Evening star., 1921-05-08

| THE Ds Nci
! trude Atherton. author Of THE
| Conqueror." etc. New York: Fred
! erick A. Stokes Company.
! This story opens with the San Fran
| cisco fire in 1906. 1t closes. twelve
/ years later. with the last days of the
great war. Upon each OF these sub
| jects the author paints in a big pic
ture. The first one is vivid and in
innate. advancing upon one in a hun
dred convincing details. The other is
A haunting marginal shadow Of the
great war. Fine. both SO much for
i ba ok ground. Against it runs the story
/ Of two women Of opposite nature and
| worked out here in faithful and strik-
! ing features as the two engage tn a
! silent and unacknowledged struggle
! for the possession of the same man.
Both are San Francisco girls. each
! the product of her immediate environ
ment. one. out Of an easy and spa
cious life. is lovely in looks. soft and
compliant in gesture. The other, from
| a different level. carries the more ag-
gressive attitude of hard achieve
! ments. In presenting these two MRS.
Atherton draws many a sketch Of San
Francisco life in its different social
layers. foolish marriage makes
sisters in-law Of the two. The in
sratiating and socially ambitious hus-
band of the rich girl practically fades
!
fuss or to-do. Then the story moves
on into the war zone. where the two
meet again the young EnEliShman
! who had. in old San Francisco days.
figured more or less casually in their
experiences. Here the action climbs
i to it's highest point in the truly fem
mime behaviors of these two unusual
! women under the urge Of love. The
story is colorful and picturesque
one throughout. It's genuine sub
NJ iof hat n
these two natures. a conflict that Mrs.
Atherton develops in an artistry that
is none the less honest because OF the
slightly sardonic smile and the easy
tolerance with which it is accom-
plished. good story that is
exacting readers.
THE MYSTERIOUS RIDER. BY Zane
Trail" etc. illustrations by Frank
b. HOFFMAN. New York: Harper
& Bros.
The fading cowboy story revives here.
for the moment. in 1.-THE Mysterious
Rider" Colorado. in the days when
bear and buffalo and elk. to say nothing
the rights OF the cattleman, is the stage
of this adventure. Cattle rustling is
favorite outdoor sport Of this period and
the law functions. in the main, from the
business enO OF some SOrt OF HTedTIn
"Hell-Bent Wade" is the other name
for the mysterious rider who takes COM
plete possession Of this going concern.
He is the man with padded feet. and
honey tongue. and eagle eye, that many
years ago Bret Harte invented to offset
the boisterous swashbuckling Of the
popular cowboy. When HELL Bent"
appears at the ranch of old Bellounds
everything is in = bad way there. There
is a prodigal son. still prodigal despite
his three years of feeding on husks In
! some mysterious byplace. There is an
adopted daughter whom the boy is
bound to secure-a general miX-up, you
| see. in the house, and as bad one out
on the ranch among the disorganized
cowboys and the disappearing stock.
This is the situation into which the
mysterious rider projects himself There
after there is not an idle moment.
either indoors or out, until the final
frightening out after the chief trou-
blemakers have been killed Off. a So