The Washington herald., 1918-07-14

not with the RED f1ame of uars but
with famous red diamond. Unique
In that rsspect in this year Of war
books. 1t not only has no khaki
hero. but It 10 guaranteed to keep
your mind on war problems until
you lay II down. You will not put
1t down until you finish II. either.
! A famous red diamond from Bra
zil has been smuggled into the
| United States. A young Secret
Service man is sent ~ secretary to
the rich eccentric jewel collector
who is thought to have purchased
the diamond.
| The Secret Service man falls In
love at first sight with the niece OF
the collector At the psychological
moment the uncle fndiscreetly dis
plays the diamond. On the heels Of
this IL is announced that the dia-
mond 1t not merely smugsled but
stolen as well from the Brazilian
government.
In the meantime the coiiector's
stone has disappeared and the
young detective has evidence that
convinces him that his beloved is
the thief.
The shock of discovering that he
was harboring q stolen diamond
shocks the aged collector into as
phasia- Speechless. he cannot de-
nounce the thief who sold him the
stone. This thief. living in the coll
lector's house, almost marries the
heroine under her speechless uncle's
nose-not to mention her agitated
lovers.
At last, however. the Brazilian
villain with his huge greedy
hands" is put out Of commission by
the hero.
The heroine thereupon visits the
hero as he lies swathed in bandages
In the hospital. after his bloody
battle with the thief and villain.
He tells her that he has been pro-
NOTED to the head of his department
and she responds that she always
wanted to live in Washington any
way.
The Mystery of the Red Flame"
by George Barton. Published by
the Page Company. So Beacon street.
Boston. Price. $L35.
Il. X. Means Gives No MIME to Ne
gro Tales.
L. X Means is the author Of
nameless book of eight negro tales.
Through the chemistry of time says
Mr.. Means. the titles OF books dis
appear. Taking time by the fore
lock. he has eliminated the title
from the first.s As drama means
Shakespeare. essays Emerson. so
negro tales shall mean Z. X. Means,
If fate is kind.
The tales OF the "exputt ad-
vices" Skeeter Butts. little yell
low barkeeper of the Hen Scratch
saloon. gave his friends, the way he
''lucidated' his own sorrows and
love affairs bid fair to be classic.
Skeeter Butts real name is Peri
que. This is also the name OF
Lousiana's famous homegrown to-
bacco. Skeeter Is too little to be
named after a whole cigar. so his
| white friends call him Puts.
The scene is laid in a fringe of
negro settlements around an un-
named town near the mouth of the
Mississippi.
Skeeter's cronies are Vinegar
it's. preacher and reformed prize
fighter: Hitch Diamond unreformed
privefighter. and Figger Bush. The
first two were necessary to Skeeter
20 push his cheap anc good" auto
! mobile out of the sand. and the last
completed the most melodious male
quartet in Louisiana when these
four negroes climbed into the car
and began to sing to the accom-
, paniment of a mechanism, which
sounded like a saw mill, a cotton
gin. boiler factory loaded on a
log train chasing a herd OF bleat-
ing goats along a public highway,
the effect produced made the pious
cross themselves. the ungodly
"cuss.' and little children run TO
their mothers whimpering with
fright"
The Art of Enttcing Labor is a
classic on negro psychology fit to
rank with the boy psychology of
Tom Sawyer whitewashing a fence
Two Sorry Sons of Sorrow strikes
| deeper note for the two sorry
sons. entirely innocent. come to the
threshold of death from mob vio-
lence.
The Monarch OF the Manacle
shows the erstwhile amiable Skeeter
turned into a scheming villain by
the poison of a scorned love
All is fair is a realistic caricature
OF white mans horse race. Hoo
doc Face, the longest story i'm the
book comes near to being great
tragedy. Whether Hitch Diamond
is innocent or guilty OF crime is
uncertain to the end. Circumstan-
tial evidence is against him. and his
way of proving his innocence by
battle royal is typically African.
The sympathy and friendship of the
| reader for him never wavers to the
end. however
f. X. Means. @. p. Putnam's Sons,
! New York and London. The Knick-
erbocker Press.
Wars Toll OF Writers.
Another to be added to the long
list of authors who have fallen in
the war is William Hope Hodgson.
whose book OF stories Captain
Gault has recently appeared under
the imprint of Robert NJ. Mcbride
x Co. Hodgson. who was a lieu
tenant of artillery. had been eight
years at sea as sailor and three
times around the world. before he
began to write. Shortly after the
| outbreak of the war. he entered the
British service. and saw two and a
half years of fighting in France
| and Belgium. He was killed by
| shell during the present hlttIe,
while on duty as an observation Of
! ficer.
Home and Farm Food Preservation.
Home and Farm Food Preserva-
ton. by William V. Cruess. is short
! ly to be issued. 1t tells the why"
of the various methods OF food pres
crvation: presents labor-saving de-
vices and gives simple and explicit
| directions that may he easily fol-