The Washington herald., 1921-08-28
SPRING SMILES
IN LAST CHAPTER
"If Winter Comes,r by A. s. N.
Hutchinson. Gittle, Brown &

nutCHlnSou NLltIle, Brown q
Co., Boston.)
The Best Minds has approved It
You know the Best Minds; they
constitute a New York clique, the
Back Scratchers; write and review,
review and write. giving each other
lift The Best Minds had approved
1t, and that was something against
the book. They said II was one of
the best Of the season and they
were right, as they usually are. It's
book you can't afford to miss
Hutchinson isn't one of the New
York clique, Of course. He's an
Englishman, who served as a pri-
vate and officer during the war. and
this is his first postwar book
Hutchinson enthusiasts had feared
that he might not come back, that
he had lost in the war the ability
to write such delightful gaiety as
Once Aboard the Lugger." Per-
haps he will never be as gay, but
into IF Winter Comes" he has put
strength, and the favor is there.
And humor. Here is a paragraph
from the early part of the book.
describing peaceful Penny Green
before the war:
Mr.. Fargus, who lived next door
down the Green, was a grey
little man with grey whiskers ano
always in a grey suit. He had a
large and very red wife and six
thin and rather yellowish daugh-
ters. Once a day. Al 4 in summer
and at 2 in winte-. the complete
regiment of Farguses moved out in
an immense mass and proceeded in
dense crowd for a walk. The
female Farguses, having very long
legs. walked very fast, and the soli-
tary male Fargus, having very
short legs, walked very slowly, and
was usually. therefore. trotting to
keep up with the pack. He had,
moreover, not only to keep pace but
to keep place. He was forever get
ting squeezed out from between two
tall Farguses and trotung agitat-
edly around the heels Of the bat
talon to recover a position In 1t.
He always reminded Sabre Of q gray
old Scotch terrier toddling along
behind and around tire tanks Of a
company Of gaunt, striding nastiffs.
He returned from those walks
painting slightly and a little per-
spring. and at the door gave the
appearance Of being dismissed, and
trotted away rather like q little
grey old Scotch terrier toddling of
to the stables. The lady Farguses
called this daily walk exercise and
II certainly was exercise for Mr..
Fargus."
The book is a study Of the char
acter of Mark Sabre. who was al
ways ''puzzling up his old head"
and being able to see things from
other peoples viewpoints He was
married to Mabel. a refined and
rather admirable snob. who couldn't
follow hia when he went on think
ing. This drew them apart. al
though he tried to put himself in
her place; he was really very pa
tient Here Is q vivid bit OF Hutch
inson:
Sabre sought about in his mind
for something to say. There was
nothing In his mind tc say. He had
an absurd vision Of his two hands
feeling about in the polished inte-
rior of q skull. as one might tumble
for something in a large jar"
b. There is the other woman. OF
course, and the war. Sabre Is
wholly sincere and orthodox about
both. He must get irto service: he
must be true to his wife.
There is nothing Of the Now II
Can Be Told" In the book. No Men
In War" realism; hardly any blood
or mud. There are no doubts; the
cause Is untainted to Sabre, and he
finally gets in. And the war helps
Hutchinson to get rid Of surplus
characters.
Toward the last the drama moves
fast. There are complications. mis-
understanding. tragedy, q terrific
ordeal for the sensitive Sabre.
Hutchinson has given US q power
full courtroom scene.
The title is taken from Shelley's
20 Wind, IL Winter comes, can
Spring be far behind?" The Winter
OF the story is long and stormy. but
there is Spring.