Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-19
REVIEWS OF SUMMER BOOKS
The Earth and What 1t Produces Is the Subject of New
Volume-Birds and Beasts-All Sorts of
Fiction for Summer Reading

tudinous. sheer fable in fact. So now
adays writer's turn to the marital state
itself for those adventures Of the spirit
which lie in the business of one man
and one woman fitting themselves 10
each other in the way of domestic con-
tentment But even this story doesn't
go far 1t appears to be the outbreak
ings Of the spirit that count either in
matrimony or celibacv. And 80 the
new variants of fiction are those of
marital differences, based formerly as
A rule upon the Inconsistency Of the male
to this sworn bond, As time moves
along 1t is apparent. however, that
| human nature is human nature Men
and women are not different in their
funda mental reactions to the various
aspects of life. And so, Homer Croy
takes a hand here in domestic comedy
Or is it tragedy?--wherein 1t is the
woman who long before her marriage
had eaten of the fruit of the tree of
knowledge 1t is this situation that
makes the groundwork Of the novel.
The classic rule in such case is to lie,
to lie good and hard as men have done
| time out of mind But. somehow. there
is strain Of honesty here that, in 2
crisis, calls for avowal And the woman
makes it, You read for yourself To
| find the outcome. Homer Croy hes
taken the matter up like good
| psychologist broad-thinking human
and clearly dramatic writer who finds
| his drama all along the wav of life
| You. no doubt, will agree with the
| girls nother-in-law. You'll call the
man sap. But read the story. IT
win stretch your chest line and do you
| good generally.
OLD ENCHANTMENT. BY Larry
| Barretto, author of "A Condueror
| Passes" etc. New York: The John
| Day Company.
| In effect Larry Barretto's new novel
= Is study. It is the appraisal, in
| terms Of modern romance, of the legacy
of name, and a former lofty place
/ in the world OF the old ways of wealth
! and circumstance. and the enormous
/ pride that has outiVed all these other
externals of circumstance. The story
| ccnters upon two children. brother and
| sister. fed from babyFood upon those
! old and better days Of their forbears
| 1t is the pride of Aunt Ellen and an
| aenemic father that carries the bust
| ness forward through a wilderness of
inhibitions imposed upon the boy and
girl by virtue of the exclusive grandeur
| OF tire old days of prosperity. Very
| painstakingly does Mr. Barretto build
/ in here from the facts of this situation,
| letting the main current of influence
| come gradually. and somewhat surpris-
Iiagiy, TO a focus when the time for II
| to flower is at hand. Nothing happens
/ to this pair of youngsters, nothing that
! should happen TO a robust boy and
girl. since they are hedced in from their
own natural life by tradition and the
/ custom of the family. The Towering
| time comes when these are brought up
| standing before the fact that there is
| living TO be fought for, when. naturally.
the feelings of youth take possession OF
them. But--there they are. raarooned
on the desert island OF long ago. An
| excellent piece of work drawn from
| actuaIity-ff1any instances of actually
and then trimmed To the compass
and spirit of a dramatic outlook upon
two human beings who have been rob-
bed of everybodys birthright of hard
work and fair play, of love and hate.
! of laughter and tears. of the whole
| splendid legacy of time 10 the sons and
| daughters of men. Self-pride and per-
| sonal vanity. carried across into name
and family commit no end Of crimes
| against the younger generations. Here
! is case in point and one Of excep-
!
/ X
/ THE SECRET OF MOHAWK POND,
BY Natalie Summer Lincoln, author
of The Man Inside" etc. New
York: d. Appleton & Co.
MAN twins. as alike as two peas, a
Avn pair Of poisonous snakes lured
/ into sort of demesticity. a last will
and testament of the peskiest cordl-
tions imaginable. a lone house in a
black and mountainous locality on the
shore of Mohawk Pond--such Is the
material out of which Natalie Sumner
Lincoln takes a hand at mystery tale
OF different pattern from her usual one,
| This story moves out of Washington.
| which has for some time been this
| writer's chosen resort for criminals OF
subtle and complex powers New Eng
| land houses this mystery of the taking
! off of the owner of VIEW Lodge" and
| OF the double and-twisted action i'm
| posed by the strange conditions Of his
will I forgot to mention In the right
| place that a beautiful young woman is
/ the beneficiary of this beQueSt-~pro-
| vided! And there's the rub, Seemingly
| impossible provisions. certainly nerve
! racking ones Residence at the lodge
! --spooky placel-~iS the first of these .
! and alone. save for her one servant.
! However. In the near distance is 2.
| young man whom YOU Will at once rec
| ognize as the one hope of the dark
| business. But that is 10 anticipate
| which Is the meanest Of all tricks to
/ play upon a mystery tale Just one
/ more word. and this one about those
! twins~those men so much alike On
/ the inside they are as antipathetic
/ as they are identical in outer seeming
te nNA sNf ttNss no
other is a harmless fellow. These two
facts are basic, permitting most of the
villainy going on here. Twins make
/ tine abb for crime. A deep business,
| this A mention of the young woman
| and the young man indicates that there
| is here something of the easement OF
| growing romance in development
| which otherwise would not invite those
| readers who must take their villainy,
| even in literature. in moderate doses
and with long sips In between of the
| emollients of friendlineSs and kindly
! intercourse and open doingS. Some
| thing OF new move on the part of
this author. but spirited and puzsling
! mystery tale. nevertheless. as Is the way
with her,
| SHAKEN BY THE WIND. A Story OF
FnA1attttAIH IA KNAN SttdEklSS4 NEW
York The Macmillan Co.
| THE fanatics of which we sometimes
read are usually long way OF
either In time or place OF i'm the
Orient among peoples too strange for
either our understanding or sympathy.
shaken by the Wind" is. on the com
trary, story OF religion gone mad
right at home Here is the record of
sect whose springs OF belief and action
are self-delusion hysteria. excess that
does not stop at the boundary Of free
dom, but that leaps easily over into
! license and RIGHTEOUSNESS, Looks like
a madhouSe and sounds like one. Yet
these are In the main thoroughly hon
est people The leader may, iust pos