Evening star., 1933-07-04
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cern,ond.

-
& Co., Inc.
The utter futility of families Of Ger.
tain types when suddenly bereft Of the
bread winning head Of the house L
one Of the problems of American life
against which no sort Of social edu-
| cation that has so far been applied
has proved either an adequate remedy
or an effective weapon. Just such 8
family is the burden of wife for Sale,
though the story centers upon Norat
| Oliver, a rather unsubStantial hub or
which the family wheel depends fol
stability Of motion.
From the time women first entered
the business world until about q dozen
or so years ago the large majority o1
them were engaged in money earning
| capacities because fate had removed
the financial head Of the family, thu.
forcing them into occupations fol
which they were i'll suited and FIRE.
quently relegating them to social
status quite different from that which
they had previously enjoyed. When the
Great War brought about the employ
ment of hundreds Of thousands o1
women in capacities almost undreamec
| Of in earlier days, new spirit was
born. Until then only a comparative
few of the thousands Of gainfully en-
ployed women worked because they
| liked to work. Surveys and compila.
tions of statistics made during the past
few years, however, show that, while
necessity is still the reason actuatine
the major percentage Of woman work
ers. the ratio of those who are nov
engaged in gainful occupations be-
cause they have chosen either business
or professional careers as matter OF
personal preference is nearing the ma
| jority point.
In the light Of this development, it i.
sometimes amazing to contemplate the
number of splendid families of sup
posedly comfortable circumstances thai
turn out to be hopelessly at sea wher
the source of income ceases. Norat
Oliver is the victim of just such fam
lily and condition. While daddy was
with them the family had lived in
substantial and attractive little home
of their own, with lawns and flower.
and rooms which meant comfort ano
security for each of them. But he died
leaving behind him a wife and foul
grown children hopelessly untitled tc
maintain themselves. One Of the girl.
marries a bombastic talker whose
father has money, while the three
others find jobs and endeavor to earn
a living.
Reverses are never easy to bear ever
by the stout-hearted, and to the Oliver
family the move from their beloved
suburban home into tiny. malodorous
and noisy apartment in the flats" sec
ton of New York City is little short Of
tragedy. Mrs Oliver becomes i'll
Norah's suitor has forsaken her. Keith
is the first to lose his job, then NoraE
and eventually Eve, the chronically un-
happy younger sister. The two glrt
hate to work and therefore they took
no interest in their jobs. Things have
reached sorry plight with them, wher
Norah, in desperation, writes a letter
to the forum column of newspaper
Offering herself for sale as wife tc
any man who will support her and hel
family.
The letter Is answered and Norah Is
plunged into series of rapid changes
and adventures, with life whirl of ex-
citement in world turned topsy- -turvy
during a year and half Of suspense
in which her emotions are constantly
skipping from fear to happiness, from
dread to reinsurance and from despair
to joy.
wife for Sale" is decidedly an en-
tertaining story for Summer time read
ing.
PROTECTING MARGOT. BY Alice
Grant Rosman. New York: Min
ton, Balch g. Co.
Here is q perfectly delicious move
which. though not extraordinary in sub
ject matter, Is handled so we'll that il
sparkles as though it were a brand-new
idea. The topic Is, as matter of fact
almost threadbare from usage for many
forms Of entertainment. There have
been numerous projections Of the steam
roller type of protector for wealthy ole
maids, auntS, cousins, uncleS and un-
suspecting neighbors. All of them, as
rule, are interesting and amusing, fol
they offer wealth of opportunities fol
character portrayal and the free ex.
preston Of individual opinions. PRO
tecting Margot" has all Of these quail
ties and few others.
Margot Filldes is the victim of two
unhappy ''accidents"-a runaway hus.
band and a managing sister-in-law. She
was married at eighteen through the
less than a year later her husband de-
serted her for an attractive blono
neighbor the same Clara shouldered the
burden of protecting poor, dear Mar
got"
So kindly and carefully has the pro-
tecting been done that Margot, at forty
two years cf age, is forlorn and homely
antiquity, dressed almost like a scare.
crow despite her wealth, because tn,
circumstances require that she attraci
no attention, and because she is too ole
and ugly to dress up anyhow. Also, the
managing has been so delicately done
that, without realizing it, poor, dear
Margot has been a very substantial
planet" according to the definition of
that word given by the little boy ir
school who when asked. after a lessor
on the solar system, What is the name
Ct the planet on which you nve?'
answered, my grandfather"
So, in her capacity as the family
planet. Margot has sent the nieces
financed trips and amusements and
kept open house for them in her big
London home which she has refused to
surrender, despite all efforts to induce
her to move into less expensive quarters.
In all things save two this unattractive
ancient has been like molding clay in
the hands of the efficient Clara. She
has refused to give up her house, and
she has refused to take from the wall
photograph which Clara dislikes OF
her errant husband
Perhaps things would have gone on
to the end in this fashion if another
one of the family problems" had not
appeared. Nicholas, younger. brother
of Clara, suddenly comes home from
India, where he has cut short his army
service, for which action he refuses
to give a reason. Meanwhile French
clothing establishment with an English
girl manager has opened a shop in Lon
don, right under Margot's nose, as
Clara emphatically proclaims it.
Complications of various kinds pile
rapidly upon one another when Mich.
olas plays ducks and brakes with hi.
sisters command of full steam aheac
for the protection Of poor dear Margot
from the embarrassment, disgrace anc
loss of property value which she i
confident that the English girl shop.
keeper intends to inflict.
A delightful romance adds to the zest
Of the story, making it altogether just