The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-05
and comes out bad second in the sub

ana comes out a DaQ second In the SUD- seQuent encounter.
 But something has happened, revo- lutionary something, in his mind and his heart, and he soon sobers himself and sets off for London with several purposes in his thought One is to make himself less of country bump. kin and another to have revenge upon the man who has insulted and worsted him, and still another to see once more the lady whose chance appearance by the blacksmith's, forge has caused the revolution in his life. In what way he! succeeds in all these determinations and what it profits him in the end Mir. Me- Carthy tells in a stirring historical TO- nance that is lively and exciting with adventure.
 The story is written In that 1eisurely way that enables the author to repro- cuce in fine detail much of the social background of the time with which it deals and also to accentuate the feel ing of it's unhurrying pace. But this is all done without apparent effort and as an integral part of the story, which moves swiftly enough when the time for action comes.
 SHORT AND swEEr' By H. N. Gittins. The John Lane Co.,,
 Publishers, New York City.
 This is a collection of extremely light sketches which appeared a few years ago in Punch, the Liverpool Daily Post and London Opinion. They purport to narrate the everyday experiences of a well-to-do young Englishman in nirta- tions, golf, and also in the British army on active service. Of gossamer texture. and seemingly dashed off without much thought. they yet give an instantly rec ognizable reflection of the typical British young man of good family and sufficient means, who is a barrister because that is the proper profession for chap of his connections. and who goes cheerfully forth in khaki to die in the trenches when the call comes. Whatever is the sporting thing, we may be sure he does it, and quite as matter of course For proof of this, we have the brief an- nourcement at the beginning of tho vcl- ume that it contains "a selection of short stories and writings by the late Capt. Harry Neville Gittins, 170th siege bat tery, Lanes. and Ches. R. G. A., who died on active service in France on March 20, 1917, aged 24 years.'
 The opening sketch tells breezily of the way a young husband gave his wi,e birthday treat by permitting her to follow him around the links while he played the IS holes with the ''profes- sional" His entire satisfaction with him self and his conviction that his weary wife must be enjoying herself. as he drags her around after hinflosing her occasionally for half dozen holes-is deliciously funny, as well as character istic the world over of the man with a hobby.
 The stories are all very short many not more than five or six hundred words, and they touch on a variety of topics. but always imbued with the spirit of youth and the joy of living.
 "sT. JOHN OF HONEYLEA'
 By G. I. Whitman. The John Lane
 Company. Publishers. New York City.
 Those who read MT. Manley" will not need to be told that G. l. Whitman knows how to write an interesting story. And "St. John of Honeylea" is an i'm provement on her earlier book. moro convincing and better written, to say nothing of it's possession of an unusually romantic and Picturesque atmosphere. The splendid old house called Honeylea, where the portrait of the first owner, Devil Tony,' standing beside his black horse, ''resplendent in the glean, his gold cup held firmly, his crimson rose flame-tipped red-gold in the dark cropped masses of his hair,'' dominated the great gallery, even as the spirit of the original, he whose proud motto "I holde my owne'' was blazoned everywhere in the house, dominated that Honeylea which he and his descendants had hold in defiance alike of God and man. This same "Devfl Tony" dead some hundreds of years since, is yet living figure in the book We behold him standing with the siiken muzzle of his black horse nuzzling his shoulder, watching the while the black monks died in torment; we see him pre- siding over the unholy reveis held in that banqueting hall which had once been the chancel of the Priory church, and see him most clearly of all when at tho last with the blood of his enemy upon his sword and his own flowing from the wound in his breast, The came down sing ing through the woods to die
 There Is love story. of course. and with charming heroine. while Evelyn himself is well-drawn and sympathetic character. But the best thing in the book is the manner in which the author makes the reader conscious of the splen- did, somber atmosphere surrounding ghost-thronged. beautiful Honeylea. where none save red rose could ever b< induced to grow.
 WHEN TYTIr CAME"
 (Popaul ct virginie), by Alfred Mach,
 ard, Translated from the French by
 Howard Vincent O'Brien). The Reilly
 Lee company. Publishers. Chicago.
 Translated by Howard Vincent o'Brien and published as -When Tytie Came" Alfred Machard's "Popaul e' virginie" has lost in English evers trace of the original atmosphere and environment. It is no longer story peculiarly of Paris. It's happeningi might be of Boston. Brooklyn or the Bronx Its situations have been trans- lated no less overcomingly than it' slang.
 That under such conditions the story remains one of absolute charm is [ fact carrying high tribute. When Tytie Came" certifies in its own way the exquisite quality of 'Popaul ei Virginie."
 M. Machard's story is concerned