New-York tribune., 1909-01-09
The Romantic Story Of an absurd
but Lorable Nan.


THE MISSIONER By E. Phillips oppennn1e55n; ne E7os d
iustTated by Fred Pegraln- l2no. pP- 'lz- 60s-
FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE. BY Zona Gaze lZnio'
PIP s2S. The Macmillan Company.
Mr. Locke exn]oits whinsicality in his books
as another writer exploits mystery, rustic SIM
plicity og what not. He does 1t very "el'
though at the risk Of imperilling his rePute Tor
originality. Danger looms ahead for noFehs'
when the first few pages of his new book make
the reader feel that he is going to enjoy hln-
self in a more than familiar way In the midst
OF the readers pleasure there Will come mo-
n7ents of half cynical reflection. moments III
which he wonders if there is not such thlhg
ss trick of writing 4 somewhat too artificial
and clever way OF gaining an effect. Sepu-
mus" creates rather mixed mood It is in
dubitably an amusing book and at times II
seerns almost more than that There are in 1t
flashes Of sweetness. of tenderness. which very
nearly serve to dissipate the fastidious air in
which the story is enveloped- Then come back
the doubts. the suspicious that Mr.. Locke is too
clever by half.
His hero is young fellow Of inventive turn
Of mind VINO might perhaps astonish the world by
some great feat in mechanical design, but whose
nsture YOU only refrain from describing as
chfdlike and naive because those terms do not'
after all indicate more than shade Of his IN
nocsnt helplessness. When We first meet him
he has encountered the heroine Of the book at
Monte Carlo. she wins some money for him at
the tables and he asks her to keep it in her care.
Incidentally he asks her if she has breaktasted'
Thus the narrative continues:
fora was startled sane man does not talk OF
breakfasting at O'Clock in the evening" BmI i f; m
were lrnatic perhaps i were wise 10 huinor NM
40. I've only just got mp -, s,.
DO yoa mean to say you've been asleep all Gay!
hats ha rN1S
Let US sit down. SAID .o, ZeTa. .o,,o,,.s rv tbe
wall vacant, and sat down zora regarded him
VII should ysn he happier if took care Of
ishonidn't spend il. ! might meet man who
wanted TO sell gas-enEine-
but you needn't buy Il. .
Eotierdara last year year Trlan made me 0uy second
Are YOU a dentist?'' asked Zora.
Lord no! If 1 were I could have used she
What aid you 90 EltR 5;..+t., is3 ..rr,,.. maid
- imaginary person at Singapore
seE,tirn,ss is always saying these artIess
things He saws them. in fact little too often.
90 that as has been indicated, presently feel
Mr Locke 20 he. perhaps too artful. Fortu-
rateiy. this fantastic hero discloses elements Of
character which are very winning and come
20 like him as it in spite Of the author of
his being 1t is as If he got out of Mr.. Locke s
hands and appealed TO on his own account,
which is of course. an excellent tribute to Mr..
Locke The other figures in the book are of
tTifliaE significance. Glenn Sypher the sound
hearted purveyor OF a quack remedy. fulfls
none Of the promise with which he starts. Fora,
too. is q sad disappointment. It is Septimus
who pulls the story through It is for his sake
that We read on and are glad, at the end, al
having persevered. But Mr.. Locke will have to
do better work than this If he is to sustain his
vogue
THE Missioner" from its title and from its
opening chapters. would seem to suggest that
Mr. Oppenlleim had resolved TO tell a tale of the
perennial conflict between good and evil His
hero, bent upon doing some good in the world
goes down into the country 10 preach to the
~ tenants OF a young. beautiful and wealthy
sxoman Miss ThoTT,e-Ha is much annoyed
/9faster Victor Macheson, being rebuffeG by hel
steward. makes so bold as to enter the lady's
own drawing room and there demand right Il
discourse 10 the villagers. He is cruelty
snubbed. obviously religion and society" are
TO be arrayed in mortal combat But it is not
the obvious thing that occurs Miss Thorpe
Hatton follows up her incivity TO the la!
preacher by swooping down upon him in tht
woods at night planting kiss upon his lips
and then taking flight. After that the reader 1:
prepared for anything. yet il must be confessed
that Nj Oppenheim is ingenious enough to in.
tToduce- toward the close of his narrative.
fairly stupefying surprise The book. i'm short
IS written to entertain. Character is subordinat'
ed to action The different types involved are
sharply enough differentiated, but this scarcely
matters. We are interested solely in the UP.
shot OF Miss Thorpe-Hatton's infatuation an,
OF the queer tragedy which is enacted at AZ
early stage of the story. On these melOdramati,
grounds The Missioner" may he regarded as
very effective performance.
Miss zona Gales Friendship Village IS on,
hcmespun types made sympathetic by
fairly spontaneous application Of sentiment anc
hunaor in the painting Of their portraits and III,
sketching Of their daily lives. The substance o.
the book is well illustrated in the following
rassage:
Stable for the little blacks. celebrated for thei
self-control in encounters with the PToudfits
are ST 1.-The funeral And after he has gone ot
20 ask his employer what Is in then, the employer
who in his unofficial moments is our neighbor. gu
church choir bass, landlord even, comes an
tells us that. after all. may have the lttl
blacks. and he himself brings them round at once
the same little blacks that all along
E1d when quite naturally we wonder at the boy
version. learn "Oh. why. the blacks wa
s:andin' just across fhe street waitin at IN
cut and put IN the bays. says TO myself: 'Tb
corp won't care
Here and there the humor in Miss Gales book
from the authors whm and enough from
IRE character of the fictitious parsonage Il
whom the words attributed. At bottom