The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-01-27
Skeleton OF Mammals Past NeNrly
Wrecks Life of Little French Girl
BY WALTER D. HICKMAN


Skeletons placed in the private
closet of the life of Mime. Vervier
by her own unconventional actions
in search OF Happiness ratified
loudly when her own daughter. Alix,
sought real happiness.
That is the situation faced by
Nine Vervier, the mother of. Alix,
the little French girl, in Anne Doug
las Sedgwick's 1.-THE Little French
Girl
Madame was a powerful woman.
She had great beauty. a brilliant
mind and a personality which col
lected q crowd of delightful" French
people around her.
She had so much intelligence that
she needed less soul than other PEG,
pie, adapting a phrase Of the author
in describing one OF the delightful
people" surrounding Madame.
4. Main ST. language would call
Madame swift, fast and not moral.
She picked the daisies. the roses and
the faded leaves in the various ages
of her life. She had lived, but the
history Of her past threatened to
wreck the happiness OF her daugh-
ter when the child sought happiness
as the wife of Giles, corking good
English Lad who was backed by all
the traditions Of conventional Eng
lish life.
Giles, in looking over Madame,
reached this verdict: "She is not
a bad woman: wrong, but not bad"
Madame, although a mother,
amused herself with lovers" -
How Own Inventory
Madame. being a very wise wom-
an. sums up herself as follows:
But do not fear for me too much.
I shall know when youth is over I
shall know when the laurels are cut
and winter. has come to the woods. 1
shall be able to furl my sails before
the night comes on; and If one furls
ones sails in time, Monsieur Giles,
one is never wrecked. And there
will be, trust, a little harbor for
me somewhere. Alix's children to
love. And my memories. shall
be in old age much happier woman
than most. Most old women have
only to remember how they were
loved by nobody at all"
Again the verdict in her own
words: zone never turns back at
my age. Ones path has grown too
closely about one. Other paths are
all blocked out. And was perhaps
destined for It. For some women
may I'LL their hearts and stifie the
personal longings; but for others
these compensations are not enough.
They must have love. They must
have lover. And In France hus-
bands are seldom lovers. So, If one
is a mountaiN torrent, one leaps over
the precipie. Do you see? That is
my history"
Story win Live
It is my opinion that 1.-THE
Little French Girl" viii take It's
place along side Of the few con.
tributions to modern fiction which
has right to be passed over to tho
next generation.
I admit that was more inter-
ested In the character drawing of
Madame Vervier and her compan
ions that was in the many chap
tiers devoted to Giles and his strict
English home. -
Giles, Alix, Madame and many
other characters, including Topic
viii live as gigantic contributions to
life as reflected by great novelist.
Here Is novel which has been a
best seller for months. And 1t will
continue to be because it is a gigan-
tic masterpiece Of Characterization
and as an accurate medium of COM
pairing English and French life and
their viewpoints.
Houghton Mifflin Company pub
lished 1.-THE Little French Girl" 1t
is undoubtedly the most discussed
book Of the day. II you want to DO
up-to-date, then you FAUST read THE
Little French Girl
1t is not a cheap attempt at SEN
sationalism, but marvelously ac-
curate reflection OF English and
French life. Nothing finer has come
to my attention lately.