Evening star., 1919-11-09
Reviews of New Books

! He learned English in order to talk
to workingmen about the war. TINS:
who has here told the story Of his
life in the Russian army: It is
true story, yet 1t reads like fiction.
Boys will devour 1t, for 1t moves out
into q world Of enchantment to the
boy mind and the boy heart. 1t is q
who is. probably. a musical genius
and who Is, certainly, q soldier. q
patriot. an orator and q boy idealist.
Dudley Pelley. Frontispiece oy
Norman Price. Boston: Little.
Brown & Co.
This volume calls for a red plush
cover fastened with gilt clasp. Its
proper place is on a marble-top table
I in the parlor. It is-you see-an al
bum filled with photographs and tin
types Of the family, and the neigh
bors, and an occasional notable of the
town. Linking up these pictures Is
running narrative-Yankee In naVor
that grows into broad drama the
interests and activities of the small
New England town of a generation
u. n
carry this matter forward in an unex-
citing march Of weekday and sun
day, whose routine is broken by the
familiar village pastimes OF picnics
and church sociables, OF home-talent
plays, Masonic lodge excursions, and
so on. Much pleasantry-New Eng
land wit and wisdom-talks itself out
here page by page. No single hero. or
heroine, stands out in this novel, since
1t is, in effect. the annals OF the town
itself Yet, for emphasis OF character
and personality. for contrast In the
uuality of motives and ideals. the
story keeps in hand the lives OF two
women, finally narrowing to TINS
limit. in a pathetic portrayal Of how
one of them secures that which the
title calls "the greater glory.
clear fidelity of purpose lies back OF
This conscientious and sympathetic
portraiture Of New England village
life thirty or more years ago.
THE WORLD SHUT OUT. By Noryal
Richardson. New 1ork' Chai Ae'
Scribner's Sons.
Mr.. Richardson's chief concern mere
appears to be neither the actloh OIL
the story nor its characters. but rather
the Italian background against whlch
the romance is set. His best work
goes into re-creating a breadth OF
italian landscape-the hills patterned
with plane and olive and cypress;
narrow roads threading these climb
ing hills; wayside shrines; Worshlp-
full bell-towers; the sounds OF tum-
bling waters and gossiping oreezes'
And within this lordly inheritance'
walled in from the world. forbidding.
and more than a bit mysterious. Here
the story is set-a romance OF famll-
lar pattern, unalloyed by the modern
makeshifts of novel making. A young
italian American. come TO claim ms
princely patrimony. a beautifui iaoy
already at home in one of the villas
of the estate-and there you are.
pair of ancient servitors. rather more
interesting than the principals them
selves, a venerable legal adviser. and
a young woman OF sixty who also
overtops the chief Characters nass 1orn IN ya Va
human encirclement of the two. The
lady is a good deal Of q mystery.
This fact keeps the matter agoing
and, moreover, helps at the cnma1
to unite the pair in the triple bond
Inheritance. An entertaining inven--
tion that has grown. one judges, out
of the authors own delight in the
spot that he so painstakingly pic
lures here.
ner Rideout, author Of 1.-THE White
Tiger" etc. New York: Dufield &
Co.
It Is hard to believe that a mere
cat-from Siam or any otherwhere-
could double and twist and otherwise
complicate situations as does the
Siamese cat Of Mr.. Rideout's new
adventure. To be sure. when a fabu-
lous ruby lies concealed in one Of the
silver bells that tinkle 30 innocently
on the great cats collar. and when
no less than three rascals are after
that ruby and incidentally after the
cat-then. even q feline can stir up
good deal Of q rumpus. Add to this
foundation the fact that a beautiful
and innocent lady has purchased the
cat as Q souvenir Of her travels In
the far east, and that q gallant man
il dedicated to the task of keeping
that lady steady company-wen. you
see, this can be made an almost
breathless affair. And 1t Is. The
orient against the west. When IT
comes to real deviltry in the way OF
intrigue and duplieity, the west has
not a ghost Of show. So the orgy
Of pursuit and escape goes on till the
miracle that finally permits the es-
cane Of the innocent and the discom-
fture Of the guilty. A moving tale'
indeed.