Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-04-08
Reviews of New Books

! dayness. They are conceived in q
! delicious blend OF truth and humor.
and beloved lady. obvious, the
| Crumbs as healthy cabbage patch.
keny to make AK ,S one weary a OF Ma
salesman son law, even IL they
are all of the salt of the earth. Leda
Perrin. a cousin who comes to live
the change that too many Crumbs
have made desirable. And Leda Per-
J rim In her way, is as complete, and
much more delicate and subtle, than
| creates romance for Leda which.
in effect. comes to be a lesson in
! the Brightness of remuneration. Prob
, hopes not--but there il is. Not the
| happy ending that grown children
clamor for The general glee, how
ever, will center in the members of
! the family of Crumb.
| TIGER RIVER. BY Arthur o. Friel.
author of The Painless Trail"
New York: Harper s. Bros.
! In company with four frst-class
| adventurers one goes along here eX-
ploring South American river in a
search for gold that, 50 far, had been
protected by the fierce white Indians
and fiercer head-hunters who lived
In between the treasure and the white
man to whom il offers SO irresistible
an attraction. Neither wild men,
however, nor wild animals of exceed
ing variety, nor the impenetrable
jungle, nor the armies of pestif-
erous inSects-none of these things
| set up the slightest obstacle to the
! business in hand. And one or the
other of these provide thrill of
danger of hardship for about each
minute of the expedition. a fine com
partnership exists among the four men
who carry on here, compansionship
that one one enjoys greatly-straight
and equal partnership. Behind the
| tense and constant action there
stretches wild natural world Of
uopic brilliance and sinister mystery.
The author gets the feel of this into
every part of the action-communi-
Gates il, too. After all manner of
hazards and dangers the adventure
ends-aS a prime adventure should.
THE MEREDITH MYSTERY. BY
Natalie Sumner Lincoln. author of
The Red Seal" etc. New York
D. Appleton & Co.
The only person in this mystery tale
who escapes suspicion for the murder
OF John Meredith is David Curtis. the
| blind physician. who. to his clean
bill of innocence, adds the distinction
or being the hero in a very delight
! full love story as we'll A rich man
| whose will offers the alternative that
! John Meredith's will offered is more
| likely to get himself into trouble and
10 leave no end of trouble behind
| nm. Such is the case here. Again
| this author is off on one of her
! characteristic tasks of planting a very
| good suspicion against everybody
| that comes within reach of whatever
| evil thing has been done. Friends.
, relatives and neighbors might have
q hl ND in, Il
John Meredith. At any rate this is
| the theory upon which the author
works, theory that is handled with
enough skill to keep the reader jump
Ing from one suspect to another. each
! time in the belief that. at last. This
| is the real criminal. Some very nice
folks get involved here-but there APP
| pears TO be cause. Even a parrot and
A monkey seem to know more about
the matter than pampered house
hold pair ought to know OF wick
/ ness. 1t is all cleverly done and one
enjoys the adroit nagement of the
whole as he enjoys also the familiar
| W Washington back ground that Miss
Lincoln uses SO often and with SO
! much of good judgment and good
artistry.
A CERTAIN RICH MAN. By William
Allen White. New York: The Mac
milan Company
\ dozen years old. this story. but
II is offered here with new intent: for
here 1t becomes a part of THE Mod
ern Readers Series" and takes its
place as a school book becomes an
agent in the plan of public education
And that ts all right. One can think
of hardly story better fitted to en-
gage boys than this one 1t has a
lot of out-of-doors in it, II is full of
| stir and action. 1t has fun and
good time generally about it. For
this particular purpose. however, it
submits to editing. to a predatory
note. to plan for reading it, to a
list Of its characters. In O word. il
looks like school book-and that is
fatal kind of look for any book to
acquire. Nobody knows why, or, if
he does know he is not going to tell
But it is true. Why not have been
satisfied to leave the story alone?
Why preface and explanation and dt-
rection? Why not put the book be-
fore the boys and girls and then
leave them alone with it? A week.
maybe longer without prodding of
any sort-to see what they have done
to the story, what it has done 10
them. No, no compositions to penal
ize the reading. no exercises" what
ever. To be sure. this book has been
well handled-for that kind of han
ding. This is competent person.
no doubtful why So much fuss to
own way, they will do much better
than they can be made to do them.
Good intent here. Perhaps the best
that can be done, till schools be-
come an immediate part of life. be-
having as life does, therefore. becom-
ing a fascination in and of them
selves.