The False Gods Read online

  Simpkins was back at the news-stand again and there were the Bostonpapers. He snatched a _Banner_ from the top of the pile. No, hemust have the wrong paper. He tore through it from front to back andthen to front again, his heart bounding with joy. There was not a lineof his story in it. They had received that Associated Press dispatch,after all. Yes, there it was, but oh, how differently it looked! Itspelt damnation an hour ago, it meant salvation now.

  * * * * *

  After all, hadn't his mistake been a natural one? Hadn't he done hisbest for the paper? Wasn't it his duty to run down a lead like that?He'd made errors of judgment, perhaps, but he'd like to see the man whowouldn't have under the circumstances. Of course, mistakes would creepin occasionally and give innocent people the worst of it, but look atthe good he'd done in his life by exposing scoundrels. How could he, howcould any man, have acted differently who was loyal to his paper, whosefirst interests were the public good? If Naylor didn't appreciate a starman when he had him, he thought he knew an editor or two who did. Simp.,old boy, wasn't going to starve.... Starve? It had been hungry work, sohe'd just step across to the Manhattan, get a bite of breakfast, andlook up the trains to Boston.

  Naylor did know a good man when he had him, and likewise--quite asvaluable a bit of knowledge--he knew when a man had had enough. So whenSimpkins sat down that afternoon to tell him his experiences, he onlysmiled quizzically as the reporter wound up by asking, "Now, what do_you_ think?" and answered:

  "Well, for one thing, I think it did you a power of good to look behindthat veil, because I reckon that for once in your life you've told methe truth as near as you know how."

  "No, but aside from this pleasant personal conclusion," persistedSimpkins, modestly shedding the compliment.

  "Well, I guess we won't bother with the Blavatsky story just now, buthere's a clipping about a woman who's discovered what she calls soulaura--says we've got red, white and blue souls and all that sort ofstuff. You're our soul expert now, so go over to the City Hall and askthe mayor and any politicians you meet what's the color of their souls.It ought to make a fair Sunday special." And Naylor swung around to hisdesk, for the city editor had just told him that the headless trunk of awoman had been picked up in the river--a find that promised a goodstory--and a newspaper man cannot waste time on yesterday.

  Simpkins' face fell. That he had not been assigned to find the head was,he knew, the beginning of his punishment. But as he walked down thedingy hall to the street his step became more buoyant, and once in theopen air he started off eager and smiling. For a good opening sentencewas already shaping in his head, and as he stepped into the City Hall hewas repeating to himself:

  "Yesterday, when the Mayor was asked, 'What is the color of your soul?'he returned his stereotyped 'Nothing to give out on that subject,' andthen added, 'But it would be violating no confidence to tell you thatBoss Coonahan's is black.'"

  To Simpkins it had been given to lift the veil and to know the truth;yet he was back again serving the false gods.

  * * * * *

  WHERE LOVE CONQUERS.

  The Reckoning.

  By Robert W. Chambers.

  The author's intention is to treat, in a series of four or fiveromances, that part of the war for independence which particularlyaffected the great landed families of northern New York, the Johnsons,represented by Sir William, Sir John, Guy Johnson, and Colonel Claus;the notorious Butlers, father and son, the Schuylers, Van Rensselaers,and others.

  The first romance of the series, Cardigan, was followed by the second,The Maid-at-Arms. The third, in order, is not completed. The fourth isthe present volume.

  As Cardigan pretended to portray life on the baronial estate of SirWilliam Johnson, the first uneasiness concerning the coming trouble, thefirst discordant note struck in the harmonious councils of the LongHouse, so, in The Maid-at-Arms, which followed in order, the authorattempted to paint a patroon family disturbed by the approaching rumbleof battle. That romance dealt with the first serious split in theIroquois Confederacy; it showed the Long House shattered though notfallen; the demoralization and final flight of the great landed familieswho remained loyal to the British Crown; and it struck the key-note tothe future attitude of the Iroquois toward the patriots of thefrontier--revenge for their losses at the battle of Oriskany--and endedwith the march of the militia and continental troops on Saratoga.

  The third romance, as yet incomplete and unpublished, deals with thewar-path and those who followed it led by the landed gentry of TryonCounty; and ends with the first solid blow delivered at the Long House,and the terrible punishment of the Great Confederacy.

  The present romance, the fourth in chronological order, picks up thethread at that point.

  The author is not conscious of having taken any liberties with historyin preparing a framework of facts for a mantle of romance.

  Robert W. Chambers.

  NEW YORK, _May 26, 1904_.

  D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK.

  * * * * *

  WORKS OF ROBERT W. CHAMBERS.

  IOLE

  Colored inlay on the cover, decorative borders, head-pieces, thumb-nailsketches, and tail-pieces. Frontispiece and three full-pageillustrations. 12mo. Ornamental Cloth, $1.25.

  Does anybody remember the opera of The Inca, and that heart-breakingepisode where the Court Undertaker, in a morbid desire to increase hisprofessional skill, deliberately accomplishes the destruction of hismiddle-aged relatives in order to inter them for the sake of practice?

  If I recollect, his dismal confession runs something like this:

  "It was in bleak November When I slew them, I remember, As I caught them unawares Drinking tea in rocking-chairs."

  And so he talked them to death, the subject being "What Really Is Art?"Afterward he was sorry--

  "The squeak of a door, The creak of a floor, My horrors and fears enhance; And I wake with a scream As I hear in my dream The shrieks of my maiden aunts!"

  Now it is a very dreadful thing to suggest that those highly respectablepseudo-spinsters, the Sister Arts, supposedly cozily immune in theirpolygamous chastity (for every suitor for favor is popularly expected tobe wedded to his particular art)--I repeat, it is very dreadful tosuggest that these impeccable old ladies are in danger of being talkedto death.

  But the talkers are talking and Art Nouveau rockers are rocking, and thetrousers of the prophet are patched with stained glass, and it is a dayof dinkiness and of thumbs.

  Let us find comfort in the ancient proverb: "Art talked to death shallrise again." Let us also recollect that "Dinky is as dinky does;" that"All is not Shaw that Bernards;" that "Better Yeates than Clever;" thatwords are so inexpensive that there is no moral crime in robbing Henryto pay James.

  Firmly believing all this, abjuring all atom-pickers, slab furniture,and woodchuck literature--save only the immortal verse:

  "And there the wooden-chuck doth tread; While from the oak trees' tops The red, red squirrel on the head The frequent acorn drops."

  Abjuring, as I say, dinkiness in all its forms, we may still hope thatthose cleanly and respectable spinsters, the Sister Arts, will continuethroughout the ages, rocking and drinking tea unterrified by themillion-tongued clamor in the back yard and below stairs, where thumband forefinger continue the question demanded by intellectualexhaustion:

  "L'arr! Kesker say l'arr?"

  D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK.

  * * * * *

  THE MASTERPIECE OF A MASTER MIND.

  The Prodigal Son.

  By Hall Caine. 12mo. Ornamental Cloth, $1.50.

  "The Prodigal Son" follows the lines of the Bible parable in theprincipal incidents, but in certain important particulars it departsfrom them. In a most convincing way, and with rare beauty, the storyshows that Christ's parable is a picture of heavenly mercy, and not ofhuman justice, and if it
were used as an example of conduct among men itwould destroy all social conditions and disturb accepted laws ofjustice. The book is full of movement and incident, and must appeal tothe public by its dramatic story alone. The Prodigal Son at the close ofthe book has learned this great lesson, and the meaning of the parableis revealed to him. Neither success nor fame can ever wipe out the evilof the past. It is not from the unalterable laws of nature and life thatforgiveness can be hoped for.

  "Since 'The Manxman' Hall Caine has written nothing so moving in itselements of pathos and tragedy, so plainly marked with the power tosearch the human heart and reveal its secret springs of strength andweakness, its passion and strife, so sincere and satisfying as 'TheProdigal Son.'"--_New York Times_.

  "It is done with supreme self-confidence, and the result is a work ofgenius."--_New York Evening Post_.

  "'The Prodigal Son' will hold the reader's attention from cover tocover."--_Philadelphia Record_.

  "This is one of Hall Caine's best novels--one that a large portion ofthe fiction-reading public will thoroughly enjoy."--_ChicagoRecord-Herald_.

  "It is a notable piece of fiction."--_Philadelphia Inquirer_.

  "In 'The Prodigal Son' Hall Caine has produced his greatestwork.'--_Boston Herald_.

  "Mr. Caine has achieved a work of extraordinary merit, a fiction asfinely conceived, as deftly constructed, as some of the best work of ourliving novelists."--_London Daily Mail_.

  "'The Prodigal Son' is indeed a notable novel; and a work that maycertainly rank with the best of recent fiction...."--_WestminsterGazette_.

  D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK.

  * * * * *

  "A beautiful romance of the days of Robert Burns."

  Nancy Stair.

  A Novel. By Elinor Macartney Lane, author of "Mills of God."Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.

  "With very much the grace and charm of Robert Louis Stevenson, theauthor of 'The Life of Nancy Stair' combines unusual gifts of narrative,characterization, color, and humor. She has also delicacy, dramaticquality, and that rare gift--historic imagination.

  "'The Life of Nancy Stair' is interesting from the first sentence to thelast; the characters are vital and are, also, most entertaining company;the denouement unexpected and picturesque and cleverly led up to fromone of the earliest chapters; the story moves swiftly and without ahitch. Robert Burns is neither idealized nor caricatured; Sandy, Jock,Pitcairn, Danvers Carmichael, and the Duke of Borthewicke are admirablyrelieved against each other, and Nancy herself as irresistible as she isnatural. To be sure, she is a wonderful child, but then she manages tomake you believe she was a real one. Indeed, reality and naturalness aretwo of the charms of a story that both reaches the heart and engages themind, and which can scarcely fail to make for itself a large audience. Agreat deal of delightful talk and interesting incidents are used for thedevelopment of the story. Whoever reads it will advise everybody heknows to read it; and those who do not care for its literary qualitycannot escape the interest of a love-story full of incident andatmosphere."

  "Powerfully and attractively written."--_Pittsburg Post_.

  "A story best described with the word 'charming.'"--_Washington Post_.

  D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK.

  * * * * *

  WIT, SPARKLING, SCINTILLATING WIT, IS THE ESSENCE OF

  Kate of Kate Hall,

  By Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler, whose reputation was made by her firstbook, "Concerning Isabel Carnaby," and enhanced by her last success,"Place and Power."

  "In 'Kate of Kate Hall,' by Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler, the question ofimminent concern is the marriage of super-dainty, peppery-tempered LadyKatherine Clare, whose wealthy godmother, erstwhile deceased, has lefther a vast fortune, on condition that she shall be wedded within sixcalendar months from date of the testator's death.

  "An easy matter, it would seem, for bonny Kate, notwithstanding heraptness at sharp repartee, is a morsel fit for the gods.

  "The accepted suitor appears in due time; but comes to grief at the lastmoment in a quarrel with Lady Kate over a kiss bestowed by her upon hergodmother's former man of affairs and secretary. This incident shehaughtily refuses to explain. Moreover, she shatters the bond ofengagement, although but three weeks remain of the fatal six months. Shewould rather break stones on the road all day and sleep in a pauper'sgrave all night, than marry a man who, while professing to love her,would listen to mean and malicious gossips picked up by tell-tales inthe servants' hall.

  "So the great estate is likely to be lost to Kate and her debt-riddenfather, Lord Claverley. How it is conserved at last, and gloomyapprehension chased away by dazzling visions of material splendor--thatis the author's well-kept secret, not to be shared here with a carelessand indolent public."--_Philadelphia North American._

  "The long-standing reproach that women are seldom humorists seems in afair way of passing out of existence. Several contemporary femininewriters have at least sufficient sense of humor to produce characters asdeliciously humorous as delightful. Of such order is the CountessClaverley, made whimsically real and lovable in the recent book by EllenThorneycroft Fowler and A.L. Felkin, 'Kate of Kate Hall.'"--_ChicagoRecord-Herald._

  "'Kate of Kate Hall' is a novel in which Ellen Thorneycroft Fowlerdisplays her brilliant abilities at their best. The story is wellconstructed, the plot develops beautifully, the incidents are varied andbrisk, and the dialogue is deliciously clever."--_Rochester Democratand Chronicle._

  D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK.

  * * * * *

  LOVE. MYSTERY. VENICE.

  The Clock and the Key.

  By Arthur Henry Vesey. 12mo. Ornamental Cloth, $1.50.

  This is a tale of a mystery connected with an old clock. The lover, anAmerican man of means, is startled out of his sensuous, inactive life inVenice by his lady-love's scorn for his indolence. She begs of him toperform any task that will prove his persistence and worth. With thecharm of Venice as a background, one follows the adventures of the loverendeavoring to read the puzzling hints of the old clock as to thewhereabouts of the famous jewels of many centuries ago. After followingmany false clues the lover ultimately solves the mystery, triumphs overhis rivals, and wins the girl.

  AMERICA.

  "For an absorbing story it would be hard to beat."--_Harper'sWeekly._

  ENGLAND.

  "It will hold the reader till the last page."--_London Times._

  SCOTLAND.

  "It would hardly suffer by comparison with Poe's immortal 'GoldBug.'"_--Glasgow Herald._

  * * * * *

  NORTH.

  "It ought to make a record."--_Montreal Sun._

  SOUTH.

  "It is as fascinating in its way as the Sherlock Holmesstories--charming--unique."--_New Orleans Picayune._

  EAST.

  "Don't fail to get it."--_New York Sun._

  WEST.

  "About the most ingeniously constructed bit of sensational fiction thatever made the weary hours speed."--_St. Paul Pioneer Press._

  * * * * *

  "If you want a thrilling story of intrigue and mystery, which will causeyou to burn the midnight oil until the last page is finished, read 'TheClock and the Key.'"--_Milwaukee Wisconsin._

  "One of the most highly exciting and ingenious stories we have read fora long time is 'The Clock and the Key.'"--_London Mail._

  D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK.

  * * * * *

  A GOOD AUTOMOBILE STORY.

  Baby Bullet.

  By Lloyd Osbourne, Author of "The Motor-maniacs." Illustrated.12mo. Ornamental Cloth, $1.50.

  This is the jolliest, most delightfully humorous love story that hasbeen written in the last ten years. Baby Bullet is an "orphanautomobile." It is all through the adoption of Baby Bullet by hertravelling companion that a dear, sweet, human modern girl mee
ts a verynice young man, and a double romance is begun and finished on anautomobiling tour through England.

  "The story is smoothly written, full of action and healthfulfun."--_Philadelphia Public Ledger._

  "'Baby Bullet' is without doubt the best written and most entertainingautomobile story yet published. The most enjoyable feature of this bookis its genuine, unforced humor, which finds expression not only inludicrous situations, but in bright and spirited dialogue, keenobservation and natural characterization.'--_St. Paul Dispatch._

  "Certain stories there are that a man fervently wishes he might claim ashis own. Of these, 'Baby Bullet' is one."--_Baltimore Sun._

  "It is broad comedy, full of adventurous fun, clever and effective. Thetale is fascinating from the start. The adventures of Baby Bullet aredistinctly funny."--_New York Sun._

  "The characters are lightly drawn, but with great humor. It is a storythat refreshes a tired brain and provokes a light heart."--_ChicagoTribune._

  "It is a most satisfying and humorous narrative."--_IndianapolisNews._

  "One of the funniest scenes in recent fiction is the escape of theautomobile party from the peroxide blonde who has answered theiradvertisement for a chaperon."--_San Francisco Chronicle._

  D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK.