The sun., 1918-08-04
Magazine Stories
of the Midsummer
By DOROTHY SCARBOROUGH.

disappointing. The chief disappointment
this month is in the war stories. These
have come to fall too readily into elassifi-
cation. The seasoned reader can YEARLY
judge the outcome from the beginning and
note irritating resemblances to previous
fiction. Stock themes recur without com
pensating originality of treatment. In
general the present war stories impress US
us being written far from the scene of
conflict and equally far from any real
inspiration of incident or character
Another element of disappointment is
in the matter Of humor. This is rather
surprising when we consider that sense
Of humor is an American possession.
In the Century"
The Century has several noteworthy
stories. Beneficiary, by Thomas Beer, is
an unpleasantly impressive study OF re-
venge, showing various types of human
ugliness in a vital way. The Man Who
Vas Made in HIS Own Image, by l..
Frank Tooker, is an analysis of egoism
and selfishness that seems real. Mss
Mlnk's Soldier, by Alice Hogan Rice, is
sympathetic bit of spinster portraiture
with military background. an Ercur-
sion Into Feminism, by Adele Force Hoe
lock, Is amusing in It's sketch of feminine
illogicaity.
HIS NeW Mortal Coil, by Arthur John
son, a story of an aviator, is rather too
involved and complex to be -altogethe:
effective.
The best story in Century this month is
Skeepie's Agent, a elaborated work by
lola Forester and Mann Page. 1t is
charming in its whimsical cleverness of
dialogue and phrasinS and appealing in
its humanness, possessing real humor of
character and of situation.
The American Magazine"
The american has good business yarn,
The Roaring chief Engineer of the Aetna,
by Francis A. Ludwig, wherein compiled
tons of Office temperaments produce n
pleasing verisimilitude I'm the Only
Mother This Chiid's Erer Had, by Will c.
Beale, has pathOs, but employs a cheap
expedient for its ending.
"Everybody's."
Ererybody's is not quite up to- its usual
standard this month. ont Of the Deep,
by Edwin Balmer, is an improbable tale
containing various trite elements OF ro-
mantle fiction. POnt-Set-Ma,ch, by Will
lam Almon Wolff, is a conventional story
of a tennis game and love affair
Patrick O'Ledrys Son, by Don Byrne, is
an uneonvincing story of an old prizc-
fighter and his son.
"McClure's."
McClnre's has special war fiction num-
Der for August. The Flag of Has Coun-
try, by Arthur Train, is a not altogether
effective account of Arizona reactions TO
the war. The Loneliness, by Booth Tark-
mgton, is brief bit of symbolism show
ing the Kaiser in the world after DEATH
lhe Red, White aud Blue, by Dana Bur-
net, story of an American aviator and
French woman driven mad by her griefs,
fails to seem true. A Star IN the ITmdoW,
by Dana Gatlin, uses the conventional
theme of New England spinister sacri-
fcing something valuable for the war.
This is the second New England spinster
to sell her grandfather's clock for pa
triotic contribution this season.
Stories in "Munsey's Magazine"
Nunscys has several entertaining
stories. among which is Mrs. anthony
BECOMES a Military Mother, by Margaret
Rusbee Ship, relating how a distressed
mother comes to see that her boy is safer
in the trenches than under the continuous
barrage from the eyes of soldier-lo loving
American girls. The Pace maker, by Mrs.
Jacques Futrelle, is readable but not
very realistic story Of a marital misunder
standing.