The San Francisco call., 1909-01-31

say she has fed the city and is search
ing for peace and quiet, but one rather
takes her residence there in that light.
At a party while she is still a very
new member of the community shc
meets the prominent people:
Il am fond of remembering them as
I saw them frst--the Topladys. that
great Mis- Amanda. ponderous. majestic
and suggesting black grosgrain, her
beaming way of wholehearted ap-
proval not quite masking the
critical. housewife glances which
she continually east: and little
Timothy. her husband, who. in
company. went quite out OF his
head and could think nothing 10 say
save. 'Blisterin' Benson. what | think
is this Amt everything movin' off
nice?' Dear DR.. June. pastor emeritus
Of Friendship. since he was so identi-
fed with all the village interests that
not many could tell from what church
lie had retired cat each of the three
Friendship churches he rented a pew
and contributed impartially to their
beniilces. and. seems to me the
Lord would Of he sometimes apollo
gizel for this)
Photographer Jimmy Sturgs. who
stood about with one eye shut. and
who drove the bus. .ook charge of the
mailbags, conducted q photos graph gal
lery and painted portraits. cThe Dead
From Photos a Speciality was tackled
on the risers OF the stairs leading to
his studio.) And Mis- Photographer
Sturgis, who was an invalid and very.
very seldom got out fNot | was to
learn, an invalid because OF Ill health.
but by nature She was an invalid as
other people are blonde or brunette,
and no more to be said about it, Miss
Liddy Ember. the village seamstress.
and her beautiful sister Ellen. who was
not quite right and whom Miss Lid
dy took about and treated like child
until the times when Ellen come her
self again. and then she quite over
shadowed in personality little busy
Miss Eiddy. Mis- Holcomb- that-was- :
Name Bliss, and Eppleby Holcomb, and
the Other Holcombs: Mis- Doctor
Helman, the Gekerjecks, who kept
the drug store and scented the world
with musk and essences. CMusk on
one handkerchief and some kind o.
flower scent on your other one Mis-,
Gekerjeck was wont to say. then you
can suit everybody. say who will)
These and the others Mrs. Kicker and
Kitton and l received.
The great joy in a book like this
is encountering familiar incidents. Who
of us having lived in a small town In
any part of the country does not rec
ognize this telephone anecdote?
when one of us telephones, she will
scrupuIously ask for the number, not
the name, for it says so at the top OF
every page. Give me one-one,' she
will put it, with an impersonality as
fine as IL she were calling for four
figures. And central w:Il answer:
Well, just saw Mis- Holcomb go
'crost the street. I'll call you, if you
want. when she comes back
"Or, I don't Nthink you better ring
the Helmans just now. They We're
awake most all night with one o. Mis-
Helman's attacks
.Or. Doctor June's invited to Mis-
Sykes for tea. Shall I give him to
you there?
If one can find fault with this
thoroughly charming book, it is that
as a book it is too long. One would
not tire of the chapsers IL they came
out as sketches in the magazines. but
a whole book of them will wear on
some readers 1t is diff1cult to do real
Justice In a review, for there is no
story 1t is a book one will put on his
bedside table and read and smile and
sigh over it again and again. If only
to make friends with Calliope Marsh
1t is worth while reading the book.
She is a new personality in fiction,
amusing and charming, who makes her
influence felt from cover to cover.