Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-12

not obtrusive, yet one that makes a
poem sing in rhythmic lifts. where
otherwise. it might grow hoarse now and
then, or limp here and there. Rhymes
do rhyme here. Meters do swing of
into their own cadences-and. there
fore, the poems give distinct pleasure
quite apart from the personal origins
that they disclose. Besides, now and
then, one does strike the mood Of the
author. Then the two go singing to-
gether. Yes, know poetry is hard to
onrush OF the hour. But. still the
courageous poets go on turning out
poetry in utter carelessness about the
reception Of 1t. Birds do just that way,
,too--and, once in a blue moon, some
body listens. catches the melody and
tries to sing 1t for himself. Some
body does in the reading of this unpre-
tentious book Of personal songs. ~.
X %x
WHERE THE WIND LTsTETH. BY
Bonnie Busch. Boston: The Four
Seas Co.
SOUTHERN Florida during the sea
- son when the sands Of its shores
were being offered-ard purchased--for
almost their weight in gold. and the
same Southern Florida laid waste by
the tornado of September. 1925, Il the
background against which this short
novel of the humdrum whirl of social
life during Miami's dizzy swim In the
lap of unmeasured wealth, Is set. A
money-mad, pleasure-mad throng Of
human beings let loose in the hypnotic
ing witchery of Americas semi-tropical
playground. plus devastating stroke
from the hand of nature, offers ma
terial for tale of dramatic proportions.
But unfortunately Mrs. Busch falls
short of this quality and Of other pos
sibilities for the making of story about
which one might become enthusiastic.
A tabloid style of delineation leaves the
characters colorless and lifeless. and
though they are but few, there Is not
enough plot to keep them going. Better
work should come from the pen of Mrs.
Busch in her next effort, for several
literary products have been set down to
her credit during the past few years,
and with little more technique In the
art of novel making the road ahead
should be fairly easy.
| = y X
| ROMA. BY Josephine Gibson Knowl-
ton. Washington, D. G.
1T can be read in few minutes. Never
theless, it is a lingering matter to
the mind, or heart A true story. A
| happy episode. A sharing mood behind
it. Nothing but the story Of a sparrow
! that, in Rome. attached itself to q lady,
the writer, with whom it travelled. TN
| Gagged, all over Europe and across to the
United States. There the incident ends
upon q falling note.
| A record OF fact, straight and plain.
About it no reach for either literary
embroidery or sentimental vaporings.
| The little drama grows interesting by
way of the good sense of its leading
character, Roma, by way of his art
| full makeshifts toward comfort and
safety, and by his human appraisals
| that size up friends and unfriends with
out error or hesitation. wisdom
is beyond question the possession OF
Roma, inherited from the sparrow
| tribe in its experience with q careless
world, legacy built wisely upon by this
single member of the line. There goes
along with the story itself picture of
Roma-an outstanding and competent
fellow, ingratiattng as well.
Right now, here In Washington, this
book is Of an, rantiseptic content. cal
| culated to mollify o bird-minded pop
ulation- that, for the moment. Is insuited
and outraged over the hocks of needy
| and sociable newcomers whose sense of
| property Is of the sketchiest, whose
| notions OF trespasS are even more vague
as they seek the essential of lodgings
for the night.
THE PERSON CALLED "Z." BY J.
I Jefferson Farjeon, author of 'sUn-
foreground, etc. New York: The
Dial Press Lincoln Macveagh.
4 MYSTERY story. deep mystery too.
that sets out in as true spirit Of
chiyalry as ever gave impulse to Knight
Templar or Knight of st. John in
feudal times. leave it to you. A per-
sonable young man, tramping the
| coY,ntrucido ~, hfc C,,p,v,a n,ftfra0 Arls
the photograph Of young lady-fallen
from the pocket OF o particularly
] Misunderstanding man vho, with him,
had sought shelter from a shower under
an open shed. On the back of the pic
ture was scrawled, This is the trouble"
A part of the picture was the name OF
a place. A beautiful girl, so the snap
shot said. OF course. Had it been
otherwise, there would have been no
knight-errant no adventure. Of in
pursuit to a village in Cornwall The
| lady, clearly in danger, though she does
not know this. But, because Of some
property accruing to her there has
been worked up a deadly conspiracy to
do away with her. And there you have
| ins and outs, its ups and downs. Let
me say. however, that in doing this you
will have no moments Of either dullness
| or the common routine of uncoyering
guilt. Here. quite apart from the mys-
terry that directs and controls the mat
ter. there Is the power Of the good
story-teller who is in command Of
striking and appropriate incidents, who
Is close of kin to humor and wit and
those other entertainers along the way
of reading. An ingenfously involved
brand OF wickedness keeps the tension
In good condition. and the fine man
illness of the Knight in-the- Case holds
the sympathy where it ought to be.
bringing both reader and adventure
Itself out together in beaming triumph
over the wicked ways Of some folks and
the altogether worthy and winning
qualities Of certain other folks. Sub
stantial in design and really enRrossinR
in development, here is another WORTH
| uyff1o