The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-24
George Madden Martins Long Story.

A new book by the author Of Emmy
Lou" is sure to attract host OF readers
whose curiosity is aroused to see what she
can do with love story about grown-ups.
There 10 no need Of saying that Mrs. George
Madden Martins THE House Of Fulfil
ment' Mcclure, Phillips Coz is fresh,
bright and well written. That it Is in some
measure disappointing is due in part to
the inevitable comparison with the novelty
and artistic completeness Of her first book.
twill be read with pleasure as whole and
some portions are very good indeed.
There is one living person In the story,
two or three others wake into life at times,
the rest remain motionless and unchanged
throughout 1t almost seems as though
the author had taken the small child's
point Of view and regarded her characters
as immutable toys that must do everything
every time In the same way, and whose
exaggeratons are truer to her than the
reality. The toys are pretty conventional
in their makeup, too, which may be all
right for a child, but which we did not
expect from Mrs Martin.
There lie Presbyterian household, brother
and sister, Of Incredible stiffness and for
mality, the brother a sort Of bug-a-boo
cut out Of an old time Sunday school book.
There are a couple Of irresponsible Southern
women, charming in way, one very nice,
the other not so nice, whose demeanor
does not change by dot during the twenty
odd years that the story lasts There is
ono old gentleman who pats hands and
doesn't utter fifty words In all those years
and who is never seen except sitting In
one attitude. There Is negro nanny as
individual as rag doll
The girl, however, whose story this Ia. is
alive and delightful In every way. We like
her best in the first part, where che In little
more than a baby and gives US gllmpses,
pathetic or amusing, into baby's heart
and mind. Her playmates are like her.
and the grown people only a background.
Then she grows up into young woman.
She Is still sweet and natural, but 1t becomes
more difficult to follow her mental processes,
and the other people do intrude. We
meet a promising old soldier who has taken
to the pen and has a very satisfactory
elderly love affair; but, just as we get to
love him well, he Is snatohed from the stage,
and practically out of the story, and hung
up by the wires, like the other puppets.
Next comes tho y Dung woman's own
love story. She has faded pretty nearly to
an abstraction by that time. and her self
willed young lover is little more than
concentrated extract Of several wlful
heroes we have met in books There Is a
deal moro than we Like of the selfish, chat
tering little mother addicted to aloholoio
stimulants, and of Florida, and Of the stern
young Episcopal clergyman who holds up
the fear Of death before the butterfly. But
the sentiment Ia true, the people are gentle
and the reader will enjoy the story to the
end.
Nobody will be able to say that Mrs
Martins talent ends with child life There
are delicious scenes and bits Of life that
show what she can do with older people II
she chooses to- Yet here she sticks to
conventions In the construction OF the
story and to conventional characters in an
almost wilful way that is very provoking.
She has acquired the mechanism Of her
craft and should not let 1t master her.
1t is not enough to fashion her puppets;