Evening star., 1921-09-18
Reviews Of New Books


AEMINIsCENCES OF A RACONTEUR;
Detween the '4Os and the '2Os. BY
George H. Ham, author OF The
New West" etc. Toronto: The Mus
son Book Company.
wv THIN the first half dozen
XkI pages of this roomy and
" inviting book one settles
into a slippered, loose
garmented ease with its writer. In
deed, 80 warmly personal and so vivid
are the contacts which it provides
that, in effect. both print and writer
slip away. while a genial host takes
shs place f 'hese. In this good COM
.pany one rans.S me past seventy
years of life, chiefly Canadian life.
Within the period vhe whole Of Can
ada wakes up. New towns set up for
themselves. Big business gets on it's
feet. Institutions make their begin
psngs, great railway sets out to
find the Pacific and achieves TINS.
Political changes keep step with the
general forward movement Every
person. important to the Dominion
during this period. comes close enough
~ DC seen ana neiTU- ANuistil Ol this
by way of the story-hundreds OF
then-fer this is prime story tel
Ter. who. out of k"en V sion and a big
soul and TIL" gift of laughter. spins
so delightfully."- here this seventy-yeaF
thread of Canadian reccllections. A
captivating book and a big man
George Henry Ham is large body
of superfine humanity surrounded by
tha Canadian Pac fic railway" said
one of his friends. Another friend
L.. lad ISNS
Canada" Why not have said. Sur
rounded by just folks the world
over?
THE PILGRIM OF A SMILE. By Nor
man Davey. New York: George H.
Doran Company.
They were more than a bit drunk.
the four OF them-else they would not
have been standing on Adelphi Ter
race at midnight invoking the sphinx
ra's Needle. Poet and painter and
actor. in elaborate ceremonial. called
upon the sphinx for help. each in his
own field uf art, TIE fourth mans re-
quest was merely TO know what the
sphinx had been smiling at. so in
scrutably. through it's thousands Of
years of existence. Then the four went
their ways. And the book. in hand.
busies itself with the quest of Mat
thew Sumner. the fourth man. for the
sphinx. Out of thirteen distinct epi-
sodes. all having 20 do with the weak
nesses and the ignorances and the
stupidities of man. the sphinx becomes
inteiligible. and terrifying. too: Not
agreeable reflecs ions. these. People
dislike this sort of looking-glass. even
though they are constrained to admit
its fidelity to fact. As writing the
book is consummata in skill and art
istry. High intelligence and culture
al, of ~ 4 a nj
picture pervade it. rounding each epi-
sode to fine literary perfection. A
first book. 1t is said. A ripe and sea-
soned production nevertheless.
REAL LIFE. BY Henry Kitchell Web
ster. author of Mary Wollaston."
etc. Illustrated by Everett Shinn.
Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill
Company.
She had never had free day in
her life. Leda Swan. not one. For
Leda was q horn movie star. AS
baby she twinkled on the screen
from her cradle. Later she shone as
the wonder kid" At the time of
this adventure she was a fixed and
brilliant body in the midnight-b
armament of the movies. Ma" Swan.
as the caretaker of this goose that
vas laying several million dollars
worth of eggs every little while, had
constituted herself an ogre. making
Of Leda a complete prisoner. Just
now the star was in transit from
in Chicago. Ma-praise be!-was
held in New York by neuritis. This
surely was Leda Swans day. So.
eluding the substitute dragon,
somewhat limp secretary. Leda be-
took herself to the streets. to be
real girl for once. She wanted to
walk along and see the people. to
look in shop windows and. after Il
while, to have a taxi ride all by her
self. Within five minutes. however,
her eye caught beautiful youth
Bearing down upon him out of
black alley was a monstrous thing
car of Jugsernaut. or an Army tank.
at least. 1t turned out to be motor
truck, but very fierce and danger
Gus one. True 70 form. Leda sprang
to the rescue. She dragged the youth
away from the monster, pushed him
into yellow taxi and said. Drive
on! Drive anywhere!" Immediately
pursuit developed, for the boy him
self was runaway, and racing after
them was his uncle in a big car. Lin
coin Park became the field of their
getaway. Up and down and round
about the two cars whirled. The
fugitives abb ndoned theirs and,
crawling on their tummies through
an underbrush. reached the shore.
Jumped into n row boat, climbed onto
q yacnt, Sdlieu uOWn 10 Lne iHuIdHst
dunes. came across a wild man, dis
covered a duck of cottage on
wheels, and escaped marriage by the
ia me close margin as the screen it
Jeff provides You will be glad to
nnow that Leda caught the train and
that the youth made a fine fade-out
In, the company of his uncle. So much
for Leda Swans adventure in real
life. There is a captivating babes
in-the-woods atmosphere around this
nonsense. A charming comedy from
q generally serious writer of realis-
tic and purposeful novels.
HER FATHERS DAUGHTER. By
Gene Stratton-Porter. author OF
"Freckles." etc. Frontispiece by
Dudley Gloyne Summers. New
York: Doubleday, Page & Co.
One knows this girl pretty well
ALREADY. Not only is America full
of tnrs out-spoken, outstanding, cap
able sort of young person. but special
opportunities for close acquaintance
with her have been afforded more
Gene Stratton-Porter. This time her
name is Linda Strong. This time
she lives in one, of the lovely Cali
A6fnfa valleys. A high school girl.
tho learns her lessons. and. secretly,
writes for a magazine, and knows
avery turf of verdure in her own
yalley. and has a budget of cock-sure
tfeas on every aspect Of the Japanese
Yroblem that is perplexing her ma
i've state. Quite a girl. you see.
i is her age. chiefly. just the time
when courage is high to attack any
question under the sun with the as
Surance of -savant. Fine girl.
though, whom one follows through
aeveral years Of being her own re-
III L. pnk 4.s-