Evening star., 1923-05-26
The Library Table
BY THE BOOKLOVER.

Several representative types of old
age are to be found among the minor
characters created by ,Zona Gale in
her last two novels. Miss Lula Bett'
and Faint Perfume" The chief con-
testants in the two novels-and they
are contestants against fate and their
relatives throughout-are mature men
and women rather on the youthful
side of middle age. 1t is, however,
of three of the old people who form
the background of the two stories
that L wish to speak. Mrs. Bett,
though fortunately not found often
in real life, is still a very real type.
THE temper of Mrs. Bett
had days of high vibration when she
absented herself from the table as a
kind of self-indulgence, and no one
could persuade her to food. Tan
trims they called these occasions"
When the 'tantrims" were over. Mrs.
Bett would emerge from her bedroom.
! eXpectant, yet indefinitely resentful
of attention. A visit to an old neigh
Dor next door usually bridged over
the awkward interval between her
secluston and her return to family
life. After this she became affable
and talkative, signifying that her fit
Of childish sulks was over for that
time.
Toward 8 o'clock Mrs. Bett an
nounced that she thought she should
have a lunch. This was debauchery.
She brought bread and butter and a
dlsh OF cold canned peas. She was
committing all the eXceSSeS that she
knew-offering opinions. laughing
and eating. 1t was to be seen that
TINS woman had an immense store Of
vitality, perpetually submerged"
X X X 4
In Faint Perfume" there are two
old people with strongly mark ed
personalities. Grandfather Crumb is
a very old map-so old that the
Crumb family has reIegated him to a
vague hinterland where he is sup
posed to be awaiting death. No one
pays any attention to his rema rkS S,
and when he fingers about, he is
| metaphorically told to run along
The latch Of the porch door click
ed and there was Grandfather Crumb.
No one gave him attention. and he
leaned in the doorway, fumbling in
his pocket. He was clean. collarless
shaven. His gray hair rolled thickly
about his ears. He came down the
room and laid by Leda's plate an
apple. With her thanks she smiled
up at him. but he did not look at her
NO one else said anything to him.
He went to the kitchen, still fumbling
In his pocket. You knew that moth
ing was there, that this was his way
OF preserving his dignity, the dignity
OF having preoccupations of his own"
one OF Grandfather Crumbs meth
ods or elf-entertainment in this
household, which ignores him, is dill
gently TO polish quarters on a fluff"
rug in the upper hall. The paper
hearing his last message to the fam
Ny-"Canal. BY the Cottonwood
when, by bold deed, he escapes at
the same time from them and from
impending blindness, is found in the
middle OF his bed. weighted by four
bright quarters
Mama Crumb is generation below
grandfather Crumb. She is very ma
ternal, but also very careful of her
own comfort. When her daughter
Richmiel comes home, after years of
unhappy marriage abroad Mama is
almost submerged by her rush of
love for her long absent child; but
when Richmiel announces that she is
divorced, Mama pushes her away and
demands shrilly: What are Prospect
expectedly advocates giving her
grandson. Oliver. to the divorced
father rather than have him left
! with her while her ease-loving
daughter winters IN Cali1ornla. She
says:
',Reesha, why don't you let his
father have him, if you go to Cali
fornia; instead of leaving him with
part. l can't stand big boy smash
ing around my house. with his moth
er gone. I'm too old" Reesha pro-
tests that she Will be gone only three
Its too much Great big boy
So" AS Oliver is about to leave with
his father Mama Crumb is referred
to as that one whom oliver had not
yet called grandmother.
| One of the most priced of the few
| books that l owned as boy was the
Life of p. 7. Barnum," written by
| that great father of modern publicity.
! OF course. my family went to the cir
| Gus at the county seat. In the morn
! ing before the circus began the
| genial Snowman made a speech in the
lobby of the hotel and at its CON
clusion offered his book for sale and
! an indulgent father bought a copy
+; for me and / read it again and again.
NUNS Autobiography sold to the ex-
| tent of half a million copies. The
memories of boyhood thrills have
been recalled by the entertaining gdrei new
l
r. Werner With the authors help
have revived my delight in the
! 'woolly horse" and the mermaid
! hoax" In revisiting Barnum's Amer.
| joined the crowd ITO the Egress
Ian animal not before seen! | have
| delighted again in Gen. Tom Ihnmp
| and Commodore Mutt and their mid
get wives, and in Jumbo, the elephant
who was fed peanuts from third
story windows. l have been especial /
| lv glad to read again of Barnum 5
| real contribution to art In bringing
/ Jenny Lind to this country. Mr.. W er-
ner's book, treating as IT does Bar
NUNS career from new NleWpoln |,
/ is d real contribution to the history
| of American amusement and Oh
American advertising.
| 4 book that has continued 10 De IN
active demand ever since its publlca-
ton in 1921 is "The Mind in the MAX
ing" by DR.. James Harvey Robinson.
! In the June number of the American
| Magazine the author of this thought
provoking work attempts, at the re-
ouest of the editor, to pick the seven
greatest Americans. The list is quite
as interesting for its omissions
! Washington for example. Is not IN
cluded-as for the names selected,
which are as follows: Abraham Lin
coin. Theodore Roosevelt, John ID.
! Rockefeller, Thomas A. Edison, Mark
/ Twain, William James and John
Dewey. Before condemning the list,
read the article and note the reasons
i advanced for the names included and
| excluded.
X X *%
Olive Schreiner will be remembered
as a pioneer of the new woman"
movement. The protest against the
! new woman which arose in many