Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-17
% IDA GILBERT MYERT
NH James, Picturesque C000boy, Wr1tes the
Story of His Life-A NeeU Novel of
England by Sheila Kaye-Smith- Other
Summer RNOkc
SheiIa Kaye-3mith-
Summer Books.

fact and imagination shrewd insight and sur
face sweeping Sound judgment and Sardonic
chuckling. That is, he stages this drama in the
clearly unusual admixture of gifts and aptitudes
that make up the assured buoyancy Of this Ttf-
fanny Thayer, who has written corking story
in the modern newspaper manner. One OF the
best of manners for this kind Of story, by the
way. You know, before reading 1t, how in gen.
eral the matter runs. The IL good men and
true" trying to look the part of hearing evil
dence for and against the accused. You know
the common muddle of the average mind, I'M
able to weigh the most trivial of affairs. Blank,
dead blank before the business of balancing
evidence. Since such is, as q rule, the basic
fact Of the situation Thayer discards that part
OF the trial Instead he slips into the person
of each of these jurors, one after another, to
get in touch with what is really going on inside
there. And here is where the amazement Of the
story enters. Absolutely shut of from the inn
mediate duty in hand each betakes himself to
his own outlook, once in q while turning to the
trial going on, but more often holding to per-
SOnal interests and lines of thought suggested
by some inconsequence of the passing scene.
It Is perfectly natural state Of mind. In fact,
about the only state of mind open to these
men, "12 good and true" Brought into the
open, put into q story, it makes at one turn
q roaring farce, at another an unmistakable
tragedy, and all the time singing satire upon
this particular mechanics Of the law dozen
sardonic dramas emerge from this young mans
adventure in criminal trial. And what about
that other man, the thirteenth, the one de-
pendent upon these deeply preoccupied arbiters
sitting by? Well, you read about him for your
self. You will enjoy seeing If this Thayer boy
can hold out, or up, to the tremendous pitch Of
the undertaking which he has set for himself.
When you are all through with that sit down
and think minute about the jury trial as q
whole in its relation to the administration of
justice. whatever this may mean Then, in
eff In
Can he hold out? He himself is the answer to
that relatively unimportant question.
ARMS LENGTH. BY John Metcalfe, author
of Mrs. Condover," etc. New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons
DLSMLUSTONMENT is a pretty common
malady. Sometimes it is brought on by q
wide range of personal partakings in the rough
and-ready of existence. Sometimes IL appears
merely TO seep out from old blood strains
wandering about In the system of this or that
innocent host to such intruders. It Is q quite
general complaint. John Metcalfe has it.
Been everywhere. Seen almost everything.
His fathers did that before him. University
bred, young John. Soldier In the British air
service, officer in the Royal Air Force. Writer.
The last of these occupations provides outlet
for all the diSenchantmentS loaded upon him
by the earlier pursuits. So nowadays, he in
vents stories. Writes novels. Here is one Of
them. London for a background. one of the
thousand Londons lying within the city limits.
The chief preoccupaton of this author here is
the course and career of young man of the
great city. thousand of him. too more or
less. For he is that familiar young male who
cannot face things, anything least of ALL him.
self. An engaging fellow from every point Of
contact, this Gerald Imray. So, this one of the
innumerable Imrey tribe, upon meeting Q
charming lady, falls for her, marries her. Sim
ply couldn't stand up. In the course OF time he
meets another of equally persuasive charm.
Falls again. Marries-no, not exactly. There
was q barrier not to be ignored. Plant and
agreeable the fellow sets up two houses-honeS,
whatnot. Then, in the natural run Of things,
children come to both houses. No, this does
not go indefinitely. Nor is there any con-
elusive ending to the matter, If you happen to
be interested in a neat tie-up at the close This
is not that sort Of novel. It Is merely q chance
for you to see how the amable and compliant
man behaves upon occasion. And, you must ad-
init, that this chance" is brilliant perform
ance wherein sharp sight and acid humor and
free disclosure get together to turn out q satire
Of excellent dimensions-height and breadth
and depth.
THE VOICE IN THE CLOSET. BY Herman
Landon, author Of Gray Phantom" etc
New York: Horace Lveright.
q>HE sin of covetousness set this mystery On
its way. highly elaborated alibi sustains it
by way of ingenious tangle Of plausible and
promising clues all leading straight away from
the criminal, sitting pretty behind the bulwark
of absenteeism that he has SO artfuly built.
Just the most foolish and unnecessary lie at the
last minute gives him away. In between, how
ever. there is lot of active and exciting to-do
with one suspect and another. Unusual arts are
introduced here for the purpose of justification.
VentriIOOu1SUR instance A