Evening star., 1921-10-09


fat involves situation and a process
that calls for the genuine Cobbesque
treatment in literature. And here we
have the whole of It, from the first
Spartan resolve, on through the re-
pulsed hunEsrs and and thirsts o;,na.oa and out
grace regained." Just a laugh. from
start to finish-of course! And along
with the laughs-since, after all, Cobb
deals invariably with the hardest
kind of hard sense-there is lot OF
stuff to make the fat man, or woman,
consider his own ways and ponder
upon the feasibility of going and do.
ing likewise. Irwin Cobb may be
funny here, and he is, but he is not a
, bit ahead OF Tony Sarg, who makes
the pictures for this adventure in
falling off.
THE LUMINOUS FACE. BY Carolyn
Wells. author of 1.-The Come Back"
etc. New York: George H. Doran
Company.
In this, the latest of her many de-
tective stories, Carolyn Wells seeks
single purpose. together with its con-
Sastent and exclusive pursuit, that
sets THE Luminous Face" q notch
ahead of this writer's other crime novels.
In other respects the story runs the
| usual course. The matter opens up
| OF men-an artist. writer, a doctor
and others-are discussing the three
chief motives for crime-love, hate,
! money. Not long after this one of
them. Gleason. is shot In his own
room, he himself calling the doctor
over the telephone to say that he has
| been shot. The rest Of the action fol-
lows the familiar methods of detec-
| ton. It involves, by the whole nature
of the situation, the somewhat ex-
| allied social set to which the victim
belongs. 1t brings under some de-
gree Of suspicion one and another OF
the friends and associates of the muir
dered man. And with undeniable skill
| the author holds the really guilt.
man, whose alibi rules him out from
under suspicion, to an admirable leve
Of suspense, till exactly the right mo-
| ment of disclosure. Since nothing H.
the world is ever fawlessly perfect
the one speck of fault in the alibi is
| finally, that which brings this vel
managed adventure to it's logical con-
clusion-
Bindloss. author Of "Wyndham'
Pal" etc. New York: Frederick A
Stokes Company.
The Bindloss novels are crowdint
! the forty mark, Kit 1fusgrave's
| Luck" offers the novelty of a new
field of adventure. a new line Of ac-
| ton. This is a story of the gold coas
with 4 Spanish trading vessel plying
between the Canary Islands and tn
west coast of Africa. The high point
| of the adventure is reached throug
| the hazards of a smuggling consptr
acy, in which >the hero Of the tai.
! takes an innocent part. This hero is
| the Puritan mixed in the general hon
! esty and sturdiness of his character
Gone out from England to seek h
fortune, he finds himself in the strenu
Gus business set, down with LAWS:
| hand here. One adventure follow
| close upon the heels OF another. Stir
/ ring scenes enliven every page an
| innumerable pictures of fresh and en-.
gaging outline meet one at every turT
A love story goes along with the ad
| venture. AS a matter of fact, ther
| are two love stories. with a singl
hero. since, for time. this young MAJ
believes himself to be in love wit
| another girl than his own. Thi
! proves to be merely a temporary pas
/ sion whose chief purpose appears
| be to give an exotic unge Of color tt
the whole. A regular Eindloss ad
| venture set in a new and attractiv
| quarter of the world and develope.
under q fresh set OF motives.
THE THANKFUL sPICERs. By Ag.
mes Mary Brownell Illustration
by r. Il. Gruger. New York
Charles Scribner's Sons.
Everybody knows the Spicer family
since every community has within
this sort of family combination. Jus
a happy crowd. "thankfur for every
thing, seeing something to be glas
about. even in the most discouragint
Of situations The story in hand is
obviously, a series of notes taAeI
straight from some real household
and then tied together with line o.
action that rounds the whole into nara
tive. Its interest lies in the lifelihe.
ness of the people. quality that rise:
out of the good restraint of the au-
thor. 1t has, however. more sub
stantial value than mere passing in
terest, for it does portray with pene-
tration and skill the good substance
of courage and determination -anC
high spirits, in which the. great bod:
of average American people take hole
Of life and push it forward. A fine
stock of genuine humor plays
throughout the narrative. The sum OF
it all is a wholesome and hearty ad-
venture in everyday living.