Evening star., 1928-10-20
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES f. TRACER ELL.

makes particularly convincing the
change in the character of Michel.
through which he is able to throw OFF
his timidity, secured through the strict
bringing up by his mother, and assert
himself in time to prevent himself be-
coming the husband OF the woman he
did not love.
The reader sees that this is exactly
the reverse of the usual plot. 1t reminds
one of the chaSte hero of one of Field
ing's novels, who is pursued by the
ladies. Dumas Baron Michel. however,
is not burleSque character, but a real
bit of character drawing. His change
is natural, and comes about as the re-
suit of those nocturnal wanderingS,
when he is thrown into the midst of
plot and counterplot. 1t is his love, and
his love alone, which makes him a vio-
lent aoherent of the wandering Duchesse
de Berry, who is trying to put her son
on the throne of France. 1t is this love
which finally turns him into a self
aSscrtive man. able to tell his mother
where to get off, as the modern slang
expression has it, and to put him on
the road to winning Mary at last.
What fine scene it is going to be.
we feel sure, when Bertha finds out at
last that her dear Michel really loves
little sister Mary! We have been read
ing away steadily for a week, lust to
reach that very scene, and we haven't
got there yet, but are on the way. and
by the time this appears in print, no
doubt We shall be in full possession of
all the facts. Bertha is very strong
minded young woman; without a doubt
she will get angry at Michel and give
MIN a large and generous "ha-ha' when
the. showdown comes. Bertha would.
"The She Wolves of Machecoul"
makes admirable use of two of the old
est tricks in the repertoire of the fic-
tion writer. In the first place, it uses
suspense to fare -you-well. The whole
story is built on this love of two girls
for one man. and the reader reads, as
indicated, simply to find out how the
affair turns out. The character of
Michel is SO drawn as to make it seem
probable for a long time that the al
most masculine Bertha will force him
to marry her. All this time the story
is progressing, and with it the inevitable
changes in the hero's mind and heart,
so that always the reader feels that the
young fellow will do what Seneca (and
WOODROW Wilson after him) called
come to himself" and speak up in
time to save himself from Bertha and
win the gentle Mary, she who is SO
good that she is willing to sacrifice her
own happiness for the happiness of her
sister. This is laying it on pretty thick,
1t must be admitted. but no one can do
this better than Dumas. His large
spirit makes such a situation easily
swallowed, even by the most captious
reader, whereas the same thing would
be branded as silly from a modern
writer.
THE She-Wolves" makes fine use of
that other elderly device, the villain
In Master Courtin. the mayor of his
village and peasant tenant of the
Baron Michel the reader has a true
villain. yet individualized, who speaks
fair to every one, yet does his best
to betray them in his peasant greed
for land and gold. The way he worms
his way into secrets and yet manages
to cover himself up is we'll worth read
ing. Here Is an elemental villain, by
every test, and yet real human be-
ing, who sticks right along with the
others as far as we have got in this
story to date. Villains usually do not
last so well, especially in Dumas Some
one sticks them through with sword,
or they fall over a cliff. or something
Courtin, he of the shrewd eyes and
Pan-hke mouth. is coming up the home
stretch with the best of them, with
those evil eyes fixed on the $4,000
francs which he has been promised if
he delivers the Duchesse de Berry into
the hands of the government. Will he
get 1t? We don't know yet. Tell you
later