The Washington times., 1921-11-06


'flsppers" Edna Ferber's fine new
story. THE Girls" doubleday. Page
a Coz. confirms certain impressions
OF our own gathered at odd moments
OF association with just such out
spoken. wholesome persons as
Charlie" Kemp.
Charlie" or more properly Char
lotte, is one OF the three girls used
by Miss Ferber TO typify three
stages In tho growth OF Chicago and
In the development of womankind.
First Is Charlotte Thrift. eighteen
years of age at the outbreak Of the
civil war. and well In her seven
ties at the time OF tho story.
Next. Lottie Payson. her niece
thirty-two years old. often feeling
sixteen. who Is the real heroine OF
tho novel. Last. Charlie" Kemp.
Lottie's niece. aged about eighteen.
and a splendid specimen OF the mod
ern generation. Slim. clear-headed.
competent, she handles her big car.
talks calmly of the five children she
means TO have. fall In love with the
poetic son of a delicatessen store
proprietor. and when he is killed In
the war joins the Russian ballet to
earn money for the Red Cross.
Lottie Payson Is the kind of girl
who stays single because she Is need
cd to help around the house. She
has constantly before her the horri-
BILE example Of what domestic ty-
ranny can accomplish In blasted
lives In the person Of Aunt Char
lotte, who fell into disgrace for KISS
ing her sweetheart In the streets OF
Chicago, while he was marching
away with his company for service
In the civil war. to fall at Fort Don
elson. Nevertheless, so consclen-
tious is Lottie that her early thirties
still finds her under the sway OF her
mother. Then Charlie comes
along, and Lottie determines that
she, at least, shall be free to live her
own life free from parental interfer-
ence.
Yet, by irony of circumstances.
the close Of the book finds not
Charley" the ultramodern. but tho
niiddle-aged Lottie the one woman
Of three generations Of Thrifts who
kicks over the traces and revels In
her new-found freedom. Though.
In a manner. this tends to make the
book inconclusive as a solution OF
the problem of the unmarried wom-
an, it provides q very pretty cli-
max.
Miss Ferber is an able exponent
of feminine psychology. and al III"
female characters Of the story are
drawn to the life. And tho men
also. with possibly a single excep-
ton, are clearly drawn personaSes.
DANIEL HENDERSON. already
we'll known by several previous
books, is the author of Boone OF
tho Wilderness" (E. p. Dutton d
Coz. a semi-fictional. semi-biograph-
ical account of Daniel Boone'slife and
services that will appeal to adult
readers quite as much as 1t Will to
those younger ones for whom 1t Is
primarily intended. The author has
depended upon we'll authenticated
history for most Of his incidents, but
he has cast the whole in the form
of fiction and has added some cpl
sodes and some characters to make
the narrative more complete.
Some Of the illustrations are from
mural paintings in public buildings
in Kentucky and North Carolina
that celebrate Boone's services. The
end papers are an outline map Of
the trail Daniel Boone blazed across
the mountains from North Carolina
into Kentucky.
A STORY Of the South Seas
which is written from n back
ground Of his own adventures and
experiences is Will Lexington Com
forts new novel, This Mans
World" Doubleday. Page & Coz
1t is the story Of the struggle Of a
clean -sosled white man to protect
the natives of the South Seas
against the cruelty and guile OF
his own kind. A waif in the Chi
cago streets, Tom was picksd up
by lonesome American soldier,
who took him into the Philippine
jungle, where the boy lived the
swift, keen, dangerous life of tho
natives. Hunted down on false
charge. swimming. half conscious
through shark-infested waters, Tom
saw peering down from the rail
OF the rescuing ship face that
was to change his destiny. Tom
and Lone" Anstey. the girl. dis
covered each other in their common
hatred Of the pirate mission OF the
ships crew and in their struggle
TO protect the natives and their
treasure from violence, treachery,