Evening star., 1922-07-30
Reviews of New Books

is-ninety-nine to the hundred-an
to innocuous buildings as the nerves
NAL. 1.-THE Glimpses Of the Noon"
rests upon one or the other OF these
frail foundations. Therefore one
auarrels with it and with the au. AZ.
question by holding Off her miracle
act till the last moment. Even then
1t Is merely gesture. as Mrs Wnar-
ton shuts up the story and runs away.
leaving the reader with perfectly
good grievance. We submit It to you.
sites. man and a woman. Ey some
mental hocus-pocus each assumes
that he has certain marketable goods
personal charm, power OF enter
tainment. an accommodating spirit.
These two. therefore. live on the
largess of their friends. Then one
day they fall in love with each other.
They marry otf-hand under the easy
plan of repudiating the bond II and
when 1t irks, them. The man, turn
ing out to be less hardened to the
sponging existence than the girl. finds
himself shocked at her frank social
bargainings. He leaves her. Then.
after somewhat lengthy to-do, ne
returns to find noble woman who
looks upon an unaccustomed poverty
Of life with him in an eager and ac-
cepting spirit. This is the point in
which Mrs. Wharton takes her leave
Of the matter. Nonsense! The set
ting OF this modern romance is one
that this novelist uses with under
standing-it is ssumed-and skill:
This is the setting of the rich ana
idle order of society. In this case
the group is flying from one Eu-
ropean pleasure point to another.
The prime occupation OF the majority
OF the group appears to be adultery
off weeks in this remote villa or
transient association. There must be
a moral to the tale-since there must
be something to it-so, one comes
upon Satan finds mischief STILL. and
so on. and SO on.
ROBIN. By Frances Hodgson Bur-
nett. author of THE Head Of the
House of Coombe." etc. New York:
Frederick A. Stokes Company.
In The Head of the House of
Coombe" Lord Coombe won the in
terest. and affection. of readers gem
to deal further with this ingratiating
lord. everybody was glad. Now the
new novel is here. Robin and Donal.
the delightful children of that other
story. are grown up. Lord Coombe is
older. The war is at its beginning.
the atmosphere Of war. Of stricken
love. of renunciation and despair-but
with the noble lord, now as then. the
humanity fine bulwark of the troubled
circle where Robin Is now the center.
1t is a touching story-and yet. these
grown children are not so utterly
convincing as were the same two
when they were baby lovers in the
garden. Mrs. Burnett is quite won
der will. children. Possibly the lack
here lies in the failure OF these two
of Robin certainly-to grow along
abysmal. innocence SO utterly un-
touched by sight. even. removes
Robin. a little, from full acceptance.
Lord Coombe, however. remains tri-
terest AS an idyl of young love
something apart from the drab facts
of life.-it is a charming thing, with
out any doubt.
sUNDRY ACCOUNTS. By Irwin S.
Cobb. author Of Back Home" etc.
New York: George H Doran Com
pany.
Irwin Cobb is gradually taking on
the perennial and permanent charac-
teristics of the institution. as Mark
Twain and certain others of kindred
tribe have done. His humor is the
kind that soaks into the understand
ing and enjoyment Of everyday folks;
his notion of the square deal steps
along with the common American
sense of fair play. He is sound and
al bottom serious, despite his outward
appearance OF the laughing philoso..
pher. Here. at hand. are ten OF
the regular Irvr Cobb stories. drawn
of from the middle layers of life and
rounded out in a kind of rural sim
nlicity that one finds delightful and
engaging and sound. Just some more
of the welcome Cobb literature.
PIECES OF HATE: And other En-
thusfanms. By Heywood Broun.
New York: George H. Doran Com
pany.
A fresh little it-ormiss book.
based, one judges, on the very sound
theory that it matters not at all what
one writes about. provided he takes up
his topic with zest and handles 1t in
way that puts it across. In the
main these are critical bits-now OF
a novelist or a dramatist. now Of
book or a play. Interesting. by viz
tue of a certain thoughtfulness that
elects not to be ponderous. Over on
mage seventy-nine is beautiful
story, "Frankincense and Myrrh-
simple. profound. lovely in the way
that oscar Wilde's Happy Prince Is
lovely. The rest is quite worth
while-but this little story Is JOY
that stays by and talks quietly Of the
few lasting and tender things OF life.