Evening star., 1922-07-09
THE kINGFISHER. BY Phyllis Bot
tome, author Of "The Crystal
Heart" etc. New York: George H.
Doran Company.


OF fate. nor even Thomas
Au Harry, is more inexoratle
J. with the truth and logic Of
situation than is Phyllis
Bottome with the case of Jim Bar
ton. The story, as a whole. sets out
what life can do, and here does do,
to the body and soul Of an individual.
This is no make-believe life bent by
q clever hand to the use of story
making. 1t is life itself in its terror
and its beauty. cut out surely and
exactly. as it placed and tormented
and trained Jim Barton. That clear
insight. that sharp incision. that
things that set this story in a high
place, where only few other current
novels stand. A murderer, an unin
territorial murderer. at twelve or
thereabout; a convict, and after that
q .bargeman, Jim, soon after this.
came upon the way OF education.
This shifted him to different grade
of folks. The tutors wife became the
star Of his dumb aspiration-hattere
the lady was to be that. too. When
the maid. Emily, said, however, that
Jim was her seducer-which he was
not-Jim was compelled to drift back
to his lowlier status. And so this
deeply damned thing after another
for Jim Barton. And Jim is SO pitt
fully dumb-like one of Robins men
and SO sincere and SO right. and
this author is SO austerely true to
the facts Of life, that the reader goes
down and down with the fellow in
dread and fear. The outcome? Oh.
n a ~ 10 T., -
going to quarrel with this gifted au-
thor this would be the point of DIFF
ference. 1t might have happened that
way. Read the story and see what
you think about it. Yes. it might
have happened just that way. but it
could. never in the world, have held
on in that way. Too much against it.
Poor Jim Barton-big and honest and
fine.
THE SECRET PLACES OF THE
HEART. By H. G. Wells. author
Of "Mr. Polly" etc. New York
The Macmillan Company.
Mr.. Wells has only a few things
to say. but these are momentous
human life and human progress. He
says these vital things over and over,
as he should and must. Sometimes
he puts his knowledge and convic-
tions into a world history. Some
times into a novel, and again into
political and philosophic discussions.
The book in hand might be called a
novel. In fact it is a pilgrimage.
In effect 1t is a general confession
Of faith and life. For the purposes
Of this free speech Sir Richmond
Hardy. head of a commission for or
the fuel industry, is sent
upon a motor trip to quiet his nerves
and to restore his body. With him
goes an eminent physician. a COM
man. who knows all
about nerves and their misbehaviors.
And Sir Richmond, under this genial
influence, talks himself out on any
of familiar Wellsian themes s
of business. specifical-
ly here of the fuel business; organiza-
ton of world politics. the power of
the personal will of man to see
the place of woman in the male econ
omy, and SO on. In the talk of Sir
woman has a very minor
part In the motor trip. however.
Sir Richmond develops full-blooded
and gives other evidence.
as we'll. that his theory of woman is
stronger in exceptions than it is in
rules. 1t is a stimulating restate-
ment of many of the Wells principles
of life-one that interests the reader
anew in this many sided and brilliant
man.
THE PRISONERS OF HARTLING. BY
J. D. Beresford. author of The
Jervaise Comedy" etc. New York
The Macmillan Company.
The weird power of personality
to the undoing of others-this is the
drama which Mr.. Beresford projects
in clear vision here. The high figure
OF the drama is Garvice Kenyon
an old man-over ninety years old
would have been. too. had he not
sucked youth and vigor and stimu-
lating thoughts and energy out OF
the people whom he gathered about
him. A sauve and velvet-smooth old
man. handsome and arresting per-
house, beautiful and beguiling in its
reach of walled acres. in the shut
in loveliness of it's finished plans and
furnishings. Here old Kenyon gath
cred about him. kenyons from far
and near-nieces with their husbands.
relatives-male, and female. Invited
as guests. they were held by subtle
suggestions of ultimate profit-vague
illusions to legacies. to general
future well-being. And upon these
the old vampire battened, taking out
VI lHSul the JulCSS ol yOQlH, NISoI
of maturity. The matter comes to
the front through. the advent of a
distant cousin. a young physician. in
vited down for a week end. He
hardly knows why he stays on and
on-just as the already full house
hold has stayed on-but he does. II
is through this man and a young
woman. also a prisoner of Hartling
that the dramatic story unfolds. The
end is ironic-as it would be. The
money goes to an old sister whose
predatory eye promises the prisoners
Of Hartiing scorpions where hel
brother had chastised them with
of life, two of these young folks
escape before they are quite undone
That is merely for a story. The theme
of this tale is everywhere. though
not in this intensified illumination
But everywhere. in some degree. the
be great or slight. is bent to tn,
domination of others. Mr.. Beresfor6
has crystallized this general trait in 8
most telling social comedy.
THE PRAIRIE CHILD. By Arthu,
Stringer. author of "The Prairi.
Mother" etc. illustrated by E. F
Ward. Indianapolis: The Bobbs
Merrill Company.
Despite the title. it is the mother
not the child, who fills the stage here
The boy is merely a tool to whe
to keener edge the familiar ant
deep-sourced passion of a mother
for her son. The lonely prairie set
ting. with which Mr.. Stringer ha.
already more than once proved him
self sympathetic and communicable
adds it's own effect of exclusion t.
this complete self-absorption o
motherhood. 1t is obvious that tn,
author likes this woman. that he hai
put the best of his effort upon her
And the reader is for her. too, whei
at the opening page she discloses he
husbands clear infatuation for th,
country school teacher. By the tim
the matter is wound up. however
one realizes that there is no plac,
for a mere husband in this pureI.