Evening star., 1918-03-24

tales of frontier adventure, provided
the writer is able to hold him to the
half-human. half-brute appeal with
which he has thus far so masterfully
endowed him. This is a tale of the
healing grace of the wilderness coupled
with adventures of the robust build
that the wilderness imposes. 1t is. too,
a. communicable story. One, reading,
goes along with the adventure, stretch
ing his own muscles, filling his own
lungs. sharpening his own wits and
shedding some of the utilities of mod
ern living in this wrestle with a big
and uncompromising country.
THREE'S A CROWD. By William
Caine. Boston: Houghton Miffiin
Company.
The mother-in-law as an authors
theme is commonly confined to compo-
sitions of the farce variety. Here, how
ever. Mr.. Caine develops a pure comedy
around this perennial subject. A
spoiled daughter and an Anglo-Ameri-
can marriage furnish opportunity for
this interesting study. whose outcome
is expressed in the time-tested maxim
of this title. Too much money, n foolish
mother and an attractive girl as un-
trained as a yearling colt make theme
that is likely TO provoke one to prodi-
does not materiaiize here for the
writer holds himself in to the plausi-
bilities of the situation, producing by
this restraint consistent and believ-
able story that marches along in lively
and compelling fashion through the
efforts of an over-fond mother to mess
up the marriage of her daughter with
worthwhile young EngliShman
whose good sense is joy and whose
John-Bull determipation is no less of
IA1n 1nrrlt
the mother-in-law almost succeeds,
else there would have been no story
But her Vaccinations are of the believ-
able sort, because they are emanations
OF the fundamental disposition with
which the author has endowed this
character. The girl turns out to have
inherited a Substantial strain from her
fathers side. one judges, and SO. after
an interesting to do of miSunderStand-
ing and readjustment. the cIeverly
handled affair comes to the satisfactory
close that the conditions set for its de-
velopment lead one to expect.
THE BLUE AURA. By Elizabeth York
Miller Illustrations by Arthur /.
Keller. New York: Edward j.
Clode.
In the atmosphere of London and the
showhouses of the neighboring shires
Elizabeth York Miller teammates and
sets down in the present the old story
of Harlequin and Columbine and Pan
taloon. This is something of an achieve
ment. for with a skill that admits of
no challenge the writer preserves the
old spirit of the trio. making this
spirit control the course Of this ro-
nance, while, at the same time she
produces a wholly modern romance out
OF the rags and tatters of London show
Hfe- Pantaioon is a creation-a beau
tifully pathetic and Iovable creature
Columbine is a cat, that looks likely
toward the end of this romance to be-
come something of a woman. Harle-
quin fills in the places and furnishes
opportunities for the two others A
very readable little story, whose un-
deniable substance is touched up with
truly poetic imagination.
FURNITURE OF THE OLDEN TIME.
By Frances Clary Morse New York:
The Macmillan Company
This is both text book and a guide
book. In its former capacity it deals
with forms, materials, uses and gathers
up the furniture of earlier days into
it's separate schools and periods, de-
| fining the characteristics of each of
| these. AS guide book it points out
the places where the various type forms
of old furniture may be studied at first
hand. More than 400 illustrations give
the book a very special value to those
wishing to make a study of this sub
ject. Issued for the first time about
tfteen years ago. this volume contains