Evening star., 1924-11-19
By the light quivering aspen made:
When pain and anguish wiring the brow,
minfsteripC angel thou!


We are back in counterpane land.
Life, from being lived in all dimen-
sions, has become principally hori-
zontal. AS much of the outside
world as we can see through the
windows comes to us'over our toes.
The bedposts take on certain def
| mite functions as boundaries of the
horizon; and the window curtains
become interesting as well as use
full. The wall paper design intrigues
| ones fancy. How queerly yonder
| mirror reflects the sun.
1t Is in this bounded world that
the women move, bringing medicine
at the precise hour, smoothing the
| sheets, bearing the coverted drink of
| water, doing the hundred and one
| things that are necessary.
Their feet are never wearfed In do
| ing good, or, If they do become tired.
they say little about it. 1t seems to
me that even the worst woman
hater must thaw out bit when he
is sick. The influence of nurses on
| men is widely known, nor does the
| nurse have to be pretty one
| either. 1t is the kindness that
| touches the heart.
When one returns to counterpane
| land for a time-and this is the only
way he can return to it-he sees
what 1t is that makes up the daily
| life OF the women. The routine OF
house is considerable. The sound
of the ice wagon in the alley is
something to be needed II there is
| to be any ice in the refrigerator.
All must be in readiness for the ash
| collectors, for time and the ashman
| wait for no woman.
And. above all, 1t Is this anger
who brings to him the adventure and
detective stories.
| Give a sick man an ordinary novel
| to read he will wave it away with a
| sense of nausea
Hand him the latest issue of a de-
tective story magazine. with bright,
lurid cover depicting some tragic
scene, and he will accept 1t greedily.
The adventure and detective story
magazines, of which there are vast
number on the market, are a boon
| to a sick man. They constitute the
only sort of reading exciting enough
| to combat the grip germ and win out.
One has to be mighty sick indeed,
| to be unable to finish the mystery
| in which the cold-hearted Devil Cat
| functions. There are swift automo-
| bile rides at night, mysterious visitors
who abduet the girl. flashing knives
tHtO" II with lhC SP'SN "a AASAAS
which the hero ducks even more
| speedily, of course-swift, denoue-
ment, smacking words.
| Action, action, action. There lies
| the charm of these stories in three
| words, each word the same, yet for
ever varied. One used to high brow
| fiction Of the best type, who has never
| investigated these low brow" stories,
| will be surprised and pleased at the
| "kick" they manage to pack away In
| so pages.
These stories are generally very
well written. Instead OF long intro
| ductions, or any attempt to build up
| atmosphere. they start right out on
| the story. The tale snaps into action
! like an airedale dog that has seen a
! cat No motion is lost-there is a
| plot to unfold, and she begins in
| stanter.
Where the really great artists
! would spend pages upon pages de-
| failing the mental reactions of the
| characters the busy boys who grind
! out this adventure stuff get right
down to business and give you the
story.
In the end they have created a most
creditabIe atmosphere and given a
picture of the characters that is un-
mistakable. Above all. they have
Interested you. After all, are there
not just two main merits in writing
sincerity and interest?