New-York tribune., 1922-10-22

Probably such books don't do any
harm. *Silly" and Innocent are words
that were once syncnymous and are
still near akin.
4 MARRYING genius, too, In another
ifA thing every girl would like to try
at least once. II sounds somehow as if
chen romance needn't ever end. Ordi-
nary husbands are so---ordinary. But
IA genius never troubles his head about
sordid matters. Gle leaves those to
his wife, but no right-mindcd girl will
believe that
4 Evelyn Charles Evclyn--what a ro-
mantle name of itself-was a genius.
So Kitty Dent loved him. And though
she feared he did not love her in re-
turn, she married him when he asked
her, trusting to her admitted charms to
hold him,
/ With Kim it was a mixture Of ohival-
ry and habit. He really did not know
/ what to do with wife, since Kitty
would not quite 90 into pumpkin
shell. When she learned his state of
mind, she left him. And then, as al
ways happens In novels, he learned he
| loved her. There are few minor COM
plications, such as another girl who
| loves Evelyn, and bounder who wants
Kitty; but the other girl is good sort
! and will not lend herself to amy villain
GUS scheme to separate two loving
hearts, That is the whole of the sim
plo story of Kitty and Charles, but It
/ Is dished up prettiiy and without being
| notieeably padded, Is made to fill fair
sized volume.
ZANE MANDER Ia also g partisan Of
~ rsbeliious youth, an ardent and
avowed partisan, from the Antipodes.
I VAa1 d. -
Strange Attraction" !" but not Macaulays
imagined New Zealand. II Miss Mand-
er's descendants ever sit upon the
ruins Of London Bridge 1t will not bs to
marvel at the said ruins, for very like
" they will have wrecked that ven
cradle structure with their own vigor-
GUS hands. The New Zealand happer,
as set forth here, is extraordinarily
talented In the line of demolishing an
tique, institutions Of any kind, such as
marriage, the home, religion and So
eiety In general.
| Valerie Carr. her example, had all
the advantages Of worldly nature
which those institutions can confer.
Her father was Auckland's leading citi-
zen. her mother It's social leader. She
could not even complain, as some
young folks do, that the facts Of life
had been concealed from her. On the
contrary, even while she is determined
to see the wicked world, she implies
reproach 20 her father for not guard
ing her tender youth more carefully.
Her father was gay dog, and took
Valerie along on his wild parties. But
after that he was injudicious enough
to attempt the heavy parent
! Valerie was by then out on her own,
had got sob on newspaper some
where out in q small town. Conscious
Of her economic Independence she told
father where to head in. He objected
chiefly TO the man she had chosen to
fall in love with, Dane harrington, q
literary genius this time and an out
cast from society by reason Of two d.
vorces.
Two divorces are rather lot to
overlook, but Valerie had little past
Of her own. as extensive IL less encum-
bered with legal formalities. She men,
toned this to her protesting sire as
counterweight. And, besides, he was
too late, she was already married to
harrington, though against her own
principles and wishes. Men were singu-
larly conventional Valerie thought, but
she humored them as far as possible.
So they are, It is fair stroke. If
the story had less artificial plot, and
If the theme we're not rubbed in SO
heavily, it might have been a neat. al
most Shavian, bit OF satire. AS 1t is,
it runs to melodrama and two-pence
colored, hothouse romanticism. Bar
rington is pre-eminently the Byronic
hero; he cannot we'll do anything but
die In the last CHAPTER. Valerie pre-
sumably continued her emancipated
career, and accumulated further hectic
experiences, for she was already on
her way to be war nurse. There is
lot Of incidental action relating to
New Zealand politics, which remains
obscure to an American reader, But
one absorbs with interest the informa-
tion that New zealanders frankly refer
to themselves as Colonials
This is tho third novel Jane Mander
has published In this country. One
cannot hut wonder II they were written
in the order in which they have been
presented. Her first, "The Story of
New Zealand River" was crudely con-
structed, had the mark of the amateur
throughout, but revealed vigorous
mind and considerable intelligence
The succeeding two have had the same
, defects, without the virtues, 1t is per
} fectly possible that they came up from
} the bottom of the old tin trunk; and If
) SO, there is much hope for their author.
8 II the facts are as they appear on the
! lace of them It is pity.
: An odd assortment Of influences
9 seem to have gone to the shaping of
amanda Halls novel, "'rhe Hearts
justice" The characters end the
: story are old fashioned beyond any
t, possibility of disguise. Very likely
Y .ne author meant them to be so.
IS thefe Is always as much to be said
i iof oia fashions as for new, and senti-
n meht, even sentimentality, Is never
Q Gus OF date. 1t is not probable that
r any one ever believed in the characters
+. VINO VINO peopled the pages Of popular fc-
o ton hfteen, twenty, thirty years ago,
: any more than we now take the dane
9 ing dolls offered us for iesh and blood
d but they liked them; as we are amused
. by their successors.
80 here are NIL the old fayorites: !:
I. quite as good as new. The absent
{, minded inventor, for example. the
4 dreamer who knows NOTHING of tha
n value Of money Especially TO his
d butcher and baker and candlesticl
!. maker9, the sweetly devoted daurhtar
h the wicked woman who ran away from,
! her husband and child and was never
9 mentioned thereafter; the rough dia.
I, mond hero; even the faithful old fam.
d iiy servant, who asks only to die II
the service Of her beloved mistress. ali
u are present.
2 With this stock company drama /,
$ easily contrived; but the oua;ntes,
. touch is that the fhesia ia ras1lv, AZ :,