SOME RECENT FICTION

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 99, 19 January 1918, Page 11

SOME RECENT FICTION

"The White Feather." ; ' . "The White- Feather," by Roy P ul l lips (Melville and : Mullen, per Wlnteombe and Tombs), is a war stoiy, although'thelrender is.never taken.to tne actual front, the scene being confined to Melbourne. The hero,; Dick Harpei, desires to adopt the Army as a P 10 '®?" sion, and thereby greatly irritates r-is father, a well-to-do lawyer. In course of time lie rises to.tbe rank or major in the Commonwealth Territorial Army, and when war actually breaks out everybody, inoluding _ nis own father '(now proud indeed that his son is a well-trained soldier), expects the young man-to be one of the first to enlist. But this he does not do. The girl of " e ' ia . been the pet playmato in childhood, and whom ho fondly loves, cannot understand- his change of front, and in a of piquo sends him a white feather. The truth is that Dick has been foolish enough to have an intngjio with the daughter of a man whom ho had befriended. The _ girl_ had been passionately in love with linn, and although, on his side, there was uo ieal affection, tho couplo being thrown together, Dick eventually becomes the father of a child. A secret marriage had already been concluded when the war breaks out, and the young wife passionately insists upon her hiivbaud refraining from enlisting, • In despair at being deemed a coward by his old. friend and love, Nevillo Chalmers, Dick tells the latter enough of his story for her to guess tho rest, and slid forthwith visits the wifo and eventually secures her oonsont to tho husband enlisting. She continues to act .the g^od

angel to the unfortunates Jessie, hut the latter dies after a brief illness, and when Dick comes back to Molbourne wounded, hut with a D.S.O. to his name, his first love linally forgives and marries llitn. The author handles tho difficult position created by Dick's folly with great delicacy, and tho 6tory is well told throughout. Weird o'the Pool. "Weird o' tho Pool," by Alexander Stuart (John Murray, per 'ffhitcom.be and Tombs) will pleaso readers who like a full-blooded, vigorousb'-told, sensational story. Tho scone is laid iu tho Scottish Lowlands, the period being, apparently, tho beginning of tho last century. Tho story deals with the disappearance of the hero to an ..old estate and the usurpation of his rights and those of a kinswoman by an unprincipled trustee. A reputed witch, a gang of smugglers, and a host of country folk, some well bred, others of the pensant class, are introduced, and the author varies the pervading sensational interest by some welcome dry humour, of which the admirably drawn old laird and his faithful oid servant are the chicf exponents. A leading character is a bibulous, but shrewd, ul-.i! doctor, tho eccentric. Master Jall'rny, whoso outwitting of tho rascally schemes of the villain of the piece is most ingeniously conceived. A very readable story.

An entertaining story of the experiences of three British officers who escaped from the Turks is told by a relative of one of the ..trio. Itiludillg their guards, tho threo officers mado their way across the desert.- Their first adventure camo tho day following their escape, when they .suddenly camo upon thirteen Turkish soldiers. Tho officers resigned themselves to recapture, but wero astonished and delighted to discover after some parley that tho soldiers wore deserters fleeing from tho hardships of the Turkish Army to some unknown destination. The two parties thereupon joined forces, and were proceeding amicably on their way when a Turkish patrol appeared. Thero was 110 doubt of the hostile intention of this .body. A sharp fight ensued, resulting in the capture of eloven .of the patrol. With these prisoners in their hands tho British officers and the Turkish deserters marched forward,and ultimately landed in Russian camp, whore the British officers, received- an enthusiastic welcomo.