The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-04


 1ustrations by Frederic R Gruger
 Houghton Mifflin Co.,. publishers, Bos-
 ton.
 Few books since "Queed," by Henry syndor Harrison have appealed to the public as this very clever book has un- less it be his other two which followed. namely. ". v.s Eyes" and 'Angela's s Business
 Many of the critics consider his last novel. "Angelas Business the best of the three but this is merely a matter of taste.
 Certainly "Angela's Business is as clever as either of the others which is paying 1t the highest compliment that can be paid a book.
 It is very different-yet quite like the other two in many respects.
 In the first place, the style 1t is writ ten in, the very unusual characters the clever touches of wit and pathos. that none knows how to give exactly like MT. Harrison .are all there and one could scarcely imagine a reader being unap- preciative enough of real genius to do anything but enjoy it from start to fin- fish.
 "Angela's Business' If you please, is making a home. which is Just about the best business, as we all agree, that any woman can have.
 Of course. to do this. she must have husband, and she wasn't a bit remiss about corraling one; in fact, every man was a possibility with her and she didn't fail to draw about her a nice little ''coterie'' as soon as she got to her new home, all the while wearing ring which belonged to young fellow back in her old home town, which meant an en- gagement, unless she found somebody who suited her better. which she even tually did with the aid of a perfectly good little four-wheeler. "a Fordette," as MT. Harrison describes it, and her own native ability to hunt husbands
 Not since our friend, B. B. s. wrote the last word on the subject of nus band hunting," in Man and Super man." has anybody said as many clever, satirical things about the situation as MT. Harrison.
 Past grand master in the art of sar- casm, relentlessly clever in poking fun at mere man, as well as woman, MT. Harrison fairly revels In the situations in which he places his hero. Charles Gar rott, an author who Is seeking to classify womankind and whom womankind classi- fies before he gets to 1t.
 Delicately drawn and humorously told is the story of Angela's husband hunting and nothing more ridiculously has ever been penned than the visit of Charles Garrott to Angela Flowers home and the very embarrassing position he finds himself in after the bridge game, when sitting on the soft beside Angela, he yielded to the soft. feminine charm of that young lady ,and quietly but de- liciously imprinted a kiss upon her rosy cheek.
 This was quite enough for Angela practically a proposal-but not to Charles Garrott, and when he failed to follow his rash act by asking the young lady to marry him, he at once became the object upon which she turned all her batteries and he was made to pay the penalty, world without end.
 Says MT. Harrison:
 .In the romances, men who won maidens sweet kiss instantly besought her to name the day; failing that, they were cads. But Charles was resolved to fail in that and he was struggling de- terminedly not to feel cad. He simply did not consider that Angela's kiss had such prfcelessness. entailing cosmic responsibilities. Why was her kiss any sweeter than his own, to come right flown to if? \
 !" T won't marry her. I won't! said Charles Garrott. I'll call myself names for her, yes; I'll send her bonbons, flow CTS, that sort of thing; I'll land Donald for her-that's a thought! I'll get her invited to the Thursday German. But marry ner.
 However, MT Garrott, our worthy hero. wasn't destined to get off as easily as he thought and duly he was run down." so to speak by the little "Fordette," which always happened CD to be exactly on the spot when Charles got ready to be there, until the poor man was half crazed as to what to do and where to go to escape the s'home making" Angela. As a matter of fact, he does escape In the long run. by clever ruse-not his but Donald Manford's. who being young and red blooded easily falls a victim to