The Washington times., 1922-09-10
OUR OLD FRIEND
CAPPY RICKS
REAPPEARS
"0rand Old Man Of American
Fiction" Hero Of Peter 8.
kyne's Latest Cosmopolitan
Book.
BY AMES KENDRICK.

~ Kyne's new book Cos
mopolitan). and 1t doesn't take
much more than a peep between
its covers to prove that the most
important person in there is the
same old. famous old Cappy, who
swears by the Holy Pink!Toed
Prophet" and never misses a bot
--the Cappy that millions Of Aneri-
can readers know and love. In a
dozen different chapters the old
fellow does his level best to "re-
tire" but Romance-and vigorous
romance It Is in every instance
keeps calling him back into bual.
ness harness. and he proves cap
able Of coming back stronger than
ever every time.
It's easy to understand, even In
the first few pages of the book.
why Cappy Kicks has become so
well known. He's lovable and hu-
man and full of quick wit and
quicker surprises, and he has an
uncanny knack, the credit for
which, of course, belongs to his
author, for getting himself mixed
up in breathlessly gripping plots.
In this new book, for instance,
you'll find action galore. and a
rousing Irish fight that lovers Of
full-blooded adventure will read
over and over again, and high
romance-all woven by Peter
Kyne's skillful hand around the
character OF his grand old man Of
affairs.
Another reason for Capry's
popularity.
Early in life," the old fellow
observes in one of his troublous
situations in the book-and there
are plenty Of them-"I adopted the
wood-pecker as my patron saint.
Ever since then, whenever want
anything I keep pecking away, and
pretty soon I burst through some
where"
And again, in a temporary fit of
doldrums:
'Oh, 1t isn't money; the trouble
is that I remind myself of moth
ing so much as the old rooster that
suddenly discovered he had been
elected to furnish the dinner for
the following Sunday. His hens
cackled and called to him that
they had found some worms, but
he wouldn't pay any attention TO
them; just leaned up against the
wire netting in the poultry yard
and said to himself: oh, hell!
What's the use? Today an egg
tomorrow a feather dusterr"
Cappy's a philosophical and de-
lightful old boy. and 1t is with con.
siderable reason that he is lately
being referred to as THE Grand
Old Man of American Fiction" He
probably enjoys a wider acquaint.
ance among the great mass of
fiction readers than any other
character recent literature has
produced. This, Of course. is due
partly to the gigantic circulations
Of the magazine in which he has
made so many different bows to
the public-just as the size uf
modern movie audiences has made
Charlie Chaplin known to more
people than ever heard Of Julius
Caesar-but the fact remains that
Cappy couldn't have retained his
hold on such a multitude without
being a most unusually interesting
fellow to read about.
Among the other very real per.
sons whose histories Mr.. Kyne
has woven into his story are Matt
Peasley," Cappy's gigantic and
good-natured son-in.law; ~. Au.
gustus Redell." a happy-go.Iucky
young go-getter in the Pacific
Coast business world: Live Wire
Luiz." a Peruvian cross beteween
q fire-cracker and a seltzer bottle,
and a badly mixed pair Of hair trig.
ger Irishmen from different and
hostile parts of the auld country,
Chief Engineer Terence Reardon
and Capt. Michael j. Murphy, OF