The sun., 1919-02-02
Some Stories in the
February Magazines
Rv DOROTHY SCARBOROUGH.


By DOROTHY SCARBOROUGH.
TT is understood that magazines in gen
L eral are rather hard up for story ma
terial just now, since the sudden signing
of the armistice made much Of the copy on
hand seem inappropriate for use. Various
publications have been sending out dis
tress calls for stories, but good deal Of
the fiction in the current issues would ap-
parrntly indicate that the response has
not been altogether satisfactory.
The February issue Of the Metropolitan
is announced as fiction number True, it
contains four stories, pleasantly varied as
to theme and locale, but they are in no
sense memorable. Treasure, by Mary
HeatOn Worse, offers occasional mild
thrills, but the materials are of the tritest
the stranded ship, the young boy grow
ing to manhood on the savage island, his
failure to fit into civilization on his re-
turn, and the fruitless search for buried
treasure. The Key to Paradise, by Cosmo
Hamilton, is another feeble variant on
the aged theme of the beautiful wife who
finds worldliness suddenly pail and who
runs away to the country to fall in love
with her husband. Only novel character
ization and freshness of style could make
these venerable incidents worth reading,
as they are not here. Peppers Al, by Eli
nor Mordaunt, is general mixup of man
ufactured emotion, with a Chinaman, a
Eurasian, German Jew and two Ameri-
cans doing puppct performance. The
Stars IN Their courses, by Mary Chol-
mondeley, is rather entertaining story Of
conflict between two women, but we don't
really care about any of the characters.
The Century this month is almost ex-
clusiveiy English in its stories, for three
out Of four examples of short fiction are
by British authors. One rather wonders
why, since the specimens chosen are not
meritorious beyond the possibilities of
American short story writers. Hilary
Maltby, by Max Becrbohm, is an inter
mlnabie and undramntic account of rivalry
between two writer's The reader noun-
ders patiently through about i, 900 words
with Inadequate recompense for his ex-
ertion
Hdrpcr's best story this month is The
Friendship Of Men, by Maria Moraysky,
q story which has not been "standardized''
to the conventions of American short
stories and which has a sweep of emotions
that is infrequcnt among Us. Maria
Moravsky is a new writer who should 20
far, and it is hoped that she may preserve
her individuality Of style
Confidence, by Carroll K Kitchener, in
ScribHers, has refreshing NATURAL e5s and
charm in the telling of love sior This
account of a man who lacked Assurance,
and to whom love brought confidence in
himself, is admirable in its contrast TO an
other story Of a timid lover, The Spec
facnlar Lorer, by Dana Gatlin, in Nc
Cures. Here the man who covers up his
terrifying timidity by swift and indiserim-
mate philandering doesn't make us believe
in him at all, though he is rather amusing
1t seems pity for Dana Gatlin to waste
her genuine talent in writing artificial love
stories that are merely popular. Popular
ity has spoiled more than one writer OF
course a really good love story is one Of
the rarest and most difficult of literary
achievements, but that fact doesn't excuse
the number Of superficial romances found
In our magazines to-day.
A still more warning example Of the
attempt to write love story without any
inspiration is The Lions in the Eay, BY
Bess Streeter Aldrich, in The Peopl<'l
4 III N 4 n e l.