Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-05-02

j per & Bros.
NE of the commonest of cases
is at the bottom of this mat
ter. This is the case of I'M
happy marriage. or. to be
quite exact about 1t, of two
unhappy marriages. On the one mana
it is a husband who is in rebellion
against what has turned out to be an
intolerablc bondage. On the other, IL
is Il wife. What each does about IL
comes out here in a story that is much
more than merely Interesting as well
chosen. eptly handled series OF incl
dents that finally round to plausible
and pleasing conclusion. Under its sur
face of entertaining social episode TINS
romance, on the contrary goes deep in
to the man-and- woman tradition, INTO
their respective points of view. their
special prepossessions. their two kinds
of courage. their different modes OF
meeting the crisis. To dispose OF the
less Illuminating case first, Alyth. the
man. plays the game. man fashioh.
He STAYS bv More interesting because
more honest and in truer vision, Msia
St Claire finding herself under
oretty complete wreckage of dls1iiuslon
with no chance OF saving anything else
and small chance of saving hersel'
goes away TO try to be sell -suPporl
ing self-respecting human being Keep
ing we'll within the bounds OF DeneF-
ability this writer in Myra st. Clare.
creates an admirable type of the new
woman that modern conditions are no"
producing. The girl is sincere. lnde-
peudent. capable and lovable. fine up
standing creature as remote from the
offensive man-woman of recent years
as she is from the distressing reHc OF
the harem type. what She encoun
tiers dav by day in her field of personal
endeayor makes an interesting story.
an admira BILE bit of realism. Finer than
this even is the girls idealism in re
spect to marriage and nome ana chill
dren And best of all IS the courage
with which she maintains these Ideals
This is a strong and competent hand
ling of an important and difficult
theme.
A LOVERS TALE. BY Maurice Hew-
lett author of The Forest Lovers.
etc New York: Charles Scribners
Sons Washington: Woodward &
Lothrop.
At the heart of this tale is a truth
that is as new today as it has always
been, that will be as true in the future
as ii is now This is the human trait
of exalting that which is remote and
out of reach, of seeing a surprising
beauty in the unapproa enable. of finding
ones thoughts about the longed-1or
thing dearer than their realization. In
order to clothe this truth picturesquely.
Mr. Hewlett has rooted out the frag-
ments of the Scandinavian legend OF
Cormac. Cormac once served the kings
of Norway. but later he himself be-
came great Viking. known to Ire
land and Scotland and even. it is said.
making a settlement for himself at
that very Scarborough in the east OF
England over which the wild shells
have of late been falling. But it is the
story of Cormac's youth that this
baS select from this
old tale and to expand in his own fe-
fictitious manner Here Cormac is IN
Iceland-young. poet. lover. The
beautiful Stangerd is the being that
nils his heart. And upon Stangerd the
poet pours out his passion for the
beauty of life, for the splendor of ma
ture in its mothering largess. in its
manifold moods, its deep meanings. All
this ecstasy of the poet he translates
into Stangerd and sets her apart for
worship. his fine fervor falling with
anything like approach to this object of
his rapture Now Stangerd. being a
mere girl. wished above all things to
be loved and wived- Therefore. the
1ong-distance wooing OF Cormac was to
her a perplexity. a sorrow and finally
a resentment. The story goes on its
leisurely way through the spacious.
uncrowded place and time in which it
is set. to the final parting of these
two who are the victims of poets
preposterous loye-making. The SIM
pie. robust life and hand-to-hand en-
counter of the period make the ground
work over which is traced the deli
cate grace of this old love story
THE GREAT TRADITION. And Other
Stories. BY katherine Fullerton
Gerou1d author of Vain Oblations."
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Washington: Woodward & Lothrop.
Marriage is the great tradition" out
of which spring the ten stories Of this
nr af
which the tradition bids fair to give
way before the urge of individual is
the underlying impulse of each, just
as its outcome is demonstration of
the futility of the individual under the
retributive forces of the tradition.
Hasty wed.ock. alien natures. hostile
temperanentS. weaned affections, mu-
tua1 dislike hatred and boredom are
some of the distintegrating influences
brought to bear here against instituted
marriage. And some. in lighter vein.
involve only the daily pin-pricks of
married life. Big and little alike. how
ever. are hailed before the tribunal of
tradition and all alike meet discom-
future and reproach. Mrs. Gerould
swings into the matter with easy as
surance. Breadth of view and intimacy
Of avowal 20 hand in hand here with
keen analysis of character and mood.
with the high and uncommon art of
presenting her people in the flesh, each
distinct personality. large hui
NOR. of somewhat caustic bent, en-
yelopS this exposure of the great ira
diti0n- A fine intellectually pervades
81. Dramatic proportions dominate it,
The whole is a book of unusual dis
tinction. a notable contribution to the
art of the short story.
THE KEEPER OF THE DOOR, By
Ethel NJ. Dell. author of The Way
of an Eagle etc. New York: c. p.
Putnam Sons
Here q single Inadequate act liz
strained in it's meaning. its effect and
jts implications to sustain this story
TO undeniablc over-length The act
81 question is the violation of that
chief tenet in the physicians profession
al code. the command to save life de-
spite every possible argument in IA
yor OF leaving il pass out unhindered
Here. in order TO save her friend from
the certainty of insanity and homicidal
mania. the girl who acts as the her
oine OF this romance enlarges a sleep
ing potion TO the measure of fnaiity
This done. the girl herself is imme-
diately seized with an Illness that
leaves her Obliyious of her own act On
the contrary, her mind is possessed
with suspicion against the demented
girls physician. who chances also to
be her own lover. Upon this basis Of
completely the story moves from one
side of the world TO the other in a more
or less interesting web OF pathological
investigation and the pursuits of WOO
ing. The story is stronger in its struc-
ture than il IL convincing in its char