Evening star., 1916-09-17

greatly prefer at this point to Slip into
some neat by-path. too cramped for
anything much to happen In 1t. But,
by reason of this self-denial. his read
ers learn many true inner things about
the folks around them. They know
them to be true because by digging
down far enough they find the same
things in themselves. This volume
contains four very workmanly stories
about real people. One of them Is about
a rich man. And. measuring his big
deals with our little ones. we come to
ponder seriously the Bible story in
each bent on his difficult way to a
desired goal. One is about a woman
who destroys several good and sincere
men by the vagarious and Unsuitable
quality of her feminine appeal Every
one possesses the germ of blasting
vanity. Another one tells Of the
nemesis that pursues "a prosperous
gentleman" in the form Of good
young girl. years before set aside with
contemptuous laughter. How we do
shirk our obligations, but how they
do pursue US. And one is story of
the young men who see visions ard the
old folks who dream dreams A sturdy,
vigorous group of stories, full of in
sight and wrought with a dramatic
sense of uncommon keenness.
WINDY McPHERsON's SON. BY Sher-
wood Anderson. New York: John
Lane Company.
When I have beaten you I will go
on and beat the others. There is more
money back of me than back of you all
and I'm going to beat every one of
you" This is Sam Mcpherson talking
Mcpherson well along in his career.
And this is a story of the money-maker.
done in terms of old Windy McPher-
sons son. When Mcpherson was q slip
Of a lad the money instinct was the up
permost one in his nature. Taking it
as his starting point, the writer mere
ly follows this trail. embodying in Sam
the traits of disposition. the singleness
of purpose and the methods Of pro-
cedure that mark the modern Midas.
This writer from the middle west has
been studying facts enough to find out
what it does to man, or woman, to
sell himself out to money or any other
form of purely material success. And
ne sets It all down here in the story
of Sam Mcpherson. To be sure. Sam
toward the end of his career sees a
light and tries. hereby. to smooth Off
some Of his roughshod goings-on. but
that is the only really unoonvincing
part of particularly fine effort in
realism. That is the moral tackled on.
to end the book pleasingly to those
who do not stop to recall that the
money lust gets into the blood: that
the power lust gets into the blood. in
fecting men and women with an in
durable disease. Apart from this con-
cession to the story-reading public,
Sherwood Anderson has written a tell
ing novel of modern realism.
THE GUIDING THREAD. BY Beatrice
Harraden, author OF "Ships That
Pass in the Night" etc. New York:
Frederick A. Stokes Company.
There are-if one may Judge from
merely looking around-literally mil
lions of causes of domestic infelicity
Out Of them all Beatrice Harraden has
chosen, for the purposes of this novel,
the fact that the wife. figuring here,
Is indebted to her husband for every
idea that she possesses, for every grain
of advantage that has come her way.
Instead of being grateful, as sensible
girl should be. Joan Holbrook, in a
fit of nerves" rebels and runs away.
The story follows her flight out of
England into America and back again.
closing. finally, with her glad return to
the source of her mental and material
supplies. So old theme as the run
away wife requires special treatment
to carry II across with conviction and
appeal. And the writer has. without
doubt. aimed at a convincing and pic
turesQue effect. The story is pictur-
esoue. but instead Of landing in the
readers heart as q real story OF hu-
man life IL sets itself upon the stage
like q play. But 1t is play that
carries interest despite the gaps OF