Tae Max oF THe, Dester (a Weste siory)—By Rober Holy f° steuehica, Vosden.
As the sub-title indicates this is a tale of the West—Mr. Horton has served up a dish of "strong meat" the story is full of stirring incidents which commence in the first chapter and follow one another with astonishing rapidity—from first to last of the "39 chapters there is hardly one which does not contain some thrilling situation—a stampede of cattle, abduction of the heroine, hold up of a ranch accompanied by the Lightning drawings and firing of "guns," and numerous hair breadth escapes form exciting reading. The story opens with the heroine "Hope Farman" on her way across the Desert to stay at her Uncle's ranch] "Rancho del Encanto"—the Ranch of Enchantment—the Ranch is in most isolated situation, the nearest township, some miles away, being]? 'a mining camp town "Bandburg"—sprung up round a rich gold mit called the "Yellow Daisy"; Hope is being driven in a bogey by one of her uncle's men sent to meet her and before they arrive they meet a stampeded herd of cattle and escape annihilation by the skin of thei teeth at the expense of an upset buggy, a broken arm and a sprained Jankle, between them—at precisely the right moment the strong silent} man turns up out of the blue and henceforth the lives of Hope and Channing, the aforesaid S. man, are mixed up in a splendid coi fusion—with, of course, the inevitable result in the last chapter. There is also an outlaw desperado, one Mendicott, who has a Desert fastness from' which he conducts his nefarious schemes and adds not a little excitement to the lives of tke less desperate characters in the plot. The characters are well drawn of their different types particularly) Channing the S, man, Me the desperado, and the heroine—Altogether quite a read able book and one after the fusal of which a quiet time. with something by, say, E. V, Lucas tovides a restful contr
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.