Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-18


virtue of their essential unity. And here Is the
latest of the big five:
&HE LADY WHO CAME TO STAY. BY r. E.
Spencer New York: Alfred A. Knopt Also
the Bock League of America
A STRANGE story and strong one. MOI an
n easy combira ton to effect Four aging Sis
tiers. spinsters ALL have sent this author upon
a far journey. Into the supernatural, one
saws Rather it seems to me, beyond the
natural Not abo"c it. Some day we may nave
caught up with this matter Then, strange still
perhaps it may b., but on the human level OF
happenings and. therefore, understandable.
To get back to the four women who source
this adventure of the mind. Here, at work, are
the various forms and degrees OF Illustration
that beset the minated woman. Solitude CT
the soul An immediate world, but an unknown
one. Natural impulses toward its magnified
promises of fuliilment Instructive silences ana
concealmerts. self-eXculpatory in nature. Years
of this The spacious old house itself growing
grim and austere as houses do grow to be old
in she image of their own ancient families.
To this household comes the widow OF a
brother with her little daughter. beautiful
woman an artist CT distinction, musician OF
power and intuition. This woman becomes the
spark that fires. Her own partaklngS OF lie. ner
beauty and charm, these press release springs
in these captiVes to LIE. This Is, in erect, the
enviable personality is, indeed, mastery OF
deem clairyovarce. The turmoil, secret and
guarded is Of nlomentOuS significance, since II
is so secure in actually. Out OF the situation
comes. gradually. the immemorial struggle OF
good and evil, reduced to terms OF modern HE
and to common ways of meeting its daily de-
mand Ard when the silent strife has almost
reached dsa ter, the lovely woman in her -e-
mote quarters would send soft music steallng
out into hall and rooms till it wrought peace
and uuetude. Time moved on within this house
of so mon1entous an occupancy. The beautiful
lady died One ard another of the sisters died.
Yet their released spirits fingered And the
lady herself remained She had come to stay.
On nights Of stress in the old place. nights OF
danger to the little girl, maybe, soft music, war
derng interviewed and the menace turned aside.
The tale you see is quite outside the office
Of scale and yardstick. Compelling neverthc-
less by its beaut; ard sustained integrity OF
purpose ard Ges.gn. Most impressive in its
reach of thought and imagination. Persistent III
its attack upon those given to trying the doors
OF life, to beating upon the windows OF the
future to lurking in espial upon the world OF
thfiigs-just over there, out of sight, but there
nevertheless.
Finally. they are all dead, save one OF the
sisters Yet the old house is still active with
them all. What to do? The author appears to
have put himself into close corner OF no
escape Wrong! haunting story of clear
originality and power
= first novel. An American, occupied with
pursuits far away from that of imaginative
writing. A daring author. A strong and most
UNUSUAL creation.
THE FLOWER OF LIFE. BY Thomas Burke.
author of "LimehouSe Nights" etc. BoS-
ton: Little, Brown g. Co.
90 IFE is a novel dreamed by God in gar
l. den and never written"-Thomas Burke
talking. I'VE are its characters, and our tale
Ia never fully told. Because Of this we are
-fretf1,l At the end we feel that this Is not
the end, that we have not fulfilled ourselves.
But it may be that the only fulhllment asked
of lis. scholar and saint and simple, is that
we shall catch the fragrance OF that garden,
and find it beautiful. 1t may be that there Is
but one sin that forever shuts the sinner from
the friendship of God-to mock the garden OF
rose and thorn and call it mire."
This is the story of Jane, good little Jane.
Discovered in the London Slum from which
Thomas Burke has peopled his own world OF art,
little Jane meets us at the door OF this tale as
she is setting out Cor the work house And the
work house may be very good house, indeed.
So the little old woman mods and agrees as she
steps upon her sprightly and consenting way.
Such story! So terrible. So tenderly
beautiful. So real. So utter denial of all the
stuff about reward of merit" of all the other
made-up things WITH which part Of the world
seeks to coerce the rest of 1t into its own way
Of thinking. Of doing.
Good little Jane! Doing her small work
homely tasks of washing and scrubbing and
waiting upon-as if these were fine things
entrusted to her keeping. Earning q little, very
Little. Then, a better place-and q man.
tidy house for day, year, aad the good man
departs for better pickingS. Net, though, till he