The Washington herald., 1921-05-07
THE OLD MANS YOUTH AND THE
YOUNG MANS OLD AGE. by
HUillla IA Mnrnn IHnnr,.
REVIEWS

THE OLD MANS YOUTH AND THE
YOUNG MANS OLD AGE, by
William De Morgan Henry
Holt and Company.
This novel was not finished when
william De Morgan died and so
his wife has added to what he had
completed Just enough framework
to make the thing hang together.
She has been careful to keep her
additions separate from his chap
ters so that there may be no COM
plant that she has tampered with
his work and she has based them.
she says. "on what l knew to be
his general idea in writing the
book" The result Is a new De Nor
gan treat for De Morgan admirers
and the last one. apparently, that
they will ever have. II is not q
good book, however. for those who
do not now De Morgan already.
without his own humorous. kindly
prods and pointings to keep the
reader on the path, the unwary
newcomer is likely to lose his bear
ings and founder in some of the
charming excursions into rumina
tion and "Reminiscences, rising only
to inquire, What is this all about,
anyhow" For "Old Mans Youth
wanders and wavers and makes
pleasant conversation even more
casually than did Joseph Vance
or Somehow Good" And yet II
has all the earmarks of De Nor
gan's best and. as we said, for his
admirers, here is another treat
Some Of the early passages in Eus-
tace Johns recollection of child
hood are inimitable, and his later
descriptions of his youthful attempts
at love affairs are delicious. His
father. lovable, quiet and shrewd
Is especially well-drawn; his best
friend. "Cooky." his little lame sis
ter. Grace. and Varnish. the maid.
become the readers friends also;
while The Man" Mrs. walkinshaw,
'Opkins, and the other lay figures
have all the best of the De Nor
gan flavor.
MADAM. by Ethel sidgwick (Small,
Maynard and Company.
There are people who say that
they have to read each of Ethel
Sidgwick's books at least twice in
order to find out what 1t is all
about, and there are certainly SEN
tences il not chapters in Madam
that must be read twice lest the
easygoing reader miss their full
significance. This Is not simply be-
cause Miss Sidgwick writes in an
obscure style though she does seem
to take special pleasure in a back
handed way OF saying things. The
fact is that she absolutely refuses
to say a thing point-blank. She
deals in appearances and merely
hints at the realities behind them.
Thus she does not say to you, Here
Is my villain and there my hero"
On the contrary, she drops a hint
here and takes it back cheerfully
on the next page. with the result
that first thing you know the viii
lain has turned into the hero and
the supposed hero has been cast
out into outer darkness. And, after
all, this is rather like real life.
People are not usually tagged, and
pigeonholed when you meet them
on the street, as they are in GER
tain carefully-construc novels.
Miss Sidgwick's people always have
plenty of chance to be human.
Madam" is dedicated to Americans.
but II is a very English story.
Madam" herself is clerk in a
Doctors office in London. a very
restrained. capable young person,
while the gentleman who calls her
Madam" Is first a groom, and then
a soldier, and then a case of after
war maladjustment II Is a smart
tale, lightly told, but full of i'm
plications.
THE DUDE wRANGLER, by Caro-
line Lockhart doubleday. Page
& Col.
Caroline Lockhart proves that 1t
can be done. A tale about the wild,
wild West with the tenderfoot hero.
faithful cowboy, cunning villain, a
moderately desperate bad man,
beautiful Western damsel, sheriff
and all the other nxin's of the con-
veuttcnal novel Of the virile West