Evening star., 1932-04-02
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH G.. BOEERHzN

Wnen Eden FIllpottS turns back
from his more recently practiced de-
tective stories to his older type of real
istic tales of Devonshire life he is still
capable of interesting us in his farm
ers, hedgers, dairy maids, shepherds.
peddlers, country doctors and villagers.
He probably will never again write
novels equal to children of the Mist, -
Sons of the Morning" and THE PORT
reeve" but his latest novel. "Storm-
bury" contains good number of
strongly individual characters who are
involved in enough events and in
trigues to furnish sufficient plot inter-
est. The scene is a Devonshire village
and the countryside surrounding It.
Stormbury is very near to the market
town of Honiton, which, In turn. is
only about Is miles from Exeter. The
homes into which We are introduced
are Storrnbury. Farm, where live Adam
Veryard and his widowed mother Bes-
sic. and his brother, Disney; Stormbury
Cottage, whose inhabitants are Ralph
Veryard and his wife, Lucris and his
niece, Martha. the modest home of
DR. "JohnSey" Disney at Stormbury:
Willom Farm, whose master is Hugh
Diment; the villa of Sergeant Clay and
the hut of Willie Yaw, a spinster and
the wise woman" Of the neighborhood.
The story opens with a scene in the
hay field at Stormbury Farm, when
Bessie Veryard and her dairy maid,
Milly Venn, who love each other none
too well, bring the midday meal to the
men working at the haymaking. A fete
champetre follows in the shadow of
the growing hayStack, where all the
for 10 ~
mistress and her daughter and Martha
Veryard, who has happened along, all
partake of the pastries, beer, cider,
apple tarts and cake.
The peaceful scene in the hayfield
is the prelude to tale Of rural life in
which peace by no means rules in every
home and heart. These dwellers in the
beautiful Otter Valley, under the brow
of Stormbury Fort, are as subject to
petty 1ealousies and animosities, van
tiles, rivalrieS, and unworthy ambitions
as If their environment were less lovely.
Bessie Veryard, too frivolous and pleas
ure-loving for a middle-aged widow, at
least so think her neighbors. dominates
her weak son Adam and freely wastes
his money, for the farm is his She
tries to prevent her daughters mar
riage to the son of the man who has,
in her own youth, Tilted her; her
ostensible reason that it is sure to be
case of like father like son" con-
cealS from no one her real reason, her
undying pique. Ralph Veryard is an
unusually selfish hypochondriac. Doc
tor "JohnSey' tells him that he has
nothing real in the way of illness, but
Ralph resentS this diagnosis, resents
also being told that he looks we'll
There is no surer way to his favor
than to inquire for the condition of
his kidneys or to tell h m that he looks
frail. His worry over himself is his
most pleasant recreation. Naturally he
has no interest or sympathy to expend
on any one else. He is domineering
as well as completely self-centered, and
his wife, Lucris, hopes intensely and
secretly Except that she has confided
in her sister and few others) that she
Will outllve him and have a period in
which to enjoy life before she herself
dies. She is herself not so agreeable
that she has many friends, but most
who know her pity her for her i'll
assorted marriage. Noah Hart. the
master of the Disney Arms at Storm
bury, whom Lucris had refused to
marry in their youth because of his
poverty, does not hesitate to remind
her OF her mistake whenever he meets
her. so that she often goes out of her
way to avoid him. He concludes one
OF his TRADES, when he has met her
on the Stormbury road, with the shot
You never guessed the one would
groan longest who groaned last" AS
able antagonists pitted against the
tempsstuous Bessie, the selfish Ralph,
ana the acrimonious LuoriS, are Ser
geant Clay, Milly Venn, Frank Canni-
ford, the pedler; Hugh Diment and
above all Doctor "Johnsey" and the
wise woman" Willie Yaw.
Love affairs flourish in the little
Stormbury community There is only
one beautiful girl in the neighborhood.
Rose. Veryard, but Frank Canniford
and Adam Veryard do not demand
beauty in their matrimonial alliances:
they are satisfied with brains and com
mon sense. There is one romantic
elopement, from Stormbury Gross. on a
frosty December night, in a very mod
ern runabout. TIE pair of middle
aged lovers are perhaps the most de-
voted OF all. Storms of temper on the
part OF the lady in nowise weaken her
ICverS determination to call her his
wife. We have our fears that all is
ever when Bessie Veryard, convaleSc.ng
from pneumonia, hurls at the face OF
Sergt. Clay the pineapple he has
brought her as present, but the gal
lant sergeant picks up the pineapple,
resolves in the future to be more tact
full in mentioning forbidden subjects.
and goes on Loving her. Bessie has a
devotion she does not deserve. We at
tend two weddings in the village church
and one wedding supper, which is made
festive by port wine frcm Noah Hart's
tavern. The other two weddings take
place away from Stormbury There is
a certain pleasure in turning the last
page of an oldfaShioned novel like
Stormbury' and finding that everv-
thing has ended happily-that lovers
are married, that injuries are forgiven.
that grievances are laid aside. that for
the time being at least the selfish are
cooperating harmoniously with others
To be sure, the married couples
may not always be happy, new griev-
snces and animosities will arise, and
the selfish will usually be selfish but
a book must end somewhere and NAV
as well end On high note as a low
one. Not all women are Electras and
uSG al HouSeS are houses OF mourning.
The Council on Foreign Relations, of
which Elihu Root is honorary presi-
dent and John w. Davis is president.
proposes publishing annually a volume
giving an account of American foreign
relations during the preceding wear,
The first volume in this series has lust
appeared. The United States in World
Affairs" by Walter Lippmann, in COL
labration with William o. Scroggs This
plan will provide "an annual history
prepared almost contemporaneousiy
with events and published while their
influence is still active" Judging from
the present volume the series will form
a valuable work of reference for very
recent history, and will be as interest
ing for general reading as the best
newspapers. The period covered by
The United States in World Affairs