The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-05
Some Stories in the October Magazines

were it not so with numerous readers, Oc-
tavius would make far different tax re-
turns.
In The Dried Goldfish, in Golfers, FL
lis Parker Butler makes laughable thedis-
comfture of man who has not ylWays
been meticulously truthful to his wife. The
French mind finds highly amusing the lies
an unfaithful husband tells his wife,
though the Anglo-Saxon sense of humor
does not care so much for that theme. Yet
we laugh over the predicament of man
who has made false statements concern
ing letters he was trusted to mail, and who
therefore is seriously embarrassed because
he is unable to explain satisfactorily the
presence in his upper left hand pocket of
a dried goldfish. He can't make that gold
fish other than ishy, because he really
doesn't know a thing about it, which
makes his accused innocence more pleas
urable to US.
How many supposedly humorous stories
have been written In late years concerning
the efforts of Hebrew merchants to over
reach others? We deplore such profteer-
ing in actual Gfe-and so why should we
laugh over It in fctionf In In His Wife's
Name, in Hearst's, Bruno Leasing uses
moral crookedness and its resultant com
plications as the foundation for his gentle
ridicule. We smile over the humiliation
of the fur merchant who, in order to evade
some suit, has testified that his emporium
belongs to his wife, and has her give him
power of attorney to manage it, only to
see her assert her authority in vigorous
fashion when her jealousy is aroused.
Here our primitive savagery is amused by
verbal distortions and unadmirable emo
lions. A wife's Jealousy which has no.
real foundation always proves ridiculous.
Love, realistically described, is univer-
sally entertaining to all save the lovers.
Anybody. else's infatuation is foolish in
the sight of gods and men, as fctionists
well know, and so various stories of the
month motivate their humor on romance
which for the moment is not running
smoothly. In Nibs, in the Metropolitan,
Thomas L. Mason brings together a
young man who loves dogs but doesn't
care for girls, pretty girl who resents
his authoritative manner of giving I'M
sought advice touching her canine, and the
dog sprinkled with fleas and with canker
N his ear. The editor of Life stirs this
mixture and laughs result. But why7
What, after all, is funny in the discomfort
of flea bitten, cankered dog, or in the
mental unrest of a young couple resent
fully undergoing the canker of lovef
Love resentful is also the theme Of
Harry Esty Dounce's fun in Mr. Torbert
MGIingers, in the Century. He, too,
takes a persohable young man, a young
girl agreeable to look at but spirited of
tongue, and dog. He adds a widowed
aunt and a ne'er-do-well bachelor artist.
When in doubt story writers choose an
aunt or mother-in-law for sure subjects
for mirth. In this story, which is one of
the most delectable specimens of humor
met in some time, the author obviously
loves his characters, and the fun he ex-
tracts from them is of so affectionate a
nature that it does not seen undemocratic
in us to enjoy it.
There is humor both Of character and
of situation here. Two young people, just
married under a misunderstanding, wish
instantly to fly apart, and the shrewd
aunt and middle appd artist attpmnt nv
foul and fair means to keep them under
the same roof. Even the dog is comic,
and well described dog adds laughter to
almost any humorous situation.
We laugh over the emotional affections
of the young couple and the physical mar
tyrdom of the artist because we have
faith in Aunt Letitia and Harry Dounce
TO arrange matters satisfactorily in the
end. There is cleverness of phrase here,
a. spontaneity of diction that make us
LII - ILL.,. ~ H. AZ .,,,,