We all know that Mr. WILLIAM CAINE has a gay humour, and he indulges it liberally, sometimes rollickingly, in _The Fan_. With a candour which I warmly commend he states conspicuously that most of these stories have appeared before, and he expresses his acknowledgments to various Editors over a widish range--from _Macmillan's Magazine_ to _London Opinion_, and from _The English Review_ to _Answers_. It would be an innocent diversion to have to guess which story was written for which Editor. But for whatever public the author caters he is, with only one or two exceptions, out for fun, and he gets it. Some of his stories are pure extravaganzas, but they are written in a style unusually good for this kind, and by a very shrewd observer of human foibles. Messrs. METHUEN tell us that Mr. CAINE "views life from an angle all his own," and although I do not often find myself in agreement with publishers' opinions of their own wares it is to me a right angle. * * * * * [Illustration: THE ECONOMIC ERA. PROVIDE YOUR OWN WATER SUPPLY AND RELEASE A WATER-RATE COLLECTOR.] * * * * * "THE FOOD HOARDERS THREATENED. NOT MORE THAN 1 TON OF COAL AT A TIME."--_Daily News._ Then, as the vulgar have it, the food-hoarders will just have to go and eat coke.