Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-31

in distress like an angel of light and
leading. No. no preaChment. Cobb
never breaches. He simply smiles,
kind like, and with an understanding
word or two goes on his way toward
another point in the redemption sched-
ule of poor mortals. Often he laughs
right out loud, and we laugh with
him. but happily there is never any
thing in that laughter but indulgence,
understanding, amusement. All of a
kind, these stories; and a fine kind.
y X x X
ENOUGH ROPE. BY Dorothy Parker.
New York: Boni & Liveright.
GATHERED up out of life and
~ Vanity Fair" and such, these
poems by Dorothy Parker set up here
in a modest eSta blishment of their own.
A family of verse whose blood rela-
tionship is so clear as never at any
point to hint even toward the bend
sinister. A waywise and sophisticatc
family, besides, one whose eyes are
clear of illusion. one whose single mind
is turned habitually away from easy
credulities, just as the heart OF the
family, also, is not a-melt toward too
ready sympathies and too facile ac-
ceptanceS. But the family can sing
not a doubt in the world about that
sing in a low throaty contralto that in
itself is beguiling. even though the
songs themselves are, over and over,
those of establishment. Pitched to
the key of You can't fool me any
more" here are gay little tunes of
disenchantment. In the spirit Of
who Cares" the clever verses dart
and fly and swim like a flying fish in
its glittering armor.
By the time you swear you're his,
Shiverng and signing
And he vows his passion is
Infinite, undylng-
Lady. make a note of this
One OF you IS lying.
Lady. lady. should you meet
One whose ways are all discreet.
One who murmnrs that his wife
Is the lodestar of his life,
One who keeps assuring you
That he never was untrue.
Never loved another one
Lady. lady. better run!
X X
THE SILVER CORD. BY George
Agnew Chamberlain, author of
Through Stained Glass" etc.
New York: G. p. Putnam's Sons.
4 GOOD mystery tale, fine adven-
ture OF the flesh and a finer one
of the spirit, good look-in upon the
social comedy turned off here in terms
of high romance-of high finance as
well-such is THE Silver Cord" Who
stole the Liberty bonds and who MUIR
dered the rich mans son, Julian Det-
wetter? So much for the send-off upon
the mystery whose solution proves
that circumstantial evidence may be
wholly fiimsy evidence. upon whose
lack Of weight. nevertheless. many an
innocent man has been condemned. 1t
CHANGED that just then a boy, born
and brought up in the town, disap.
peared. OF course. he was the guilty
one. and the chase was set up around
him. So much for the detective story.
Down in Haiti, where he went for
reasons Of his own. purely innocent
reasons, this boy was remade both in
body and spirit through the skill and
wisdom of Il wise old voodoo chief.
So much for the story of ones re-
making-and this Is by far the most
important part of the whole matter, as
well as the most interesting. Made
over in appearance, in name, in capa-
bility. the young man returned to the
old home, there to pursue the real
murderer and thief. In such pursuit
he succeeded in opening up the poll
tics Of the small town and many an
other Of the untoward handicaps of
the civic situation. An ambitious pro.
gram? An over-burdened hero of the
Herculean brand? 1t does look so,
doesn't it? But the proof of the mat
ter is in the reading, and here you
will find an adventure so we'll knit,
one whose many interests are inter-
locked naturally and plausibly. Bet
ter even than this, here you will come
upon tale of substantial significance
set against a background that is here
picturesque with the scenery of the
island of Haiti, that is saturated with
its strange superstititions and, on the
other hand, a background that is as
familiar as that of any small inland
town. Out of it all stands the fact
that life, the silver cord on which
each Of us strings his beads, is no
ones private property" A strong and
significant romance from every point
of view.
THAT'S NEW YORK. by Morris
Marley and Johan Bull. New
York: Macy Masius, Publishers.
PUT the salt shaker on the arm Of
your chair. Now you are ready
to read That's New York"'-a very
sprightly adventure around the big
town by a competent pair of young
men. ore to make copy and the other
to make pictures. A sharp-seeing
couple, equally gifted in the use Of
pen on the one hand and pencil on
the other and both possessed of that
fair for eXaggeration and slight dis.
tortion that bespeaks a knowing and
waywise attitude toward this frail anc
faulty world. Stories and pictures Of
New York, here and there and over
yonder, are the harvest Of this par
ticular adventure, harvest that turns
over to the reader a good hour of en-
tertainment wherein facts and near
facts and truth hobnob together most
companionably. certainly most anus
ingly. Right here is the time for a
sprinkling of salt--for this is not New
York, any more than it is Weedsport
or South Bend or Danville. Nor is it
the whole of New York itself In any
thing like fair representation
About as much the whole town as the
blinking Broadway lights are. Moth
ing here to indicate the metropolis
only n near view of it's gangs and
tribes and tongs, of its black bottom
eccentricities. OF it's revels and crimes
and divorces and so on. But around
all these is a big city whose civic
pride and vanity are conspicuous in
Rotarians and Kiwanians and up
filters and purity leagues and, besides.
in an amazing and stable industrial
life. And all the little towns-Weeds-
port and South Bend--are merely
pocket editions of New York itself.
Shake hard right here. for this book
needs salt, lot of it. Oh, yes, enter
taining--no end. No fault at all with