Evening star., 1917-04-15


to be sure. of many suspicious and du-
bious hastings. However, no such con-
tingency is at hand. for Those Fifteen
bergers" is of the familiar Dutch tang
that this writer has become SO adept
in opening up for the refreshment of
outsiders. This is, in sum- the story
of family, outcast upon the bleak and
unfriendIy rocks of the Dutch morality
of that remote corner. Long before
the opening OF this narrative Old
f'itzenberger and the lady who is now
but was not then-his second wife,
had brought about this state of domes-
tic internment by some obscure daily
ing with that one commandment which
appears to be more generally sacred
than the other nine rolled into one. In
the common irreleyancy of popular
judgment it is Liddy. old FitZenberger S
daughter. who gets the fun bitter aiter-
taste of that feast stolen so many
years before. This is the foundation
upon which Mrs. Martin builds the
story of Liddy Fftzenberger. Sur
rounded on every side either by studied
avoidance or insulting approach. the
girl, from the deep sources of her own
nature. grows into a self-sufficing wom-
anhood. A love story. bound under the
circumstances to be secret one, is an
important element in the development
of I.iddy. The character of the young.
Pennsylvania Dutchman. Lfddy's lover,
is q good deal of a triumph for Mrs.
Martin, since IT is q more eXact1ng and
complex character than that OF Lfddy
herself Liddy escapes, by virtue of
her isolation, but the boy. desiring to
be free, is in the full bond Of his local
limitations. The story itself is one Of
Mrs Martins best ones. Her portrayal
of the life and characteristics Of the
remote Dutch settlements of the Key
stone state is of the frankly realistic
sort that one has come to expect from
this writer on this subject.
yEspRIE TOWERS; A Novel. BY Theo-
dore Watts-Dunton, author of "Ayl-
win" New York: John Lane Com
pany.
pride OF feudai English variety
nride in the land, in the family estate,
in the castle and it's accumulated treas
ures. in the sons and daughters, in the
retainers-forms the foundation of this
romance. Into this groundwork, more
over are woven glints of legend. and
promises of magic luck for the Vespries
of Vesprie Towers-an appropriate
feudal embroidery upon this ancient
fabric. When Vesprie Towers moves
into this story it's old glory Is wholly
engulfed in poverty. The story of
this heroine, therefore the last re-
naming one of all the great Vespries.
is that of a girl living a curiously
aloof life at the Towers. waiting for
the fuIfillment of the "Vesprie Luck"
The atmosphere of glamour and illusion
incident to this situation removes the
romance back. quite out of the present.
To give it some SAVIOR of immediate
actually the author makes use of
creditors to drive the girl out Of Yes
prize Towers and to send her off to
London, penniless, there to make her
Way. Even this quite modern move
on the part of the author does not
serve to bring Violet Vesprie into ones
consciousness as anything more real
than one of fortunes changelings wait
ing for the good fairy to restore her
to her rightful high estate. 1t is a
story Of rich setting--a setting of ira
dition. legend, mystery. One has the
feeling. however, that the writer has
sacrificed to the picturesque romanti-
cism that dominates this setting any