Evening star., 1922-05-14

ham Lincoln. The story moves along,
llfelikely. with the growth of Money
Hanks from little girl to young wom-
an. its Incidents weave together in
an admirably clear. portrayal of the
early backwoodsman's life. Char
acters and setting combine here, not
only to produce an interesting story,
but to convey the impression, as well,
OF stage of pioneer history re-
created in its own special activity
and outlook.
RED DUSK AND THE MORROW. By
Sir Paul Dukes. X. B. e. IIlustrat-
ed from photographs by the au-
thor New York: Doubleday, Page
. & Co.
Former chief Of the British secret in
telligence service in Russia, the author
mere sets down his experiences in that
country while, in one suise or another,
he investigated the political and eco
nomic situation Of the country. The
book, though no more than a plain
statement of fact, reads with the ten
sion and stir of pure advepture. So
vivid fs this recital of perpetual shiftings
OF place under the urge and menace OF
an omni-present system of espionage
! that one, reading, has a partaking sense
OF the constant danger that surrounds
this investigator. One shares with him
the scant food, the infrequent warmth,
the friends that common danger pro-
vides-a most communicable writer this
One sees through his eyes the desola-
ton and ruin OF an industry sunk to
idleness, Of order changed TO confusion,
OF beauty wrecked in malicious destruc-
tion. In order to get close to this mon
strous thing OF misrule. the author be
comes all things to all men-a soldier in
the red army now of the party"
now Of the people. getting a step nearer
through each role to some leader. to
, some inspirer and prophet of the future
OF Russia. Beyond this hazardous shar-
ing OF Russian life-which the writer
has pictured so clearly here-he ven.
lures on a chapter Of opinions and
conclusions. 1t is the body Of the book.
however. the actual record OF expert
ence. that contains both value and high
dramatic appeal. Nothing, at the mo-
ment, is more inconclusive than opinions
based upon a sustained frst-hand eN-
perience with the facts of Russia.
MY AMERICAN DIARY. By Clare
Sheridan, author of Mayfair TO
Moscow" New York: Boni & Live
right.
With Col. Repington. Mrs. Asauith
and Clare Sheridan fresh in mind.
to wonder daZedly about that ira
ditional English reticence. Some
thing has obviously happened TO il.
Like the other two. Mrs. Sheridan
chatters away here like a child upon
every passing subject that comes
a head-hunter, this questing young
woman contents herself. upon oc-
casion, with arms and hands and
toes, with any fragment OF presence
and personality that serves to hang
her observations and opinions upon.
Mrs. Sheridan starts off seriously
like this: what a funny life! I do
not know myself, nor what j have
become, and yet, when / look in the
glass 1 am the same. ] seem to be
machine-I have no soul: rapidly
am losing my mind" Following
plunges into American society and
splashes about in joyous abandon.
with her mind increasingly in that
losing state which she herself recog-
nizes and declares We learn mo-
mentous things here-that Mrs. But
ler would not speak to her-"she
couldn't bear even to look at me.
expect she thought I was a boil
sheviki": that Mrs. Otto Kahn's house
has atmosphere, while Mrs. Wander
bilt's has not, and SO on, and SO on.
through pages and pages of vital
having the time of their lives with
this lusty good comrade - their
names positively litter these pages.
Their heads, no doubt. are lying
heaped in her studio. Back OF this
hullabaloo of words is an interesting
fact-this young woman is earning
her living and supporting her son.
She is a sculptor, an artist-but
how talkative. how inconsequentially
talkative! When does she work?
her eagerly. for here is a prime
gossip, the thing in yipened perfec-
tion that we all are in more or less
of stark crudity.
FORTUNE At BANDY's FLAT. By
Camilla Kenyon, author of Span
ish Doubloons." indianapolis: The
Bobbs-Merrill Company.
Bandy's Flat. played-out mining
town. with only a scant handful OF
nevertheless, capable of both ro-
nance and adventure. The former
comes to life upon the advent OF an
attractive young woman from the
outside. The latter gets into action
under an urgent thirst to circum-
vent the eighteenth amendment Be
tween the two Bandy's Flat is shaken
with rivalries for the favor of pretty
Sally Armsby and thrown into fever
at the queer doings that go on Sc
cretly of nights around the disman-
tied mine and an abandoned saloon.
An unconscious teamwork between
these two lines of activity taxes the
spirit of Bandy's Flat and puts upon
It the unaccustomed task of support
ing a mystery. to say nothing OF
making straight the crooked ways
of true love. The burden of enter
tainment here. however. falls neither
upon the lovers nor upon the very
we'll managed smuggling enterprise.
Rather does it depend upon the aus
tere character of Miss. Lavinia Luppy.
who keeps the boarding house of the
town. and upon Mr.. E. Nestor Hack
EFT, who. when the time comes, un-
ravels the tangle involving Bandy's
Flat. These two are a joy, taking
away. as they clearly have no bust
ness to do, from the central figures
in this chapter of Bandy's Flat his
tory.