Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 November 1908 — “UNCLE TOM ANDY BILL.’’ [ARTICLE]

“UNCLE TOM ANDY BILL.’’

Mr. Charles Major’s New Book a Capital Story for Boys and Their Elders. Here is a story that will delight the youngsters—when their fathers have finished with it. Although it is a story about boys, and will probably find its most enthusiastic admirers among young readers, it is a book from which the older person can derive much enjoyment. Mr. Major is one of the born storytellers, and this capital tale of adventure unrolls itself as simply and naturally as if the author had himself lived every word of it.

To readers in this State "Uncle Tom Andy Bill” has a special appeal, first, because 'the author is one of the most famous of Indiana authors, and secondly, because practically the whole story is laid in Indiana. The leading character is the old man, Thomas Andrew William Addison, whose quaint name gives the book its title, and who is the narrator. It is the story of his own boyhood, when he ahd his friend Balser Brent were mighty hunters and Indiana was on the western frontier of the country. The two boys encounter various exciting adventures on their hunting trips. The most momentous of all begins when they befriend an old Indian and in time learn from him the secret of a treasure buried in a mysterious cave. They go in search of the treasure and in the end actually find it in the famous Wyandotte Cave in Crawford County. Mr. Major has given a remarkable atmosphere of realism to his story by his correct descriptions of its scenes, and towards the end of the book, there is an actual map of the Cave, showing just how and where the boys found the treasure. There are besides numerous very good illustrations by P. Van E. Ivory.

It would be unfair to close this notice of “Uncle Tom Andy Bill” without mention of the charming love story which Mr. Major has interwoven with the adventure. The boys make an eventful trip to Cincinnati, fall in with the famous “Wolf Gang” of robbers, and after the narrowest of escapes from death get away with a young girl whom they rescue from the gang. All through the story the influence of this girl is felt, and the story of Tom Andy Bill’s love for her is as good as anything Mr. Major has written. / Certainly no Indiana boy will want to miss this admirable story. (The Macmillan Company,' New York, $1.50.)