Evening star., 1919-04-20

tic substance of the whole appealing
invention. His customary method ap-
piled to an infinitely wider theme
than has hitherto come to hand
makes of this story the biggest one.
so far. that Ralph Conner has pro-
duced.
THE TWENTY-SIX CLUES. By Isa-
bel Ostrander. author of The
clue in the Air" etc. New York:
w. J. Watt & Co.
Ea ch of the twenty-three chapters
out of the twenty-four Of which this
s7wift-moving tale consists leaves the
reader with a fresh suggestion. or
with what looks like d perfectly
sood new clue. leading toward the
person who committed the murder
set down at the beginning of the
story. If you chance to be a. crime
calculator yor may engage yourself
here in testing the plausibility of
these various theories, in finding
fault with the various measures in
stituted in support of them. IT, on
the other and more likely hand. you
are mere reader keen to a scent
that is at no time either patiently
false or diSguStingly stale, you VIII
move right along here, first with one
sleuth and then with another. bent
to the business of finding out who
killed the lovely lady, against whom
there was no earthly reason for such
rounda bout comes under suspicion,
sooner or later. and with good ap-
pearances of possible guilt attached
10 him-a forcible reminder. this. of
the ease of false accusations and OF
it's frequency. too. Little by little
the web draws in to enmeSh a man
whose motives become clear out of
lcng-&UStaine7l period of having no
C.Ys.
motive at all. IS sooo Sl9r!--
energetic. plausible, inventive, and
with a fair romance going along with
the main line of action and intent.
THE MAN FROM THE CLOUDS. BY
]. Storer Clouston, author of The
Lunatic at Large, New York:
George Fl. Doran Company.
This is the story of a spy hunt. The
man from the clouds is the hunter
Shed from his balloon. by way of
parachute, to a rocky island of the
North sea, he lights promptly upon
appearances so suspicious that he
turns spy hunter on the spot. The
story is taken up with the chase
through goodly number of ways
that lead nowhere, and through others
that lead to a satisfying amount OF
perplexity. and, finally. to the discov-
cry of the spy himself--right under
hand. and the most unlikely of all the
possibilities brought to view. Tnc
story takes some time to get under
way There is. at the beginning,
period of fumbling, a season of vague
an implication of inde-
ciSion on the part of the author HIM
self. that reacts upon the leader as
Still. at no time is this OF
extent to make him give up the story.
He holds on and, after awhile, thS
writer appears to have gathered him.
self for a direct course. From that
time the action advances spiritediy
and ingeniously. From that time the
ter improved. Action and atmosphere
the atmosphere of a barren iSlaCd,
sparsely peopled and of a certain *uS
gestive riousness-supoort the
in hand to the last dramatic
A LANDLORDS LOVE STORY. By
Berta Ruck. author of The Three
of Hearts, etc. illustrations by
Edward c. Caswell. New York:
Dodd, Mead & Co.
When the farmerettes read this
all of them will reach out
for it-each one of them will wish
that her personal billet had been in |
the particular corner of Wales that
stages the romance in hand. Inspir- |
ing scenery; tonic air; the best as !
sortment of Iand-girIs that could be |
picked with consummate care; the |
kindeSt farmer in the world for boss: !
a farmers wife who is all mother: !
work that in spite of the authors |
effort to make it read /
like labor. slips off with incredible |
ease-these are among the lures of |
this fresh and engaging story These
advantages. clear as they are, how !
ever. are not the prime ones. For |
at hand, there are men-gentleme !
land owner, too, who is also an fnva- !
,ided fighting man-and there is where !
the special caSl-to-thefarm comes in ;
with telling effect here. 1t is a bright |
record of work and wooing. one that |
is calculated to make the reading land |
her Off in her farmering upon some |
spot where she racked her
body and messed up her spirit, along |
with her uniform, in an isolated and
tussle with the sod. |
However, in gentle "might-have |
been" mood she will get some very
real enjoyment out of this artless in
timely theme.
CITIES AND sEACOASTs AND IS
LANDS. By Arthur Symons, au-
thor Of Tristan and Iseult." New
York: Brentano's.
A nation-known critic considers that
the author herein "invokes the souls'
of the cities he describes. The tribute
is of genuine truth value in that the
of usual tourist travel
are replaced by studies Of types, GUS
toms and temperamental variations that
mere surface glinipses Of houses, streets
rotice of hurried passing. To visit
Spain with Genius for guide is to see
more than Seville, Toledo and Valencia.
One visions their poets and painters and
singers. gets every shivery thrill that
goes with bullfght and revels in
dances to the click Of
castanets.
To casual travellers London means
Westminster Abbey, Dickens, the
Eridge, of course, and a tower which is
grim gray to look at, but which runs
red with the blood Of history. The
writer puts a finger on the pulse Of the
worlds greatest city and makes it throb
with the life of its centuries-a "soul'
which sums up and includes all Eng
land. From Lands End to the cliffs
of Dover, from a valley in Cornwall to
castle in Ireland, each step of the way
is made pilgrimage of narrative charm
A NYA RDY ~