The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-05-14

spooks. The book may be guaran-
teeai to provide amusement Of a fine
quality. and once started upon IT
very few readers will be able to let
go until it is finished.
GEORGE WOOD.
THREE MEN AND A MAID. By p.
q. Wodehouse. George II. Doran
Company.
n OOKS may be roughly divided
into three classes: Those
that make you think, those
that keep you from thinking, and
those that impart facts. P. G.
Wodehouse is master of the type that
keeps you from thinking: and what
a joyous. pleasing type it is.
In reading one of his stories you
give all the time you might have
wasted in thought to laughter. You
laugh foolishly. irrepressibly, an
noyingiy to other persons who may
happen to be in your vicinity and see
no reason why you should be laugh
ing. But you can't help 1t, even
though you know perfectly well that
the whole thing is ridiculous. In
deed, that's what does it II is ride
ulous and it means to be.
The present story concerns itself
ostensibly with the efforts Of one
Sam Marlowe to induce a redheaded
and romantic girl to marry him
There are two other men in the way,
as well as that romantic tempera-
ment- But Sam can be counted upon
to accomplish what ne undertakes.
One has no doubt of that from the
beginning. 50 that there is no be-
trayal of confidence in admitting that
Sam does get his girl 1t isn't his
getting her that makes the story.
1t is what befalls along the way. 1t
IS the revelation of Sans means to
the end. II is the unforeseen Incl
dents that impede his progress and
the people who get in his way.
Take the experience Sam has in
the closet in the drawing room.
while waiting through long hours
until the family shall fall asleep to
creep out and steal the lady's little
Pinky Boobies. her tiny and vicious
Pekingese: and what follows imme-
diately upon his exit from the
cramped confines of his temporary
prison. Foolish. perhaps. but you
laugh-you laugh weakly. constantly.
1t isn't only Jane. with her elephant
gun. nor Smith. the bulldog. with a
heart of gold II isn't only the suit
of armor nor the orchestrion. II is
the combination of all these with
Sam. with the spirit OF adventure.
and with the authors manner that
does the trick.
But I think I like even better the
scene with the redheaded girl and
Mr.. Jno. Peters. 1t is not certain
whether Peters's first name is John
or Jonathan. for all We ever get of
it is Jno.. and at least believe that
that is a contraction used for either
But this does not affect the story.
nor the particular scene between
these two characters in the play-it
is almost like a play. and one rather
waits at the end for the curtain and
the applause-with the pistol figur-
ing so largely. and with that sudden
declaration of love from the red
headed girl which is so disintegrat-
ing both to Jno. and to the reader.
This scene is one of Sans fine eff
forts. and il il gets him in bad later
it is not because it was not thor
oughIy well planned and perfectly
brought off.
Sans is NIT the only love affair.
There is the one between the gentle
Eustace and the lady with the ele-
phant gun. Eustace has had his
turn at being in love with Wilhel-
nina Bennett (the redheaded GRID.
but he has got over it. For a while he
hated all women on her account.
He had expected to marry her. and
she was waiting for him at the Little
Church Around the Corner She
waited from IL to 1880. He did not
come because his mother had dis