Evening star., 1928-10-20

So much OF the action of THE She.
Wolves of Machecour' takes place al
night that this little known work OF
Alexandra Dumas might aptly be called
a nocturnal novel.
We are still making our way through
the land OF romance as set forth In
this very long book. a romance of the
sort which intrigues the reader to
inquire:
Did Dumas write this himself or is
this one of the stories he "farmed out
tn his hired fiction hands in his So
called fiction factory?
1t is more or less well known to lovers
of this grand romancer that Dumas
contracted with various publishers to
supply more stories in his typical vein
in year than any one man could have
produced in lifetime.
If one can put score or more brains
to work at the same time, however
presumably he might be able to turn
out novels by sort of mass production
1t Is interesting to note that the French
author thus antedated Henry Ford and
General Motors, although in another
distinct line of human endeavor
AS a matter of cold historical fact
the Dumas Fiction Factory. Inc pro-
duced some 1900 novels, if our statistics
are correct, all of them bubbling with
the Infectious spirit of the master
himself.
How did he do 1t?
It IS said that he outlined the plots,
allowed his workers to develop them.
then rapidly went over them, changing
here and there with the deft hand of
the artist, until at last almost every
story came to bear his imprint.
1t was indubitably Dumas, even if
Dumas did not write it.
X X X y
The nocturnal novel under considera-
ton, The She-Wolves of Machecoul y
undoubtedly bears the marks OF the
master. If he didn't write it (and we
think he did he had enough to do
with touching it up to make it one
of his own. The thing boilS itself down
to the question, How much of the mas
ter Is in a master work? Surely, great
tale does not have to be all master or
none. If 1t have a dash of the master.
so that the flavor of the original is
paramount, 1t has enough master in 1t
to entitle it to be placed with the elect.
Dumas She Evolves" Is corking
good story from its unusual title. slightly
melodramatic, to the point in the story
where the pryrAent reader now is--which
is, of course. SIS far as we have got. and
following which we can say nothing
until we shall have finished it. We
have the satisfying belief, however that
it will end as well as it began and as
we'll as it continues. This, of course,
because of the way it continues. This
story has plenty of pep" in the best
sense OF that strictly modern word
It's characters are forced, owing to the
state of insurrection in La Vendee,
trouble spot of France from revolu-
tionary days until 1882 and after, to do
most of their doings at night. in order
to avoid the red breeches" of the gov
ernmenr.
Hence we have something unusual in
the story line, tale in which all the
big doings" are at night. Along coun-
try paths, highroads and byroads, the
beautiful "She- Wolves and their
friends pursue their plot against the
Philippian government. The young Ia
dies with the animal-like names in
reality are two charming creatures las
Dumas insists on calling them who
have been given the designation out of
the sheer envy of their neighbors
One Baron Michel falls in love with
Mary, one of the twins, but is so timid
that her sister Bertha. who has fallen
in love with him, proceeds to tie him
to her apron strings. Mary, the gentle
one of the two, in order to prevent
hurting Bertha, swearS that she will
never marry Michel, and thus forces
him to be the betrothed of Bertha.
Say not that no girl would so give up
her beloved! Mary would. Mary does
Dumas makes it convincing. And he