New-York tribune., 1922-10-15

BILL. THE BACHELOR. BY Denis Mac
kali. Houghton- -Miffin Company.
BIG LAUREL. BY Frederick Orin Bartlett
Houghton- -Miffin Company.
THE CUCKoos NEST. BY Christine Jope
Slade. Houghton- Miffln Company.
T N spite Of title that might belong
to the Rollo series, "Bill the
H Bachelor" is pleasant draught
8 of bubbles. Excellent character
ization, variety of incident, much
humor and lack of half-baked senti-
mentality make up readable tale.
Alexander Fraser, nicknamed Bill, is
an uncommon type in English fiction
the hustling young business man. 1t is
postwar England and Bill has wob-
bly, exporting business. Hosiery and
other things. "Our nero" to adopt the
! authors style, has another worry-his
love for the Honorable Leslie Grahame.
She is the engaging young daughter Of
Lord Longwood, whose millions were
piled UP by his successfully patriotic
father during the war. The title is
also something new.
In q kindly moment Bill recommends
a chance acquaintance named Harvey
to Lord Longwood for the post of
obscure bore great general in the
war-by publicity. Bill suspects the
Harvey mind when the daily press be-
gins picturing Lord Longwood doing
this, Lord Longwood doing that. But
| the suggestion is working. Longwood
| is appointed on most of the committees
| in the United Kingdom, and against
his will Bill as business man is not
quite shrewd enough for the oncoming
avalanche Of the hosiery trust, another
ambition Of the successful Harvey.
Between Bill and the lovely Leslie
stalks pride. He doesn't see how he
can offer his heart and his uncertain
prospects to a millionaire's daughter
Leslie loves him and waits for the con-
ventional thing to happen. When it
| doesn't she becomes engaged to Har-
/ vey.
To help its flotation Of stock, the
hosiery trust publishes rumor Of the
| failure Of Bill's company. Bill doesn't t
understand some things. about his
| business, nor does the reader. A fist
| fight between Bill and Harvey clears
the fictional fog bit. Harvey quits
Longwood and jilts Leslie. ThenLong-
woods get poorer and Bill gets Ticher.
All these wellthought- out plays of
big business are made in an up-to-date
London. of crowded underground trains,
flu epidemics, bad food, good liquors,
4
charming people.
Here is another rapidly moving ro-
nance Of the Blue Ridge Mountains
"Big LAUREL" by Frederick Orin Bart
lett, is based upon the manuscript of
John Wallace, to whom the book is
dedicated. Ned Allston, late captain
in the A. E. F., wishing to forget some
| hellicose memories, starts on motor
trip. One day when he is half asleep
| at the wheel he comes suddenly upon q
1 girl on q curving mountain road. He
avoids hitting her, but has a head-on
collision with an oak tree.
| Roxie Dexter, the girl, Is maid at
| the Howes'. Mr.. Howe and his daugh-
/, ter, Wilmer, insist on Allston accept.
/ ing their hospitality until his scratches
| are healed. Roxie conceives an attach.
ment for Allston. Bud Childers, who
has come awooing, resents Allston's
| protection Of her. Bud tries cave-mar
! methods, and sample of Allston's
| craftsmanship follows, to Buds morti.
| fcation.
/ Allston falls in love with the family
\ sketched Wilmer, who wants to love
Intellectually. Allston forgets and
| touches her hand. In this anemis
! crisis she says: II didn't expect that
sort of thing from you" "There was
no quaver in her voice-only note OF
| deep regret"
/ Bud tells Roxie that he will kill
Allston unless she goes with him tc
his mountain shack. He promises mar.
! riage on the morrow. Knowing that
Bud will carry out his threat, she
takes aAsharp knife and goes, leaving