The Washington times., 1921-12-25

many. The volume of HAwthorne's
immortal stories u Of goodiy size.
With . wonderfully embellishsd COW
or in colors. and title page by
Frances Sterrstt.
The frontispiece ID creation in
gorgeous colofs. the type 10 large.
and margins are generous. The
six stories inoludsd are ''rhe Mino-
taur." "The Pygmies." Tho Drag
on's Teeth" "Circs's Palace" The
Pomegranate Seeds" and '"rhe
Golden Fleece" Every child should
read these stories. and II there 10
any grown-up 20 unfortunate a.
TO lack acquaintance with these
tales from mythology, he should
take steps to Immediately remedy
20 lamsntabls an oversight.
ONE cannot b sntirsly sure whsth.
or Harvey Ferguson has in
tended . broad piece Of irony in his
Blood Of the Conqusrors" CKnopp.
whether he sees . real victory Tor
that blood in the outcome Of the plot.
or whether he merely tells tale
and lets happen what will. There IL
. strong inclination to the foremost
opinion, for the tale tells how one
Of the proudest sons of q proud
race ambles rather lady and blum
dering through life, winning to a
post no more remarkable than. q
seat on the sunny side Of an adobe
hut In New Mexico. II the second
theme be taken a. guiding. 1t would
seem to be misplayed. for the only
conquest the young fire-eating Mex.
ican!Amsrican hero makes Is of q
pink.and!white and rather ineffec-
tual girl.
Yet there may be q catch In that
for. after all, such a conquest has
been known to be more difficult
than that Of = province. i suppose
It il true that half the ardor and
effort spent on q dozen such pur-
suits would supply enough energy
to build Panama Canal! But this
force, like that of the moon and the
tides, although constantly in evil
dence about US. never has been har-
messed for other purposes.
It may be that Mr.. Ferguson
merely tells tale. II 80, 1t is a
fIne thing. In these days when
novelists prepare ambushes with
sermons lurking behind them in
every other chapter, the reader has
grown wary Of all writers-as Of
Greeks bearing gifts. So. IL Mr..
Ferguson can be held blameless Of
trying to point q moral, he should
be admitted to the select company
Of troubAhours to which there have
been few recent recruits. The basis
for suspicion that he may be trying
to prove something lies in the fam
boyant title. 1t sounds propa-
ganish.
But there IL a story to be found
here. Ramon Delcasar's dark eyes
follow the trim figure Of Julia Roth
through interesting years. The yell
low-gray desert and the looming
blue Of a Southwestern sky are
background. Somehow one feels NJ.
Ferguson likes his background bet
ter than the figures he leads across.
Certainly his best writing concerns
IL. Nowhere in the book IL there n
page finer than that devoted to the
approach and the settling upon the
river lagoon Of the wild waterfowl.
Even Ramon is caught by the spell
Of his own author and puts aside
his gun to Tie on his back listening
to the music Of wings and Of bird
voices"
Old school Mexican Dons strut
through Mr.. Fergusson's pages be-
comingiy and the sharp elbows and
giittering eyes Of the sort Of vice
which q Illuminated civilization en-
senders are in evidence just to the
furtive extent necessary to render
their appearance convincing.
Up in the mountains. at Archu-
lera's hut, where the 1.-THE Catalina
roasts mutton over the Goals. the
pungency of wood smoke at twilight
Ia unmistakable. And, despite such
passionate. modern scenes as those
in the New York hotel where the de.
mands on the printers supply Of
asterisks are exceptionally heavy,
Mr.. Ferguson 10 as unable to with
draw his heart from the desert a.
Robert Burns vas his from the
Highlands.
That, indeed, 10 the achievement
Of the book. The dust rises and the
sun beats down when the book
opens; the reader closes it upon dust
and sunlight! These are elements
which Mr.. Ferguson apparently
well understands are more enduring
than dark, conquering blood or pink
cheeks and trim ankles.