Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-27

the book traveller in a satisfying actu-
atty of effect the face of the country
in its sweep of mountain, plain, desert,
vast rivers, and besides, it gives his
tory, modern activities, points OF COM
mercial and political interest, the ways
Of the people. An orderly portrayal OF
personal experience becomes here the
experience Of the reader as well. 1t is
clear that thorough preparation for this
adventure made the journey itself many
fold more enjoyable and useful to Mrs.
Anderson and the rest OF us than 1t
could have been had she consigned her
self to Providence and the uncertain
power of inspiration for the issue. A
splendid travel book, rich in fact and
the implications of fact; rich also In
its human touch. -
HUNKY. BY Thames Williamson, au-
thor of Stride Of Man." etc. New
York: Coward-McCann, Inc.
HUGE, heavy, slow-hardly born yet,
certainly not yet born as any part
of the monstrous whirling concern that
goes by the name of modern life. A
peasant growth come over from Eastern
Europe to America, nobody knows why,
he least Of all, it appears. A slow
moving giant, the cast of the prehis-
toric upon him. Jencie, the name
but they call him "Hunky." And this
is his story. What a story it Is! MOI
joy-an infinite pathos instead. Strong
as an OK, lifting, carrying, placing. go
ing back for more in endless monotony
bales, barrels, irons, his load days on
end. Made t. be used-and he Is
used. Even TeenG at the last, in her
dilemma, found "Hunky" so useful
Just one single pale ray in this dark
life, called Hunky-he found a friend
in Krusack, the baker. Not another
thing Yet in 1t there was something
that Hunky priced.
much alone. Rough. Not scrap OF
the fairy tale about 1t. Not a line cal
culated to amuse, divert, to delude, to
englamour with made-up romance. Here
Is a Stark-naked story. A great novel.
Great in its creative fidelity to its
theme. This theme human clod-n
there can be such a thing. And this
is human, poignantly human. Without
interference Thames Williamson SIM
ply stands by. Not disclosing his own
nearness, he, looking on, translates
himself into the dumb soul of Jancie,
into the pitifulness Of this animal-man,
big and insensate, moving like a nat
ural force Not knowing himself to be
pitiful, Jancie is heartbreaking to see
and feel. Out of his element, belonging
to some far past, cropping his way for
ward-oh, this is an infinitely moving
experience, this going along with
"Hunky." A great story, great as work,
great in its impact. Here is an art to
author to resist the world, to defy it
while he works the truth out of the
material chosen by him. Rough-like
Whitman. Rough-like Dresser? No.
Dresser is not rough, numbering in
stead-great numbering, though. No,
Thames Williamson is hard, like earth
working out its own clods. Great writ
ing. big novel. Homage to Thames
Williamson!
THIEVES NIGHTS. BY Harry Ste
phen Keeler, author of Sing Sing
Nights" etc. New York: E. p.
Dutton & Co.
AS with every other commodity it
is demand that has so greatly in
creased the mystery-tale supply. More
than all other fiction themes put to-
gether does this one meet the popular
pleasure. The immediate effect of
such clear popularity is an increase
in the production Of crime stories.
Much Of the work is poor, carelessly
conceived, clumsily put together, I'M
convincing. Now and then a good
mystery tale arrives, the work of an
ingenious and gifted author who works
out the situation, motive, the criminal
drive. the formation of plan, and the
crime itself. Harry Keller does this.
So does Van Dine. One goes along
with these two, alert and driven to
activity of his own in determining what
the next step may be, and the next.
It Is an adventure of ones own wits
to read them. Harry Keeler's new
story presents an authentic king of
thieves" one De Lancey. AS in Sing
Sing Nights" a most absorbing part
Of the whole to-do is where a group
Of the leaders tell Of their own escapes
and performances as one night they
go back over the years of criminal
adventure. A curious completely stamps
this highly involved tale through a
biological idiosyncrasy that confers an
exact identity That's not fair. Let
1t go. All that I meant to say was
that the author has given so clear an
effect OF scientific research that the
pure mystification Of the action takes
on something of the authority of
demonstrated fact. It takes work to
produce story of this quality. To
seem like truth is ever an achievement
with both originality and artistry in
its composition. Nothing at all like
the loose invention of the average
mystery writer who depends almost
wholly on readers who are easy to
please, and almost none at all upon
his own workmanship. Here is a
story to keep you keyed high from its
first page to the last one. Maybe you
say that you don't read these crime
stories-but you do. Everybody does.