Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-10-07


pose contains. 1t is. on the contrary,
a series of plausible and interesting
episodes and incidents that naturally
fall into the fundamental idea as a
support and an illumination. The novel
takes it's name from an odd little wom-
anish trick of knitting on green
jacket when the problems Of detection
are pressing hardest upon Miilicent
Newberry, detective.
SARAH ANN. BY Mabel Nelson Thurs
ton. Illustrations by E. C. Casweli.
New York: Oodd, Mead & Co. Wash
ington: Brentano's.
Mrs Thurston appears to have hand
ed Sarah Ann over to readers pretty
much as she is-resisting what must
have been a very natural inclination TO
overdo her, one way or another. A lit
tie slum girl-ten years old by the cal
endar, and something like hundred IN
such wisdom as the slum confers upon
life-invites overenphasis. Happily, now
ever, she remains much OF little
girl. to delight one with her makeshifts
for the happiness of her beloved Juliana
the half-born. half-nourished. weirdly
old baby sister. Juliana. This is the
story-the story of Sarah AIMS nerce
passion of motherhood for this starye-
ling baby. Around the two the familiar
interests of the wretched quarter circle.
School is the DOGGY of Sarah AIMS life
And the young truant officer IS futile.
indeed, before the age-old craftiness OF
Sarah Ann. The lady cop turns out
to be the good angel of Sarah Ann and
her charge, winning the former finally
to a liberation of school itself, since, for
the sake of Juliana, Sarah Ann must
herself grow to the stature or WISDOM;
The whole movement marches toward
Christmas time and reaches its high
mark of happiness for Sarah Ann upon
Christmas day. For this reason it is a
story that may be read best in the sea
son with whose spirit it is brought to a
close.
THE HOUSE OF LANDELL. By Ger
trude Capen Whitney, author of II
Choose" etc. New York: r. F.
Fenno & Co.
This is novel wherein the heroine
literally talks herself to death on ones
hands-to say nothing of what this per-
petual talkfest does toward the disable
ment of the reader. In the first place.
the girl belongs in a hospital or sana-
tortum-certainly not in book of fic-
ton. whose general purpose is to en-
terrain the reader. She is. SO far as
one Is able to make out. merely bun
die of yearnings toward the ideal, en-
bodied in human form and gifted with
an endless patter of self-analytical
speech. When she is not talking-rare
moments-she is signing and moaning
for the unattainabie, with glimmering
occult demonstrations to encourage and
prolong the mental anguish and moral
insufficiency Of her life. Too bad! One
hates to find book SO completely I'M
satisfactory, when its obvious design
and all the long. hard word needed to pro-
duce it's to stimulate and please the
public. Yes. it is a love story-two of
them.
THE. EwAyCrPATION OF TUE sEu
ICAN CITY. BY Walter Tallmadge
Arndt. New York: Duffield & Co.
This is a clear. compact. well-ordered
study of the development of the Ameri-
can city under the impulse of what the
writer calls "home ruler-by which is
meant the power of the city to do its
own political housekeeping" and to
free itself from the old-time restric-
tions of political expediency. The book
covers the past ten years. the most