Evening star., 1933-06-18

tense, confined to four main characters and
progresses TO inevitable disaster, ending in
ghastly climax. Mr.. OFlaherty writes with
directness and power, a fitting method for
the brutality and mercilessness of the warfare
which he describes.
VENETIAN BLINDS. BY Ethel Mannin. New
York Alfred A. Knopf
THE Venetian blinds are drawn up by Miss
Mannin to disclose the interiors of the
houses on some of the mean streets of Outer
London and the ordinary people who live IN
them-people like thousands Of others all over
the world The Pendricks live on Ledstock
street, IT a house-in arrow, but with privet
hedge, lid wash basin in the bathroom with
good class neighbors, at least at their end OF
the street They have risen to this degree OF
respectabiity through stages of three rooms in
Capham and when the second child Elsie,
was born, small house without a bathroom
in footing. Mrs. Pendrick never forgives Led
stock street its common end" and its proximity
to sewage farm, but to her husband it seems
luxury in comparison with the home of his
childhood, where he used to eat off newspapers
spread on sugar boxes and sleep snakedoWn
OF coal sacks. The near neighbors are quite
satisfactory to Mrs. Pendrick and she soon be-
comes interested in their affairs. The Mord
family lives next door; Mr.. and Mrs. Mord
their child, and Mrs. Mord's lodger with whom
someone and her husband no longer interests
her. There also the Wrays a policeman
and his wife who "stints" the table in order
to "swank" in fashy clothes, and old Mrs.
Crabbe, who lives alone with her dog. At the
common end" Of the street live the Leiders;
the father, Carl and son, Fritz are Socialists
but Stephen Pendrick cannot that it makes
any difference and becomes a friend of Fritz.
From Ledstock street the Pendricks move to
ho anI -
Stephen and Elsie grow up. Stephen deter
mines to get on and some time to have
villa in the country, away from suburban pave
ments and smells. He becomes engaged to
Mabel who hates the country and secretly
despises Stephen because his people are COM
non,' but 'once they were married they didn't
see much OF them Elsie becomes infected
by the good time disease and her idea of
good time is rather dangerous. So the years
pass. Stephen moves to Acacia avenue when
he IS married, and the "arty little curtains" OF
the avenue replace the Venetian blinds of his
parents homes. But the same sort of people
live behind the curtains and the blinds and
the same sort of life goes in Ledstock street,
R1nsconlbe road, and Acacia avenue 'Vene-
tan Blinds" is a piece of real literature, a mar
rative leisurely and detailed about some OF
the undistinguished people who lead unsen-
sational lives, yet find them as interesting ana
important to themselves as those favored ones
TO whom fate brings adventures find their lives
SILVER CHIEF. Dog of the North. By Jack
OBr1en. Philadepflia: The John c. Win
Ston Co.
JACK OBRIEN was chief surveyor with .he
BYRD Antarctic Expedition and the dogs
were under his especial care He knows and
loves dogs and has already written about them
IN BY Dog Sledge for Byrd" Silver Chief"
Is tne May selection Of the Junior Literary
Guild for older boys and girls It is dog
story, an adventure story, and mystery story
All In one Sergt Jim Thorne Of the Canadian
Northwess Mounted Police Is trailing a half
breed who is wanted for murder Sergt Jim
Is character worth knowing, even before he
forms partnership with Silver Chief He
settles for Winter quarters in Silver Chiefs
hunting grounds, rather dangerous choice for
silver Cnef has heredity which makes him
dangerous and his reputation is none of the
best He is the son of husky" mother who
mas run wild, and a wolf father He stalks
Tor food and is suspicious and resentfuI toward
man, for he has seen an Indian kill Dee his
mother. Sergt Jim determines to entice or
capture Silver Chief, make him his friend and
the leader Of his huskies. The story Silver
CHER tells how he does this and how Sergt
Jim and Silver Chief together trace the mur-
derer to his ambush and finally capture him
The climax is the long sledge journey of the
three back to the post, through deep snow in
zero weather, during which Silver Chief proves
his complete friendship for Sergt Jim and
his qualities as a police guard. The book
closes as with Silver Chief in the lead. Sergt.
Jims big huskies. drawing his sledge, plunge
into the dark timber on their way home 1t
is wen-told dramatic story, and the Illus
trations, some in color, by Kurt Wiese add
greatly TO the interest, for of course thrill
ing moment is chosen for each illustration
Pookc Doco.o,oI