Evening star., 1915-11-21

among them a young woman whose
story is inexpressibly sad, who has
been smitten in melancholy which no
efforts can relieve. She has lost par
ents and sister In most shocking
manner and her lover has deserted her
in her hour of misfortune. David loves
her almost at their first meeting.
mutual grief. heightened by David's
own wound incurred as he rushes to
the front to avenge his brothers death
by a most reckless service. heighten-
ing his sense of sympathy for the af-
fiicted Belgian. Throughout the story
the ministrations of Peggy, young
Johns fiance, figure effectively as she
endeavors to bring about a marriage
between David and Nivianne. A great
and apparently unbridgable misunder-
standing opens between the Welsh hus-
band and the Belgian wife. but at
length the gap is crossed and happiness
comes to them. The story is particu-
larly interesting apart from its liter
airy quality, in the picture IT presents
of the life of the Belgian refugees In
England.
THIS WAY OUT. By Anna Mcclure
sholl. author of THE Law of Life."
etc. New York: Hearst's Interna.
tional Library Company.
Margaret Carpenter. "A widow or ex-
ceptionaI personality, solves many i'm
teresting problems somewhat in tho
She becomes interested in them as an
| amateur solely and in the course of her
various experiences in unraveling these
puzzles she meets and is eventually
married to the story teller. who re-
lates her achievements from his own
! point of view. Among the mysteries
which are thus solved are the disap-
pearance of d diamond at artists
studio supper, the murder of a brutal
cooper vino abused an animal and the
supposed murder of an eccentric.
wealthy man by his nephew, in the last
of which typical modern touch is
given by the introduction of a motion
picture theme. Perhaps the most strik-
ing of the tales which comprise this
volume is THE Convent of st. Lucia"
dealing with the solution of crime of
suggestion by virtue of Mrs. Carpen-
ter's psychic sensitiveness. Every one
of these stories is a little work Of art
in its completeness and finish.
THAT NIGHT; and Other Satires. BY
Freeman Tilden. New York: Hearst's
International Library Company.
These are styled satires. but they
are all in complete story form They
disclose keen wit and a somewhat
caustic view of social conditions. Some
are extravaganzas. as prison Made"
which ridicules the fad for the work
THE Defective" is an admirable il
lustration of the extremes to which
modern society will go in its specializ-
alton of interest. \ man who has been
in an institute as a mental defective
for years. but who is in truth perfect
ly normal. returns to his family only
to find himself surrounded by unbear-
able bores, all of whom are practically
less we'll balanced than himself. and in
consequence he fees back to the shell
ter of the institution. Mr.. Tilden's
caustic touch. coupled with a delight
fully crisp style, gives these tales q
unique individuality.
THE GOLDEN SLIPPER: and Other
Problems for Violet Strange. By
Anna Katharine Green, author Of
THE Leavenworth Case" etc. Front
ispiece by A. ]. Keller. New York:
G. p. Putnanl's Sons.
A young society woman of New York
has for purposes of her own. which are
ultimately explained, undertaken to
serve as assistant to a private de-
tective. and in that capacity is called
upon to undertake some difficult in
vestigations in circumstances where
her sex, as well as her exceptional
keenness of perception and deduction.
stands her in good stead. Mrs. Green,
who is mas ster hand at detective story
writing, deviSeS a number OF most dlf-
ficult riddles for Violet Strange to
solve, but she works them all out suc-
cessfully. 1t is somewhat unfortunate
that Mrs. Green has not realized fully
the necessity Of making her characters
talk and write individually. No matter
who takes pen in hand to indite
letter or a memorandum or a diary
ious in syntaN and rather ponderous
in rhetoric.