The New York herald., 1921-07-03
He was his own
worst enemy
EvERED. By Ben Ames Williams. e.

EN Erred. by beh Ahes Nlhiams' II.
2. Dutton Co.
r IT'S latest story is typical of it's
n authoN in that it produces
= an effect of sombfe and san
culinary strength. Mr.. Williams likes
fight and describes it with soberness
and zest. even when the weapons are
all on one side.
In this book he has given us an ex-
cellent story, not long, but impressive,
and this time the setting is not, as in
"The Sea Bride" the ocean but the
land IL is against the background of
peaceful little country village in New
England that the action proceeds with
that steady advance toward tragedy
which is to be expected when silent
tremendous forces" are in conflict.
Evered himself is the exponent Of
these forces, and i'm picturing him We
venture to think that the author has
created a character who is psyche
logically abnormal If not impossible.
He is a prosperous farmer and a fiend
incarnate-hot tempered, fierce. relent-
less, dominating, he goes through life
hating and hated. Somewhat made
quately he is termed "a boiling vessel
of emotions" In an early chapter
when he Is driving home from the
post office with his son John, who un-
derstood him best of all. we are al
lowed this glimpse Of his character
"They drove home together through
the dusk in silence that was habitual.
Evered sat still in his seat, but there
was no relaxation in his attitude. He
was like a tiger before the charge and
leap. You might call him a powerful
man, masterful man. John knew his
father for slave. for the slave Of his
own hot and angry pulse beats. Ana
he loved and pitied him.
Not a gentle father. surely. Still
less gentle husband, yet married to
woman whose devotion is remark
able under the circumstances. and
whom he loved. we are assured, with
unyielding tenacity and fervor His
method of expressing this, however,
was indefensibie and extraordinary, for
'he made her suffer interminably until
suffering became routine and death
would have heen happiness" "She was
like statue of sorrow; the figure of
sad and tortured life"
This is the incredible claim of the
story-that despite deep and passion
ate affection on each side Evered
should have been consistently brutal
unkind and cruel to Mary, who could
not have provoked these qualities her
self He can only be compared to his
own bull. about which the story GEN.
tres.
This buu was the deadliest of its
species - famous the countryside
around for its ferocity and immensely.
When Evered sees his wife one day
accompanied by man whose futile
alteration for her she does not in the
least reciprocate, Evered calmly al
lows the beast to kill her. For at the
moment he was "a concentrated fury
absorbed and oblivious' of the fact
that no sinister significance could pos
sibly he attached to the episode.
There rs gleam of light i'm this
rather narrowing tale in John Evered s
romance with his stepmother's young
sister. Ruth. even though after the
disaster they become estranged tenn
porarily because of Ruths sudden fear
that he will grow like his father. For
tunately there is no basis. as she soon
discovers. for such an idea and they
are left to face a belated happiness
which the reader feels they well de-
serve.