Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-18

service this story, going back to the
middle of the last century, develops in
India. Col Charles Berity, the father
OF Damaris, is the finely superior and
attractive man that Lucas Malet knows
so well how to create. And Henrietta
Pereira is the flimsy kind of woman in
which she also excels. The story. in
its atmosphere of an East Indian army
pest. progresses by way of the passion
OF both Charles Berity and little DANA
ris for the Pereira lady. Lucas Malet
excels in the drama of fine natures
wasting themselves on futile ones. And
that is the substance of this novel
Little Damaris is triumph OF creation
as child of lavish and deep affections
and of strange loneliness and curious
yearnings. All of this finds a pathetic
satisfaction in Henrietta's little pretti-
ness and general essential smallness.
Nothing could be worse for her. or for
Charles Berity, than Henrietta Pereira.
Yet the story stops at the point where
both are demandi lg her. The writing
has the distinction that Lucas Malet
gives to all of her work, even though
the story itself leaves one dissatisfied
and a bit mystified over what II is
about, after all
BINDLE: The Story of a Cheerful soul,
BY Herbert Jenkins. New York:
Frederick A. Stokes Company.
Not only cheerful soul, but an in
ventive mind as well. does Joseph Bin
die possess. Adventures spring up
around his footsteps and come running
around corners to meet him. He plays
scandalous trick on a temperance
league picnic, becomes thief and mil
lionaire by turns, plays practical Jokes
and makes each day a long escapade.
Bindle has only ono gloomy side and
that is his domestic side. Bindle has a
wife who between her devotion to God
and cleanliness, makes poor ne'er-do-
well Bindle live hard when he is in her
neighborhood. Women is all right"
Bindle says, IF yer can keep 'em from
marryin' yer" But even the fact of his
unsuccess in this respect is not able
for long to quench Bindle's overlooking
joy of life He is irresistible and ire
pressible. A good conlpa anton in these
days of gray facts and gray reading.
A DAUGHTER OF THE PURITANs,
An autobiography. BY Caroline A
Stickney Creevey, author of Flow
ers of Field, Hill and swamp" etc.
Illustrated. New York: q. p. Put
mans Sons.
This is the story of New England
girl in the middle of the last century.
The spirit of that time was, In New
England certainly: largely a religious
spirit. Mrs. Creevey in the faithful and
plain account of her own home life at
that time draws a pretty complete pic
ture of the life of the community itself
in which she lived. The Puritan sun
day. and the church activities general
ly. the devotion to conscience which
grew to great sensitiveness under the
studious care given it, the pleasures of
heaven. the pains of hell, were all "A
very potent part in the life of every
body around this girl. Mrs. Creevy
tells of her school days when Lucy Lar
com was her teacher. throwing light on
the education that was then considered
of the right sort for girls. in contrast
to that for boys. She tells of her own
teaching and in a very pleasing and
realistic picture sums the New England
life of fifty and more years ago.
The clear fair-dealing with memory
on the part of the writer gives this
book the value of a document concern
ing the events and customs and points
of view with which 1t deals