Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-21

man. In each of the stories grouped
here there Is this infallible foundation
of human nature-of all human ma
ture-that out of the fascination of
its exotic setting homes straight to
the feelings and consciousness of
every human wherever he may be.
East or West. these tales are equally
at home despite their garments of
either strange or familiar cut.
MY TOWER OF DESMOND. BY S.
r. Lysaght. New York: The Mac
milan Company.
A PLAIN tale that carries with it
"A little of. the whimsical turn of
the Irish story teller. 4 picturesque
story, nevertheless, whose center is
the ruin of an Irish castle, the tower
of Desmond" around which this
chronicler weaves the playtime of his
boyhood and from which he later adj
ventures forth into the serious bust
ness of an lrishman's life-fighting
against the English in rebellions that
were gloriously planned and usually
ingloriously futile. Then, fighting in
the Boer War. and in the Great War.
and taking part in the Easter Rebel
lion. When all other wars fail, of
course and to be sure. the Irish can
fight one another. A fine and gallant
race, nevertheless, obSeSSed with its
own ancient glory and With passion
for freedom. Not all fighting, this
story, nor in large part that. Instead,
there are pictures. many and true, of
the quiet life of the country and OF
the little villages roundabout the Des-
mond Tower. In telling his own story
from boyhood on TO mans work in
the world this author has given an
Gin fl1n mic
ture of a historic corner of Ireland
both chronicle and picture of con-
Vincing and interesting quality.
*
RAHWEDIA: A True Romance of the
South Seas. BY c. Harold Smith.
New York: d. Appleton & Co.
THE pure business of this drama is
that of boy sent out to New
Zealand to meet an uncle. Not long
after, he became lost in the bush
where he went with some lumbermen.
Finally finding his way to a Maori vii
Iage far inland, he remained there.
learning the Maori speech and ways of
life. Such is the foundation for Il
highly dramatic and beautiful story
that is built upon the life of a primi-
tive people. whose superstitions. differ
ent from our own, produced different
approaches from ours to the great
questions of extraordinarily Gus
toms. tribal relations, laws of govern
ment, religious ceremonialS. social dis
tinctious and moral precepts. The
story takes turn of romance in the
person OF Rahwedia. a beautiful ma
tive girl, who became the friend and
protector of the alien. There is tragic
death in the story and the imperiled
life of the white youth. Adventure
and romance. coupled with a fund of
information about the Maoris of New
Zealand. combine here under the art
of good story telling TO produce a
fresh and refreshing South Sea novel.
X X * x
THE MYSTERY OF THE GOLCON-
DA. BY William y. Naile. New
York: Doubleday, Page & Co.
THIS week the mystery tale ties
itself into hard knots over the
dreams that so persistently linger
around the worked-out gold mine.
That ii great treasure hold is in real
ity eXhaused is, Invariably, a theory
of generally unready acceptance. Sc
cretly each adventurer believes that
greater industry of search and a bet
ter ingenuity of plan will yield to him
that which has been so doggedly with