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THE ATLANTA- GEORGIAN AND NEWS SATURDAY, MAY 4, 1907. 13 FOUR GOOD BOOKS REVIEWED BY ARTHUR PENDENNIS, JR. “THE END OF THE GAME.” By Arthur Homblow. (Q. W. Dillingham Company.) .Mr. Arthur Homblow, who made a fairly good novel out of Charles Klein' play "Tho Lion and tlio Mouse,” has written a story, called "The End of the Game,” based upon the fast and furious life of Pittsburg and Its over night millionaire habitues. In "The Knd of the Game," tho author has a much, better chance (and he accepts It) in which to show his worth as a writer, than In the novelizatlon of the play mentioned. A play may be a great success on the stage, as in tho case of "The Lion and the Mouse," and the presence therein of what would be a weakness In a book is needed In a dramatized form to prove'a successful "mellerdrama.” Mr. Hornblow has taken for the evi dent basis for the plot of his new- book that notorious case of . a certain steel maker of Pittsburg, head of a large steel making corporation, but now living in New York city, who, having married yourig, long before success came to him, llnds when fortune does smile upon him that he was "outgrown" his wife. In the book, the hero lives a model life with his attractive and most su perior young wire, until ho awakes to llnd himself some twenty times a mil lionaire. The hero of "The End of the Game,” Roy Marshall, Is closely painted to the likeness of the afore said head of a large steel corpora tion, whose doings, with actresses in general and one In particular, has filled the dally press with his name. As In real life, so In the book, his sweet young wife, who has fought the good fight ,1s.discarded, and she goes to a far Western state to secure a divorce, In real life, the steel maker as reported In the pewspapers of today Is preparing to marry tho actress on the 7th of May, while In the book, the artist, who paints portraits, gives the hero as he deserved, "tho Icy hand.” In books It Is pleasant to note punishments re ceived for 111 doing, even if In real life thero seems to be at many periods of the game, a great number of short circuits In the connection of cause and effect. There Is no doubt that we reap what we sow, but It takes a very long time sometimes, for the tares to out grow the wheat. The hero of "The End of the Game” was the son of a rich man, who gave up all connection with his rich fam ily to marry his pretty wife and the author sends him through many ex periences In newspaper work In New York city before he finds his real form, among the steel makers of Pittsburg. In this way, Mr. Hornblow has, and uses very capably, an evident knowl edge of newspaper work, especially the "yellow press.” The author deals pret ty harshly the city editors and their Ideas as to what constitutes news and he evidently has not a very good opin ion of newspaper people as a whole, If we take his book as an expression of hi, Individual views. Of course there are city editors and city editors, but It Is not fair to assume that city editors or oven reporters are all or general ly, In real life, as they are represented In "The End of the Game." After the hero arrives In Pittsburg, comes the period of the great Home stead strikes and the attempt of the Pinkerton detectives to land from a barge on the river to protect the steel works. Mr. Hornblow knows much about a steel mill; one can note that he at least, has been Inside a mill and has seen steel and Irop made. The author’s dlscriptlons of the Bessemer process of steel making Is excellent and from the book the reader will get a very good Idea of a great steel plant. It does not take long for the hero to prove his worth In Pittsburg, much ?i h £fU£? 8 . th , an e *Perlence teaches his salary.' mini™ . U ?° Jerome a twenty-time nli b . ut thl * neither here nor there, so far as the Interest of the story is concerned. Neither does the 2855 L ose . * n, erest In the really ex- cellent book, when the author speaks of George Stephenson, the Inventor of the steam engine, getting his Ideas as to steam, from watching a boiling ket tle, when In fact It was Watt, who dis covered steam control, not Stephenson, who only applied Watt’s discovery. Mr. Korhblow scores many center shots in his handling of the new Pitts burg rich, and in view of the constant appearance in the newspapers of some Pittsburger, with his or her Incidental paranoia, the oythor's new book not only Is interesting and well written but no doubt will prove to be a good seller. The book deserves the latter. “THE MYSTICS," By Katherine Ce cil Thurston. (Harper & Bros.) «*rS ver * rone W ^° * iajf rea d with pleasure •The Masquerader,” and even “The Gambler,” by Katherine Cecil Thurs ton, has a right to expect something quite superior from this author In the way of Interest-holding books. MyKtlc*.” while copyrighted In 1904, but only issued by the great firm of Harper & Bros., April, 1907, is a good, clean, wholesome novel, but an author who has sent forth “The Mas querader” certainly has set a very high standard for other literary work. It Js under such a disadvantage, If It can be so designated, that the author of “The Mystics” submits her later novel. It Is only by comparison with her earlier published stories that any real fault can be found with “The Mystics.” John Henderson, the hero, has been disinherited by hls father. After the death of the latter, John, under stress of poverty, goes to accept a position with ^hls uncle, his father's brother, who succeeded to the titles and riches of John's grandfather. The book opens with John sitting by the death bed of hls uncle, filled with hopes of hfrrown succession to- the money of the family. The will of the uncle discloses the* fact that John has been left with only $2,500, the balance of the large estate going to a mystical, sqpret society, to which hls uncle belonged. By going through the dead man's papers, John discovers the only written or printed copy of the “mystic bond,” which, un der directions given, he Is to deliver 10 the “Arch-Councillor” of the Mystics. In this bond Henderson reads that it Is the belief or make belief, as the case may be, that there shall come unher alded to the Mystics a “prophet,” with certain physical marks, and filled with certain speeches, which shall give him control over all members of that mys terious band. John Henderson makes a copy of this bond for supposedly ob vious reasons. There Is just here a lapse of ten years, when Henderson, versed in East ern lore and with his chest and other parts of his anatomy marked with crosses and weird signs, enters the meeting hall of “The Mystics” to be acclaimed their prophet. Of course every reader can see that John's Idea is, through hls connection with the mysti cal band, to secure possession of the immense amount of money which Is by hereditary rights his own, and then escape. And this John Intended to di, when enters upon the scene, with soft music and possibly by “the winding stairway” the ever present “woman In the case.” Those old Frenchmen cer tainly understood human nature, fir when anything out of the ordinary would happen they would always begin to look for the woman. Of course John Is enamored with this creature of love liness. As the book puts it, he couldn't very well have avoided It and “draw You see, this Is Just the way women Interfere with the work ings of mere man’s mind. Here was John getting ready to make a steal (It was by rights his own money, of course), and make a run for cover and along comes a charmer, who, through his love for her. steera |im In the straight and narrow path. From this moralizing, you, reader, can Bee tho plot. John Henderson, through his love, gives up his flgbt for his own money and wins hls sweetheart. On the theory “that the world’s well lost, etc., etc.,” John came out all right. Some of us might have preferred the money to the'heroine of “The Mystics,” but that, of course, Is strictly a matter of Individual taste and opinion. The book Is very readable, well worth the price, and also the time spent In pe rusing-it. ATI AUTIP PITY AI I WORLD'S RENOWNED AI LAN Mb Ul 11 • Ni Ji health resort HOTEL RUDOLF Beach" Promenade. 1 "'open XV^r. Favorite All-year Seaside Resort. Capacity 1.000 American ami European rnrhoomT’cSooki 3 ^ OreatTTh? Wat." 8,« Air. Fishing 'rATES. CHARLES R. MYERS, Owner and Proprietor, Atlantic City, H. J. “THE VEILED LADY AND OTHER MEN AND WOMEN.” By F. Hopkln- aon Smith, (Charles Scribners Sons.) When the reader finishes and lays aside one of Mr. F. Hopkinson Smith's charming short stories, he feels Just os if he had hail a Ions, pleasant talk with an old Intimate friend, about other old and new friends. There Is some thing very delightful about Mr. Smith's short stories. This reviewer has often tried to discover Just wherein the charm lies. It must be the Intimate way in which Sir. Smith Just enfolds his readers in his great, outstretched arms full of delight to anyone who ac cepts hls Invitation to go to any old place with him. “The Veiled Lady and Other Mon and Women" Is a collection of eleven delightful short stories, ranging In scene of action from Venice, Stamboul. South America and good old United States. In hls new book Mr. Smith claims tn hide himself behind that fa miliar old nom de plume of “the staid old painter.” and. speaking of the old painter or-even tho lighthouse builder, both of which Mr. Smith has been In real life, tho only objection one can find to this new book from Mr. Smith Is the majority of illustrations, and especially those Intended to show the dear old painter. We all know that Mr. Smith never In hls whole life look ed like the frontispiece In hls new book, and even If he did, we wouldn't admit It. ahd would not willingly 'give pub licity to It. There Is ono Illustration In the charming book that covers the proverbial "multitude of sins,” and that is evidently from Mr. Smith’s own deli cate stroke, called the Rio Gulseppe Canal In Venice. . The readers of the book will only wish there were more such pictures. The first story In tho collection Is "The Veiled Ijtdy.” who 'has for her background Stamboul, and characters made up of the veiled young person herself (who has been abducted by de signing parents and kept In prison from her sweetheart), her lover nnd the old painter. The staid old painter assists In freeing the veiled lady and re uniting two loving young hearts. In "Loretta of the Shipyard" Mr. Smith tells again as the "staid old painter” a pretty little love story of Venice. Tho reader con Just see. and with the hero love Loretta, for she Is very lovely and alluring. In "A Coat of Red Lead,” tho author gives us an amusing account of the construction nnd sale of n light house for a South American port. There arc eight other stories, all full of beauty and color, and It Is difficult to attempt to give an Idea of their charm, of which all of thorn are full to overflow- Infr. Mr. Smith's greatest attraction In hls story telling Is hls Intimate knowl edge of people and things. There Is no bad taste left In the reader’s mouth or worse, "bad thoughts In hie mind, after perusal. The reader Is a better person for the enjoyment of anything coming from Mr. Smith’s gifted pen. May many, many more such storiea come to all of us. "FOUR YEARsTuNDER MARSE ROBERT,” by Major Robert Stiles. (The Neale Publishing Company.) If a reader of this review wants a de lightful story of the Civil war, hosed on facts and Interesting Incidents of those stirring times, there Is none that III.suit better than "Four Years Un der Marse Robert." This Is not a new book, that Is tiwsay. It was not Issued recently, but viewed In a larger, broad er sense. It will always be a new book. "Four Years Under Marse Robert” was Issued In 1903-1904, nnd It is so un usual and Interesting that It ought to he mentioned every now and then, so that Southerners may know that such a fascinating picture of Oenerul Rob ert E. Lee and hls great army has been written and Is waiting to be read. Major Stiles, the author, seems to have raught. as one reader puts tt, "the soul of the conflict." In any way the book is viewed It satisfies.' The reader takes long marches with that great army of Northern' Virginia and he fights with them. too. A book that coven such a varied and excit ing field Is difficult to property review, but It Is sufficient to say that Major Stiles takes us from the beginning of the wnr; tells how he and many othere enlisted In that great conflict, how they fought, whut kind of soldier the Southern hero was, what he felt and what he thought. Tho book reads like a romance. No great piling up of figures and dates, but a thrilling picture of the match less soldiers of the Confederacy. We Southerners with all of our grent lovo for those grand old heroes surely can never-read enough about them.- The books have been written, are still be ing written, and better, are fostered nnd published by that splendid house, thj Neale Publishing Company, of Washington. D. C. Southerners need not. In their de sire for romances nnd for stories of exciting Incidents, seek tales of the West or elsewhere outside of our own country In order to secure the desired mental activity and gratification. We do not read as much as we ougjit of our own grent Southern ■ men and women, and It Is to be hoped that the admirable work which the Neale Pub lishing Company Is now doing In en couraging and bringing out Southern literature will bo appreciated and given a helping hand by the reading masses. We have some splendid writers south of Mason and Dixon’s line, but we do not seem to realise It, possibly on account of our South ern proclivity of taking everything that comes as a matter of course. We really have to go out of the South to find out what really big men are Mr. Joel Chandler Harris and Thomas E. Watson, the latter the author of "Story of France" and "Napoleon" (two books accepted In France as masterpieces). We are a wonderful people, of course, but let us read more of the works of our great Southern authors and Ree what really has been accomplished. There Is plenty of good reading In our midst. If we will Just take a look about us and see for ourselves. This Is not Intended as an advertisement of the Neale Publishing Company: It Is only a ffcw deserved words of rightful praise. To go back to "Four Years Under Marse Robert,” of course, the title Is taken from the loving appellation given by hls soldiers to General Lee. There Is nothing In the book In the wny of controversy: It Is full of attractive pic-, tures (sometimes pathetic, but always Inspiring) of those.noble old soldiers. Major Stiles was a man apparently of strong religious convictions and a most Interesting part of hls delightful work Is that which deals with the spiritual side of the men. who fought Grant and faced death from the opening bf the war until the curtain was rotted down at Appomattox. All together, the book Is charming and Instructive. THROUGH SLEEPERS. BROILER BUFFET SERVICE VIA GEORGIA RAILROAD TO NOR FOLK, VIRGINIA, ACCOUNT OF JAMESTOWN EXPOSITION. LEAVE ATLANTA 7:30 A. M. DAILY. NOTICE! Thei mayor and general council of the city of Atlanta Invito bids for lighting the streets and public places of said city for terms of one year, two years, three years and five years, as per speci fications contained In a resolution of said mayor and general council ap proved April 21, 1907, a copy of which resolution win be furnished upon appli cation to the clerk of council. Bidders shall specify the maximum price to he charged by such bidder to any person, firm or corporation, within tho city of Atlanta, during the term of contract with said city, for electric cur rent or electricity, for light, heat, power or other purposes for which electric current may be used. Bids addressed to the mayor and gen eral council should bo filed with the clerk of council and will be opened on May 6, 1907, at 3 o'clock p. m„ the council chamber. The right to reject any or nil bids Is reserved. W. J. CAMPBELL Clerk of Council. TAX NOTICE State and County Tax Books now open. Make your returns at once and avoid the rusli, Books II close in a few days. T. M. HRMISTEAO, Tax Receiver.