The New York herald., 1922-09-03

1t also has unusual values as a
picture of bygone day, an era that
is for the most part closed though
in actual time less than half CEN
tury behind us: the still simple ag-
riculturai existence of the old settled
peoples of the Eastern Shore of
Maryland. with their camp meetings,
their rather old fashioned negroes,
and the tournament" wherein the
local knights" ride furiously to
pick rings from post-a survival
Of even more primitive days-and
the thin. bitter religiosity of the
churches. contrasted with the hard
riding. boisterous, drunken outbreaks
of the rustic blades. The coming of
the cheap automobile and other
economic changes have greatly al
tered even that remote corner to-
day. 1t is good thing to have its
local color preserved as in this book.
The story falls into two parts.
with an interval of seventeen years
between them. 1t begins at about
the SOS and ends toward the close
of the century. but its background
reaches to the days just after the
civil war. The first part is con-
cerned with theS love affairs of
Louellen West and Mart Bladen. and
their ghastly termination in her mar
riage to John Henry Hyde. Mart Is
fine. outstanding young man. a bit
wild" and reckless. but iovable.
Louellen loves him, but is afraid Of
his wildness. She puts him on pro-
baton for three months. but he re-
lapses, gets drunk and is one of a
party of roisterers who ride rough
shod into the camp meeting to break
it up. In her despair of him, and
feeling that he does not love her
enough to behave for her sake. she
recklessly agrees to marry John
Henry Hyde. who is her fathers
choice. But even before the we'd
ding she begins to realize the mis-
take and tries to escape at the last
moment, but circumstances are too
much for her.
"A marriage in which the woman
is unwilling" says the story. "is not
a marriage, but bondage. Nor Is
1t bondage that hghtens with time
and habitude: rather it darkens with
hate. deepens with bitterness. is shot
through with pangs of swift and ter
rible loathing. The woman who must
live in such bondage must either
break or harshen." The rest of the
first part of the book Is a record Of
bestiality. She bears him two chill
dren, but when the second is a small
baby she reaches a breaking point
| and runs away to her old lover. Mart,
who owns the adjoining farm. But
with the dawn comes realization that
she cannot face 1t out, nor can she
| abandon her children, so she goes
back. Thereafter. however. she
gains some independence and 'buys
herself by letting her husband have
all the property that has come to her.
John Henry accepts the situation.
and bides his time for revenge. say
ing nothing because of his fear OF
publicity which would wreck his own
high standing in the church and the
community. Loulllen's third chi,d,
Judy, naturally becomes the chief
target of John Henry's revenge, az
he knows that she is not his.
The second part of the story slows
history repeating itself, with Judy
now nearly seventeen. in Loullens
former place. John Henry tries to
force her into degrading marriage
with a vile young man. as the con-
summation of his revenge. How
Mart finally saves her must b. left
for the reader to find out from the
book.
All the characters are excellcntly
drawn. The writer escapes the dan
ger of making Mart too noble" or OF
4 idealiZing the situation too much at
any point. The gradual hardening
and decaying of Louellen under the
strain is shown with sublety and fioe
insight. The minor characters are
| not neglected. each is carefully fin