful young. wornan, who is about to be forced _ into a • hateful marriage ■ with an Italian prince her nominal father having all . the. time believed her to be his- daughter. Tho real father rescues the gifl from what would have been an unhappy life, a»cl then, as . tlie" terms of iris rival's stirrender, disappears from the grift? life, leaving her without knowledge of their real relationship. The stflfy is much more carefully written than is usual with Mr. Tracy'| woflt.

Betty Chevalier, tl» lierosno of Alice M. Diehl's latest novql, ''Pillar to Post*' (John. Long), is loved by nttd loves a V.C. liero, Colonel Austin., who, Unfortunately, has a Eurasian ffife living in India. Forced into a- iaarriage_ witli a French cousin, Bettv is for a time unhappy, l despite the kindness of her French relatives. The Coloiiel returns, his Eurasian wife hati«| died, ivnd Betty is about to elope with him fflieu an accident conveniently removes her French husband, and enables l<W. to make, after all, an lioiwurable marriage with her first and only love. ■ A .skirt but pleasantly-told "stm-y. Betty's mother, a scllisli, frivohms-sVWiraH, fe a well-drawu character.

Fred Wishaw's novels usually have a Kussi.au background. In his "Be.sp.okcn Bride" (John Long), tils; scenario is Fill-fend, the heroine being & young Finnish lady, deeply patriotic, who is in love with an Englishman, tut who, in her desire to assist her country, q is willing for a time to wintry a Russian GrantMjuke, trusting, through him, to influence the Tsar to renounce, of at least relax, the severity of tho "Russi* fication'-' polity. The Tsar, however, refuses the necessary consent, andj the pretty Countess Voksa contemplates a second and yet.more lisitefill self-sacri-fice. From this, however, alio is happily spared, and in due course marries her faithful English, lover. This is one of the best stories Mr. AVishaW has. given iis for some time,

William Le Queux must by this time have almost as many novels to his name as the ever-green Miss Braddon. There is no failing off, liotvever, in his powers •of imagination and • invention. In "The four Faces" (Stanley Paul) Wo aro introduced to a gang of almost inconceivably ingenious and daring jewel thieves—a gang which includes even pgers and peeresses, and which operates on quite original Ifees. Mr. Le Qjueux.has.never been more prodigal ; in 'hi-s supply of sensational incidents, than in It-is latest story, which can ba strongly commeiided to those who find i delight in this kind, of fiction as a . specially good example of its ei&?s. i Just tie sort of yarn for a tedious railI way journey.

.John A. 'Steuart in his latest novel, "Tho Grip of the Past" (Hodrier and Sttfqghiea; per S. and TV. Mackay). hardly reaches the high standard achieve ed iu "The lied Reaper" and "The Wino on. the Lees." I find it difficult to accept tin? Empife-waker, Cashel 33esmond f as being true to life. He is altogether too stagey a figure, ami his heroics in lave are ait wfalt-as lits political rhetoric is turgid. There is too much politics in the story., and politics of no".convincing a kind. Still, there is some pleasantly contrasting comedy and the intrigiHag and ambitious Lady Oakhurst is skilfully drawn, and. a candidate foi'.. Parliamentary l»ii«irs, Daniel Gribbaa, is Tather amusirtg, The story has some goc:l dialogue Jrete and there, bnt' Mr. Stetnart. is "nqli at hi:-s best therein.

In "The AimaWe Crimes of DirK MemMng," by Rupert. Hughes (Apple' , ton aiid Co., per George Robertson and Co.)? si'e are introduced to an American ■ a thief of astonishing audacity and equally Fur.prishig ingenuity. A, thief who can Steal a statue weighing ' about half a ton, from a public square, is 110 ordinary rascal, but to remove a millionaire's entire art collection from Ms house, and sell it back again to the unsuspecting victim, is the ivork of a criminal genius. Tho thief is a sculp* tor by profession, and .several of his ■adventures hay® an artistic setting Mich gives them a pleasingly novel flavour. Stem moralists would, no doubt, regard with severe disapproval the impudent exploits of Mr. Dirk Memling and his accomplice, a beautiful model, but I am afraid that most readera of Mr. Hughes's yarns,' in -which is much' iueideifta'l description- of-' certain phases of New York lile, will forget any 6uch consideration in _tl;o enteftaliimeut which the book provides ,<o liberally.

H. B. Samuel:, a clever young Oxford scholar, lias translaten Stendhal's (Henri Beyle's) tartious novels "Lo Rouge et le Jfoir" ("T.h.o Red and the Black. a - Chronicle of 1830"). '"Tire Times" describes the story as; "a brilliant vindication of the 'Jieylist'' gospel of life—the forging of -. a man's own character and career, on lines -'6i self-discipline," though, it adds, "as a romance of idyliic- love, it lnust-staiid almost as High as si romauce ■ of anilii'tian and the iuteileot:"