The Washington times., 1916-11-07
By FLORENCE E. YoDER.

BY FLORENCE II. lODEh.
~ HERE are in this world whole
race OF pessimistic people. who
never see anything but the hole
in doughnuts. and the ieas on
nice companionable dogs.
They are the ones who always wear
wool underwear as II Il were cornet
and who love to say ,"Ah. youth.
youth! Once gone II In gone. The
golden age can never live again"
They should be very careful not to
read The Melancholy Tale Of Me- by
E. II. Sothern. II they did. they might
be tempted to want to change tneir
ideass and that would be terribly pain.
full. We warn them personally against
For MIR. sothern has written a tale
which brings back ones childhood WITH
startling histinctiveness, and which
makes one live again In the glamour
He proves that the golden age can
come back, even though II be through
The medium Of a book. , ,,
: Not content with being much loved
and highly esteemed In the tneetrlcai
world. Mr.. sothern has taken 10 au,hoi d.
king with such signal success tnat We
look forward hopefully TO the time when
he shall give another bit OF printed ma
terial to tho public.
Master of His Art.
Quite naturally, this autobiography
should be intensely interesting-it
couldn't escape It. even IT, Mr.. sothern
should have turned out to be second
But he didn't turn out that way. but
another Along with Kenneth Graham
he stands as a consummate master IN
the art OF Turing the reader BACK 10 tne
big occasions, and uncles We're heroes,
and everything was o'ercast win the
veil OF romance. $1,000,
That ability isn't generally present
In autobiographers. The resl test Oh ,h sat
when one reads II. one feels quite Ger
tain that II would be exactly as Sc
ductively delightsome II the cnaracters
were mere folks. and not important per-
sonages Of the English ana A"er'oa"
stage.
Stories Touched by Art.
The first portion Of Me Is devoted to
memories OF childhood. and Is the par
ticuiar portion which makes one think
Of Kenneth Graham's Golden Age.
| However, the stories and tales OF a later
lday bear lust as truly the touch or art.
Here is a tiny excerpt just TO show
| what we mean. When you get throuSh
! with II, II you are not reminueu VI the
! private pet game YOU useu'to p'os
well-you probably qualify as REGARDS
doughnuts. nice dogs. and WOODEN unoer-
when Joseph Jefferson visited Eng.
land about this period to play RIP Van
= Wrinkle In London. he became party
to these occasions. Mr.. Jefferson stay
| ed at our house In Kensington. You
! who remember the sweet and gentle
Jefterson will smile to know that my
I parent told his children that a famous
/ pirate chief was coming TO hide from
! The officers Nof the law.
: shortly Jefferson arrived. wrapped
I'D I'm a very large greatcoat, and &C:
companied by his son Charles. who had
met with an accident on shipboard
Charles was carried carefully Into a
room on the ground floor, and JEFFERSON
! and my father were closeted for a while
ma king Charles comfortable In bed
When my father came out I and my
, brothers wefe peering through the BAN
! listers at the door OF the pirate
Hush" said my father. There has
been n terrible battle on the high seas
The pirate chief will be hanged II any.
! body speaks. and his first mate Is full
| OF cannon balls. There 10 only one
! thing to do, and that Is to give up eat.
, ing and stand on one leg. Quick!
There Is no time to lose Hush!' and he
| left us.
Shortly Mr.. Jefferson came out OF
the room and found three little boyi
! each standing on one leg on the stair
| case.
whenever my fathers acting sea