The Washington herald., 1921-11-20

her eventually and we leave them
about to be married. This Is home"
whispers the Rover at the end. And
we trust that he Is right. There
is less sentimentalism and more
amusement in this volume than in
most of Miss Ruck's work, ane II
is a very easy novel with which to
pass the time.
my MAIDEN EFFORT, being
the Personal Confessions of 125
well-known American Authors as
to Their Literary Beginnings. Pub
lished for the Authors League of
America doubleday. Page & Coz.
Yes. II is true that Joseph Her
gesheimer wrote for fourteen years
before he sold a story. 1t Is also
true that George Barr McCutcheon
had two stories printed without
pay) and then waited ten years be
fore an editor accepted another of
his efforts-for which he received
SIS. Also Irwin Cobb wrote his
first story on bet in 1911 after
eighteen years as a newspaper man.
Fannie Hurst received IS for her
first story and spent it on "a red
morocco notebook largely and
gfltly inscribed, fannie Hurst
author" William Hamilton OsI
borne, who apparently holds the
record for perseverance. once sent
story to 125 magazines and news
papers before it was accepted. All
these things, which will doubtless
encourage many so far unsuccessful
writers, you may find for yourself
In this volume entitled My Maiden
Efforts and published by the Au-
thor's League for the benefit of its
Fund for Needy Authors. 1t con-
tains personal confessions by 125
authors as to their literary begin
nings and 10 in many Ways highly
entertaining as well as Instructive
The experiences of Henry Sydnor
Harrison and Joseph Hergesheimer
seem to us the most interesting,
but all of the 125 have something to
say and the volume is certainly en-
tightening as to the vicissitudes of
authorship. We wish. however,
that so many OF the 125 had not
been SO insistent upon recounting
their childhood experiences. The
world Is full of Daisy Ashfords. or
near-Daisies. 1t seems, and even
ordinary folk who do not become
authors are known to pencil verses
at the age Of ten or less.
.QUILL,s WINDOW by George
Barr McCutcheon. Dodd, Mead
and Coz
Quilts window Is a cave in the
side of q big rock which rises to
a height of three or four hundred
feet out of the. plain. The people
who live round that believe that the
cave Is haunted. And there is good
reason for the belief. for the dark
deeds which were done in and
about Quilts window are sufficient
ly violent to provide an agreeable
company of first class ghosts. The
part Of Mr.. ,McCutcheon's yarn
which gives the history of the cave
and the story of the Window fam
lily Interested us much more than
the latter half OF the book, which
tells the story of the last Of the
Windows and Courtney Thane. This
may be due in part to a feeling OF
resentment because the author put
sonA thing over on us. We do not
like our heroes served up to us in
this fashion. Furthermore, the
method here employed has the dis
advantage that It prevents one from
becoming wholly in sympathy with
the principal characters. One
doesn't get deeply enough into the
character Of Thane not to; feel
little resentful at the way he turns
out The story Is not one that can
be summarized briefly or without
giving away the authors secret.
There are really two stories, one
the better one Of the two-being an
introduction to the other. 1t does
not appear that the book will add
greatly to Mr.. McCutcheon's reputa-
ton.