Evening star., 1921-07-17
Reviews of New Books

THE WINE OF LIFE. BY Arthur
Stringer, author Of "The Loom OF
| Destiny" etc. New York: Alfred
A. Knopf.
| It Is the heady vintage Of youth that
Mr.. Stringer builds into the picture
| here. AS story it stages the moves
and counter moves in the love struggle
| equalities Of the comba tants.~ What
could a young Canadian woodsman ex-
pect at the hands of waywise woman.
From the moment when he rushed to
| shabby New York lodging he was gone,
For at that instant chivalry leaped into
action for the protection Of virtue. The
facts of the case were immaterial That
Torrie Throssel was neither virtuous nor
| In danger counted not at all. From this
| beginning the matter develops through
! the self-hatreds and futilities OF the
Young fellow who is beset both by him
self and the woman. No. not pleas
ant story: Sordid good deal OF 1T:
is, after all. in essence. the true story
Of exuberant youth foundering where
1t thought TO fly, settling when 1t ex-
pected to soar. 1t Is a vivid story placed
| in one of the thousand New York COM
| munities where artists and half-artists
go about in the easy garments of law
less behaviors. This youth is an artist,
or is trying to be one. Unhappily for
him. he is calculated to draw the eye
Of questing women. The end OF the
stance Is scarlet. AS a piece of work.
as something made. 1t Is admirable-true
! in it's proportions. balanced, snug in its
joinings and fittings. 1t Is flaming
work of realism. an unusual and COM
pelling novel.
FAMOUS MODERN GHOST STORIES
i HUMOROUS GHOST STORIES
~. oh,
Phi. D., author of ''The Supernatu-
raj in Modern English Fiction" etc
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
The author introduces each of these
two volumes with an introduction cal
culated to illuminate the modern world
Of ghosts. To the first volume she
brings evidence Of the imper shable
general insistence upon having them. to
| the Indebtedness Of authors to these i'm
palpable personalities, to their modern
behaviors. to their tendency Of keep
ing up with the times. The book
itself contains ghost stories by we'll
known writers-Anatole France, Guy de
! Maupassant. Richard LIE Gallienne, Ed
gar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce. Robert
Chambers. Mary Wilkins. The second
volume presents the modern ghost as a
pared with the dread visitant of former
days. He appreciates the advantages
| of being a ghost, sees the joke in it
disports himself lightly. often glee-
fully Oscar Wilde entertainS one OF
these joyous spirits. So does Frank R
Stockton. Brander Matthews sets uT
n rivalry between two of this kidney
Other writer's contribute here to the lit
| erature of ghostly theme. This fresh
outlook upon the subject offers some
very beautiful literature as well as a
view Of the effect of modern life upon
| this venerable order of appearances.
THE OLD MANS YOUTH. By Will.
] liam De Morgan. author of Joseph
! Vance," etc. New York: Henry
Holt & Co.
| This story Of Eustace John is, with.
out doubt, in debt to Mr.. De Morgan's
own life for the hneNlling in that stands
as it's distinct charm. Here Eustace
John tells his own story. going back
| for his start to that day in the nursery
when the sweep came out of the chin.
! new, a red tongue in the middle Of q
very black face, and on his brush,
| give you my word, sweet white
pigeon" He was only four then, anG
maybe he made the pigeon. but that il
as he recalls 1t through the long stretch
of years that lie between. So Eustace
John comes on through the youthful
artist days. and in the company of the
brilliant young Jews. Around them !:
spread the London Of the Victorian
reign. Closer by is the household Of
which Eustace John is part. A toucf
of tragedy dims for the moment the
usually bright surface of the whole
which Is, like all the stories by this au
thor, dependent, not upon the line o.
action set down. but instead. upon thu