New-York tribune., 1921-03-27

all Dut the OuljA board. A lonely c0un-
try place, surrounded by = moat and
in bleak and dismal locality, sounds
little too true to the prescribed form
OF English mystery tales. Also there
is the conventional haunted room and
the guests who admit having all sorts
o. spooky feelings. The plot diverges
from the commonplace, however, when
Bubbles Dunster, just to put everybody
little more at ease, proposes a
seance. Bubbles might have hailed
from Greenwich Village, she is that
full of life and modern ideas. Also, she
has bobbed hair and gets her picture
in the papers at least once week. She
proves to be first class medium and
makes nearly everybody uncomfortable
by telling them of forms standing be-
side their chairs. She makes Lionel
Varick especially uncomfortable. Lionel
IS young widower, owner of the coun-
try place, whose wife left him con.
siderable money. The dead wife had
q friend, Julia Pigchalke. who was con-
WINGED that Mrs. Varick was murdered.
Julia is still alive, but her "astral
body" haunts Varick, and the ire
pressible Bubbles glimpses that semi
ghostly personality.
The authors dependence on the su-
pernatural weakens the structure of
the story. Readers-and especially
American readers-like mystery that
is logical. 1t may be stirring to
the limit, but must have a Materials
TIC explanation waiting in the final
chapter. Such an explanation is not
Forthcoming in this book. Conseouent-
~ the story is going to add nothing to
the authors reputation.
The best mystery in the short stories
comprising By Advice Of Counsel. by
Arthur Train, is to be found in "That
Sort of 4 Woman" 1t is not a thrill
ing mystery rs mysteries 60. There
is no bloodshed involved. 1t con-
Germs n few words found on sep
arate sheet in an envelope inclosing a
will. In the will young Payson Cliff
ford is left his fathers estate of $780,
600, but the separate note says: "In
case of my sudden death 1 wish my
executor to give $4,000 to my dear
friend Sadie Burch, of Hoboken, N. j."
Young Clifford seeks the advice of
counsel, and one of the Tutt partners
tells him that the note should not be
considered-that Sadie Burch will have
no claim against the estate. But con-
science bothers the young man. Then
Mr.. Tut, the senior partner of this
remarkable law firm, gets hold of him
and shows him that his fathers wishes
should be carried out, law or no law
The hunt for Sadie Burch, and the ex-
planation of the mysterious legacy, is
all told in mastery way. There are
several other stories in the book which
do not rank far below the one which
has been mentioned. The senior Tut
is remarkable characters lawyer
who finds intensely human ways Of
appealing to jury and bringing a
case to an unexpected ending. Through
him the reader is told lots of things
about the. law--things which tend to
lift the mystery from the profession
and for which lawyers in general will
hardly thank Mr.. Train. The stories
are all substantial in outline and are
told with exceptional humor. There
is q certain ripeness to Mr.. Trains
work which puts him far ahead of
story tellers who specialize in flasher
themes.
Wolves, story of the Tasmanian for
est country by Bernard Cronin. One of
the mysteries is: "Who was Peter
Philip Barkley?" and the other is:
"Who sawed the roots of the big gum
tree that blew over and killed Jean
Salter" These mysteries are worked
out in new atmosphere that would be
nightly appealing if the author had 4
little more knowledge of the craft Of
writing. AS it is, the reader will get a
lot of sidelights on Tasmania in the big
timber cuttings. The climber wolves
referred to are Bernard Frame and his
gang of satellites, who seek to control
the entire timber output Of an enor-
nous district. Jack Heritage, young
lawyer, is sent into the district to find
the mysterious Barkley, who is heir to
the huge estate Of a former chum of
early days Of rowing. Heritage gets
into the timber fight and casts his lot
with the independents opposing what is
virtually trust. There is no question
Yx/EyA SyvC rrryE n<lrrrn