The sun., 1916-11-04
CRITICAL REVIEWS
OF THE SEASONS
LATEST FICTION
Joseph c. Lincoln's Enjoyable New Story Of Cape
Cod-Morc Adventures of "Penrod.'
New Novels by Phillis Bottome. Dana Burnct.
Louis Tracy, Earl D. Biggers and Others.

Notwithstanding the invasion of au-
tomobiles and ummer visitors II" ira
ditional New England virtues stlll
reign supreme on Cape Cod. as Joseph
c. Lincoln proves in MdrU-GUStd TAP
p%letons), with a sure hold ON hH story
and a restraint such as he has shown
In no previous hook. His heroine IS
capable and level headed. whether as
q child or AS a young woman, with an
infallible xcnse of right that disrels all
her difficulties. That she should seem
invariably attractive and lovablc in
spite OF this is an artistic triumph.
She Is a born manager, and in the little
girls handling of the bluff sea captain
and his sweet tempered partner we
ind once more the ~farcical fun and
quaint humor hat IL associated with
Mr.. Lincoln's Cape Cod. The sense OF
impending tragedy hovcrs over II,
however. and when the child becomes
q woman the Cape and the fun recede
into the background. The tragic story
In which she and her friends and her
lover are involved is gradually made
clear to all Of them, and While she
bravely does her duty a solution is
found for her troubles that is d!gniiied
and thoroughly in character with the
simple, homely heroism OF New Eng
land. The story hangs fire Il little
while the heroine In subjected To Bos-
ton culture on the PERCEPTIONS slope OF
Pinckney street. which the author err
%roneously makes crooked; II would
be p%leasantcr to spend that time in
the nautical atmosphere of the cape.
The book is thoroughly enjoyable
human and the people in IT are true
to nature and delightful.
PENROD AND SAM. Doubleday,
PAGE 4 Cob By booth TarhinI-
ton. tsI.35.D
For the many readers who have
laughed over the c~scapadcs of his boy
hero Booth Harrington offers further
adventures, as funny as those pre-
viously recorded. in PcnrOd md sam
Doubleday, Page Il Coz. sam, as be-
fore. is only a shadow Of his chief. for
Penrod must hold the ceSntrc of the
stage, not only because IL Is his nature
to but because the author wishes 10
analyze his moods and thoughts. Mark
Avail aild "a
to let their youngsters eypound hem
selves and MIR. Harrington himself
wisely followed that course when re-
calling the troubles of seventeen In
this earlier stage the little negroes are
as funny and natural as ever, so tha'
We regret that We do not have more
Of them. Their share in the panther
episode Is excruciatinC. So is Penrod $
own performance when he reads aloud
In school his sisters o V letter as ms
composition. In the other scrapes that
me boys get into. scrapes such as
most grown men can recall IN tht!r
own experience, the author finds II
necessary to explain the psychology OF
the boy, which may satisfy adult read
err. but must detract from the interest
for readers Of the hero W age.
THE DARK TOWER. 'The Cen-
tury Company BY Phyllis Bot
tome. (sI.35.)
There Is great cleverness in the ex-
tremely we'll written story which Phyl-
liz Bottome calls The Ddrk Iorc
the Century Company. II opens III
q tone OF farce with the quarrels of
an aristocratic English family, whose
members all use violent, clustering
language TO disguise excellent quail
tiles and all emotions. The son, a dis
tinguished army officer, is as uncoutN
q the rest; he marries out of con-
trariness a girl with a pretty face
who u tricky and mercenary and
wholly destitute Of tact. He brides
her into giving him a child, and, or
finding out that she lies practically
drops her. though he loves his little
boy. The price he has paid Is stay
ing In England instead of Joining hi'
regiment in India. and the consequence
to him Is that he develops consump'
ton owing to the climate. SO far tn
story Is pure farce, the unpleasant
features being disguised by bright cpl