Show A BOOK REVIEW OF ROADS TO 9 by hoffman birney published bv bt penn publishing co phil li t this Is a bool originally not ex acely written tor for publication but to pas pass among frieida trie ids who like the author like to roam around and see things a bit so it has a person al at sort of friendly tang not for nial mal raps irney la is the author ot of vigilant ab a tine fine version of the days when biell ell was and judge lynch put the fear of law and order into the hearts of the bad eggs this series of articles appeared in the saturday evening post written dur ing tire time he was iwas out on th vaca tion that caused him to write roads to roam practically alone he and hia his chug chug cart betsey go to rainbow bridge where he had to turn in his gas burner for a good solid sub moclips and donk high blung tor for a bad roadway these hay burners took him there and brot him back from a studebaker to a tough missouri mule followed by a donk with the pack of grub n things following was his changing exper lence he went miles met no in surmountable difficulties played no fiero liero stuff saw only three snakes and all of them harmless but he tells just what he saw in good old plain language no rhapsody of pret ty words to catch the unwary just nice good wholesome talk the same fis it if you were along with him I 1 had been over a lot of the same territory so that I 1 doubly enjoyed it ot of the things that I 1 saw the mis elon sion of san xavier which he says is the most beautiful ecclesiastical building in america and I 1 got a wonderful photo of it now trans er to a lantern slide casa grande or big house superstition moun bains with all its myths legends yarns some nearly true others tar far from tact fact rosevelt dam coolidge dam apache trail mormon lake the ancient indian ruins just out of flagstaff lee s ferry the grand canyon the mesa verde a fine trip lots of interest and he a good talker to his seat companion the reader you will enjoy the book one part in it that I 1 particularly liked he met the trail of that most interesting archeological character mr mit the first dour he who put his insignia upon rock wall that all might see and ad mire the flute playing bard t tf whose seductive strain many a dus dusky ky maiden listened the hunchback minstrel the teller of tales the sing ler er of songs and apparently a swordsman who would make jurgen of esme look like francis of agassi there Is much humor in the book and a subtle display of wit that gives keen intellectual enjoyment he speaks of john and richard Rl ichard wetherill discoverers of cliff pal ace 1 I had met mrs marietta with erill widow of richard and was en with her wonderful exper lences fences and rich indian lore he closes the book with a fitting eulogy of dr A E tree ring douglas who dated the ruins of the southwest with his wonderful dis covery of the year records in the growth of tree rings a most as toni bonishing shing scientific achievement which has brought him nation wide and merited renown he writes of monument valley in such a way that you feet itch to go there charles kelly had been there and a bond of friendship was cemented between him and B aney because of birney a appreciation of that marvelous place A chapter on I 1 A day of rest is amu ing well said and adroitly turn turns the joke on him and his partner in that day of rest they had to set a very badly broken leg horribly twisted between knee and ankle sus bained by an indian and then when twilight came assist in the birth of a navaho ind an child the book is very readable espee bally to one who has been over much of the same territory is splendidly written and proves its author had been gifted with a shrewd observe tion besides being a good writer many will enjoy reading roads to roam frank beckwith sr |