The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-12-15
BY WALTER d. HICKMAN


WHEN winter comes bowling
w around the door, many a fell
low likes to read adventures Of the
royal northwest mounted police.
am a member of that group,
and I welcomed receiving from
Claude Kendall, publisher, copy
Of Robbery at Portage Bend" by
7. Lund, himself ''mountie" in &C
tual service.
Despite the fact there is no great
brilliancy Of style, nor any beauti-
full literary expression in this novel,
one becomes vitality interested in
certain members Of the mounted po-
lice because the viewpoint Of the
author always is personal and in
innate.
While reading Robbery at Port
age Bend" 1 had the feeling that
Lnud was giving me different idea,
Of the mountie, sort Of human,
everyday sort of a man, who has
his weaknesses as well as virtues.
A NYWAY, such a character is
"A Corpral Williams, stationed at
Portage Bend, who nearly sacrifices
his oath and job to prevent the girl
he loves from having her brother
branded as a murderer.
The corporal's campaign Of clear
ing young Bancroft on murder
charge is justified in the end be-
cause the lad was innocent Of muir
der, but was guilty Of being Can
adam bootlegger.
1t seems that the police in Canda
have their troubles with bootleg
gers, too, although up there they
call them smugglers Of spirits.
In solving two mysterious murders
at Portage Bend, it is not our hero,
Corporal Williams, who covers him
self with glory, but Inspector Wes-
ton, who solves the mystery by I'M
Outstanding the character and mo-
tives Of the men in the force under
his command.
THIS novel doesn't make giants
Il of the Northwest Mounted.
They are not gods, but human be-
ings, doing stupid as we'll as big
things.
These touches of realism actually
hold the attention of the reader.
Much of the dialogue is human"
and miles away from being wise or
smart.
I. for one was always convinced
that young Bancroft was innocent
and that his sister was a mighty
human and interesting girl. one of
her mistakes was suspecting her
brother on the evidence
Robbery at Portage Bend" Is in
teresting reading with all the char
acters pretty close to earth all the
time. 1t sells for So.
n It
CO-CALLED sophisticated talk
~ lately has been centered to some
extent upon a book called Gentle
men, I Address You Privately" by
Kay Boyle, published by Harrison
Smith and Robert Haas, New York
The opening Introductory page
has this expression of Ernest Walsh:
Gentlemen, address you privately,
and no woman is within hearing"
Here is something like We'll Of
Loneliness" and I suppose in dis
cussing Gentlemen" one should try
to appear rather purple hatish.'
The book tells the story of the
brilliant Munday, who intended to
become d priest and after becoming
exiled from England, became
pianist.
Fate-or something-threw him
into the companionship of Ayton, a
vagabond Irish sailor, as effeninate
as he was charming. cruel, and
mean. Conversation, the sea, adven-
ture, memories of religious orders,
comparisons of life, and a reminder
of the changing order Of things in
the world-all have their effects in
causing a strange compapionship to
exist between Munday and Ayton.
1t is this suggestion of too
affectionate attachment between the
two strange characters in the book
that has caused all the lifting of
eyebrows and wise references to
Gentlemen, I Address You Pri-
vately.'
With all its beauty of the back
ground of Brittany. this book APP
pealed to me as just plain gutter.
It's nothing more than that.
I am told this book is in tremen-
dous demand in this country. I
wish I had never read it.