Evening star., 1922-10-29
Reviews of New Books

| these. in people Of personality and ac-
count, when they are projected, too.
with an Informal grace Of speech
added to the keen judgment Of this
man Of wide observation and In ia
miliar touch with a significant side
of English life.
CHRONICLES OF CHICORA WOOD.
author Of "A Woman Rice Plant
er." illustrated New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons.
The southern man or woman who
remembers vividly the plantation life
Of the south as 1t actually existed be-
fore the war can do no better than
lures for the use Of the reader
who is interested in every phase
of American life. And this is
what the writer Of the book in
hand has done. Here is an intimate
far from Charleston which. then.
gave diversion to the common life,
and offers many a picture of that
city both before and during the war.
But 1t is the life of the plantation IT.
self that delights one here and stands
this country. Its true stories are
well worth cherishing, even though
the institution which gave rise to
them is well out Of the way The
simplicity Oh tnlB nATTdtlSe, ldll
measure of Illuminating detail. its
artless manner-all OF these quail
ties give it high value as an authen-
tic picture Of the rich south in slavery
days, and e. equally authentic picture
of the south under the scourge OF
war.
THE CLASH. BY Storm Jameson, au-
thor Of THE Happy Highways"
etc. Boston: L!ttie. Brown Il co.
According to it's name this story is
meant to throw into drama the in
stinctive antaeonisms that exist be-
, tween the Englishman and the Ameri-
can. In fact, it Is not story at all.
Rather q series Of episodes picturing
some of the social easements that
women were able to seize out of
war ar-loosened situation. These epi-
sodes involve. chiefly. an English
woman and an American soldier. They
sum to an experiment in love The
woman tires and calls her weariness
conscience. The man tires. too, but he
merely laughs and goes away. This Is
the deep-seated national antagonism
implied in the title of the story. A
swollen theme for trivial furry OF
human nature The author, judging
by this book. is given to long periods
for commonplace thoughts, TO sound
ing phrases for futile incidents. There
is here. as a point for this inconsider-
Scotch background.
THE ROMANCE OF A MILLION DOL
LARS. BY Elizabeth Dejeans, au-
thor of THE Moreton Mystery.
etc. Indianapolis: The Bookseller
rill Company
II the prime object Of the mystery
story be to hold the mystery tight
shut at any cost to the last para
graph of the last chapter-then the
book in hand is a good sample OF this
popular brand Of fiction. The prob
lem here rests on the theft Of a for
tune in diamonds. That settled. the
story becomes wholly engrossed in
the various characters Of the most
unlikely family that the last will and
testament Of a misguided man could
possibly gather together. These are
people in high life. the author would
have you know. In support of such
claim they live in a mansion to which
Is added the full paraphernalia OF
money without end. But queer and
unbelievable things go on in that i'm
posi- BILE household. Indeed. had it not
been for an unsophisticated little
French Canadian girl one never to
the end of time would have been able
to peel of even the top layer of this
impenetrable business. With the as
sistance of this super-girl. however.
one finally does come to the end OF
the bizarre and fantastic matter-the
theft accounted for and the family
itself not only linked up with this
nefarious business. but opened out
ished and unbelieving gaze of the