New-York tribune., 1922-11-19
Tribune's News and Reviews OF Books and Authors
New Books Received

THE coAgTs OF ROMANCE. BY crossfe
| 5a t4tfn Frsdsrick 4. stokes co.
!, wW SHE above book is one of the most
4 delightful accounts Of travel we
IL have ever seen. Crosbie Garstiny
who is known to "Punch" readers
as "patiander," combines SO much hu-
NOR with the geography and history the
book contains that the reader lis in-
structed painlessly. II the reader re-
fuses to be instructed. he can give
himself up to amusement. There are
times, very few times. when Crosbfe
| lays it on bit thick. In fact, he will
recite story one hears in music halls
| in order to illustrate his point,
But he does this with magnitude
chat is charming, and doesn't ask for
belief. The language is racy, the. ex-
pressions colloqnial. Very often there
| the slapstick. Crosbie has a knack Of
describing In flashes, which is relief
after the broad canvasses Of The other
travel books, The story he tells is
about trip through Spain and No
rocco, both countries apparently having
vast humorous possibilities. The
trains are composed of toy cars and an
engine, which lies waiting for applause
after it has accom- plished a hill. The
mere figure of 8 policeman is sufficient
to cause tears of laughter TO form In
the eyes of the beholder.
One gains the impression after read
ing the book that there never were
such funny countries on the face of the
earth IL you are jaded with the oh
,vious humor of our threaters and news
papers, pack up your trunk and go to,
Morocco. There you will live and die
laughing. II you want romance, dark
alleys full of black-eyed senoritas, bull
fights covering an acre with gore, am
| cient mausoleums, lacy temples Of Arab
| construction, relics of the Inquisition--
go to Spain. There one sips red and
| purple wines, comes to his hotel in the
| wee hours of the morning and fights
statues hulking In the Railways, mis-
taking them for narauders.
| Also, woul5 you be moved to verse,
as Crosbie was, just go
"Down ChanneW-down the foam
| besprent
Blue highway to Romance.
The verse that illustrates the book is
| good, but rather conscious as though
Crosbic felt he had to write q poem
about certain things like skies and
senoritas. He Is in his best etyle
Wnen ne writes:
| When passengers lie pale and prone
| with cushions On their middles;
When soup abruptly jumps the plates
and soup plates jump the fiddles;
| When ladies live on matted milk and
gentlemen on whisky,
Then you're in the Bay of Biscay OF
in the Bay of Biscay.
The book, though, is enc Of the few
travel books that will hold readers
interest from cover to cover. So if you
can't go to Morocco or Fee, there's an
excellent substitute within reach.
THE TRAIL OF, THE WHITE MULE.
BY B. III. Bower Little. Brown q Co.
c4sMaes pssKse !, EeLLE 3 pD,nea, BY ca Sir Gilbert
A thoroughly Western writer whose
work has never received it's just due Is
B. M. Bower. She has never .professed
to be anything but spinner of warns
to divert an idle hour, but there has
always been an authenticity about
them, genuine smell Of sagebrush
and saddle leather, which many of her
more pretentions rivals lack. Her
humor, too, is native and unforced, and
fingers in the mind. Iforget how MANY
years it is since I read o short story
OF hers entitled "The Coming and Co
ing of Almighty Voice." but have not
forgotten the story. She used to write
about Montana chiefly; but her last
tale, "The Trail of the White Mule"
Is laid in southern California and deals
with rum runners instead of cattle
,r!nstiers; so much of old lawlessness
fingers along that desert border land.
1t is really series Of short stories,
with the same hero, Casey Ryan. ex-
prospector turned revenue agent for
fun, throughout. And it is not quite
so good as her Montana tales. Il ia
as If she were looking for a theme. in