Jack Ballister s Fortunes. By Howard Pyle. (Osgood, 3IcIlvaine, aid
Co.)—Mr. Pyle has made too big a book of his materials. Physically, it is too big, being over-heavy to be comfortably held in the hand. There is no plot,—that is to say, no contrivance or surprise ; and the incidents, though with plenty of interest about them and well described, might be compressed into a very brief narrative. Jack Ballister is kidnapped through the scheming of an uncle who wants to get rid of him, and carried across the Atlantic to Virginia. He is handed over to a spendthrift and gambling colonist, gets into trouble with his master, escapes, falls into the hands of a pirate, and assists a young lady, who has been abducted and held to ransom, to escape. We need not pursue the story any further, nor need we apologise for having thus antici- pated it. The tale is like a straight road of which we see the end as soon as we start. Nevertheless, it is sufficiently interesting to the traveller. Some of the illustrations, which are by the author, are good ; others are less satisfactory, possibly because the pro.. cess has not done them justice.
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