Evening star., 1929-06-30

thing connected with the sea, even the
wind and the fog and the great
waves-yes, and the brave and simple
sailors-you assuredly will understand
me. And in that shall find my recon-
pense.-Pierre Lott"
Simple. natural, devoted as a child is
devoted to this one or that. possessed of
a passion for nature, especially the ma
ture of the sea, the letter tells better
than pages of mediocre appraisal could
tell of the sheer charm of Pierre Lott.
In this plain tale the moods OF Brit
tany follow each other as do the moods
of Lott himself Poetry, touching and
lovely. command this writer and the
corner of France with which he Is here
so deeply in love. A poem to cherish
for many readings, this Mon Frere
Yves"
GOOD CONSCIENCE BY Olav Duun.
Translated from the Norwegian by
Edwin Bjorkman. New York: Har-
per & Bros.
I TNABLE, yet, to define it in any
measure of exactitude, Americans
are, nevertheless, coming to realize the
stirring effect Of the Norwegian novel.
Simplicity of life. Perfect clarity of
projection. These two, 1t seems TO me,
are the basic qualities of the novel of
pure Nordic source. A case In point
Good Conscience" AS the title I'M
plies, the theme Is that of the workings
OF the Inner monitor" possessed by all
the sons of men, 80 we are told, yet be-
having variously under the diverse in
fluences of time and place. Two families
face each other here across o narrow
waterway of separation. Here they live
in the common agreements, and dis
agreements, of their individual interests
and preferences. Substantial, solid folks,
trthe heavy on the whole. Each one
struggling in his outer behaviors with
his inner guide toward righteousness
against sin. But, one takes a dishonest
profit, to his lasting unhappiness. One
has no conscience at all, yet here is the
most lovable and kindly Of men. girl
Is tricked out of her lover. She marries
the trickSter and remains faithful to
him, even under disclosure of his act.
And so the story runs, much as it runs
wherever men live together. Quite the
usual account of mans fight with him
self. 1t Is the austere beauty of the
words, marching in measures of light
and song, it is this that carries the
charm of the book Oh, to be sure,
there is moral, definite and emphatic.
One wonders about these morals to
stories. Three generations of natural
ltving-right and wrong blended-make
up the substance Of the matter. Then
X.
Still, the new generation has to carry
on, and will-largely In the footprints
of the forbears. So, why impose q reeti-
tude upon IL which it can hardly sus-
tain? However, readers appear to crave
q happy ending to their stories. And
writing Is, as yet, carried on with read
ers ranged close to the writing hand of
the author.
~
THE SECOND GUESS. BY Walter C.
Brown. Philadelphia: j. B. Lippin-
colt Co.
A NEW strain Is at work here. Time,
too, that a touch of originality
should be manifest In the current story
or crime and its punishment The suave,
super detective has been sadly over
worked. The fellow Is tired. Needs a
vacation. Moreover, the riot of false
trails, SO obviously false to even the
most mos n, uncritical Of readers, is losing It's
something different To be sure, the
drama opens with murder. But this is
the unnatural taking off Of a noted
gambler. From this point Of departure.
Walter Brown, author, betakes himself
In the person of young Harding, most
matter-of-fact detective, to the under
world itself Here, in q tense and
0SoOA 0AAAB PbA ouA0 Va tIlC Ld1lnO,
as well as in an unspectaculaF trailing
OF certain definite hints and clues, this
writer rounds up story of such SUBJ
stance as to command immediate inter-
est. One, by way of 1t, sees something
| OF the criminal psychology, catches
glimpseS of the criminals outlook upon
the other side of the world, sits in at
some of the characteristic contacts of
this order, watches the formation of
their plans, follows the success or the
| defeat of these. Then, above ground so
to speak, many interesting things go on
f. in the usual pattern of life. Yet all of
these converge in gradual and natu-
raj movement upon the center of in
terest, that of finally drawing together
the many lines Of self-interest that
eliminated In the murder Of Sweep
| stake" Mason. gambler. Excellent In
conception, adroit and understanding in
| development. Most interesting to the
reader, say.
BEG PARDON, sIRl BY Reginald
Wright sin,a Ksgffman' mar ps;,t sHthor Se Of
The Penn Publishing Co.
T ONDoN. Ridgeleys. Gone now. So
- the story goes back q bit to catch
the flavors of this old hostel. A murder.
Rich man from Melborne. Mysterious
lady In black. The arrival of another
man who declares himself to be the
man from Melbourne" From this point
Of mere inventory, it is best for a
reader to hunt out the book for him
self. For such motley of performance.
| on the one hand calculated to make
open revelation and, on the other,
equally intended to deepen the OBJ
scurity and mystery-such q riot Of ac-
tivity the reader will not be likely to
| find in many a day outside this crime
| story. Reginald Wright Kaufman is
taking day off for rest and recreation.
Beg Pardon, Sir!" is his way Of doing
this. Better 60 along. For without
doubt this writer will not hold this
! playtime mood for long, He'll be