Evening star., 1921-05-01
THE MOUNTEBANK. BY William
J. Locke. author of THE House of
Baltazar," etc. New York: John
Lane Company.

- Baltazar." etc. New York: John
Lane Company.
THE mounteback is blood brother
to the beloved vagabond. to
Aristide Pujol. to John Balta-
zar-these simple and SO
lovable Locke men. The mounteback
was born in a circus tent born to be
mounteback He looked like one.
too. Then with grease and paint ana
brushes he Conscentiously added to
Gods design and made himself look
even more like one. And the worlu
laughed itself to crying over thls
Ccmical chap who. on the INSIDE, was
just a careful workman living UP ~
the only job he knew. In the course
of time he became the famous fetis
Iatou. going from end to enc o'
France, always with laughter 1olloW
ing at his heels Then, some mo-
time. Then the war. The mountepeach,
Petit Patou. vanished. And out from
the war came Andrew LackacaS,
hero. wellnigh general, an hohot ea
guest at the old English place ot 10
lord. or some such eminSnct. Lnl'' nI'
there, too. was Lady Auriol. tine sol T9l,
der herself. and finer woman. l'e
two were in love. That was plaIn:
But Andrew Lackaday did not kn"M
It, then. But he ran away. thouEh ny
quite soon enough. He ran stralsh'
back to France. to the mouHlehaih
ing and the Petit Patouins-anu .nu
readers heart is like to break oNt'
the big fellow. And Elodie appeared.
And Horatio Bakkus. And things
grew worse for Andrew Lackaday
and Lady Auriol. while the mount:
bank was living faithfully up 70 MS
clowns craft. The matter would nave
been hopeless indeed had it not. after
all, been for Horatio Bakkus. slnce
Petit Patou was a mere child in arms
when 1t came TO mana aging anEthinE'
And any more of disaster TO ,'lD
borne would have caused sheer rioI
among readers. y story Of touching
beauty and the whimsical JOY that
William J. Locke is so able to give
out.
UNDER THE TURK IN CONSTANTI-
>oPLE. BY G. +. Abbott, author
OF Turkey in Transition, etc.
London: Macmillan & Co.
A chapter of old history. this.
borught forward as a new angle of
illumination upon the obscurities
that time has not yet lifted from the
: bewilderinG center of Ottoman en-
pire. Two and half centuries ago
, Charles IL named Sir John Finch
ambassador TO Constantinople. This
chapter of history is the story of
Sir Johns ten years of contact with
the Turk as administrator. and with
the oriental mind in general. From
original material-letters, official re-
ports, and the Coventry papers in the
possession of the Marquis of Bath
! Mr.. Abbott has reconstructed the time
and the place and the outstanding
facts of this ambassadorship. OF this
! work Lord Bryce says in his IN
PRODUCTION: "Whoever discovers
dark bypath of history and opens it
up by careful research renders serv-
, Ice to scholars. Mr.. Abbott has not
n ,~l,
a hypath and the acuteness to note
its interest. but he is also the
possessor of a talent enabling him
to make the best of it." This talent
fs that of the vivid story teller. By
virtue OF il this historic sketch moves
forward, alive and immediate in Its
appeal. This Is the quality that en-
cages the general reader just as the
authors zeal for accuracy of fact en-
lists the student. AS depicted here
In one picture after another, the
Turkish administration OF that day
and oriental mind of that day. APP
pear to be so much of a piece with
their present manifestations that the
observations of Sir John Finch. away
back in 1873 may safely be counted
as fair and far-seeing interpreta-
tion OF the present in that region.
BY son. BY Cora Harris, author OF
"A Circuit Riders Wife," e.c. New
YORK: George II. Doran Company.
My Son" carries forward the record
left by "A Circuit Riders Wife" The
wife OF circuit-riding preacher has
in the time of this story become the
mother of a popular and prosperous
clergyman. Cora Harris, however, has
not changed. unless it be to have
taken on few more degrees OF those
qualities that made the earlier book
so much OF n success. In the old days
of William, the father, salvation was i
matter of penitential agonizing. In
these days Of Peter, the son, it has a
parcel-post smoothness of delivery
due to the efficiency of a church that
Is organized for business. And Peter
nts into this new religious institution
like hand to glove. Therefore he
wakes in popularity. And the heart of
actly the situation for the special gift
of Cora Harris. whose common sense
10 Of SO deep and wide a quality that
II passes for very rare and uncom-
mon kind Of humor. Out OF the situa-
ton steps new story that not only
revives the Joy Of the earlier one. but
that also possesses an individual
favor of its own.
THE FEAST OF LANTERNS. BY
Louise Jordan Min. author Of "Mr.
WI" etc. New York: Frederick
A Stokes Company.
This is a story Of the domestic and
ceremonial life of high-caste Chi
n
remarkable woman. ruler of a vaS
domain, which she administers with
wisdom and efficiency. Her first de-
votion is to her country. her supreme
ambition to preserve it's ancient and
exalted civilization. To save China
from invasion, her plan is to equip
the Chinese youth with the education
OF the European. Her son, her grand
son, and, finally. her beautiful great
granddaughter are. in turn, sent to
London TO be instructed in the ideals
and powers of the west. This girl be-
comes the center OF a charming, and
pathetic. love story, in which an up
standing young Englishman figures
il is. ultimately. story of renuncia-
tion. and the setting up again in her
heart OF the old ideals of her native
country. The full story is of itself a
touching and beautiful one. The pic
'ture of China in its customs and out
look. as these are eXemplified by the
great house of Cheng, becomes in the
hand of this writer. a glosying and
vivid thing. knowledge Of the deep
and intimate sort lies back of this
novel. Love for the country. and re-
spect for the seasoned dignity of the
civilization of China are here too. To
these prepossessions. and to the
worth of the material itself is added
brilliant gift of portrayal. An alb
sorbing novel of exceptional informa- =
tonal value.
IN HIS OWN IMAGE. By Mary Briar-
ly. New York: The Macmillan
Company.
The biblical proposition containing
man in his own image-male and female
created he them" And the author
adds, Not woman in purity. and man