Evening star., 1934-12-26
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
ONE STAYED AT WELCOME. BY
Maud and Delos Loveplace. New
York: The John Day Co.
Margaret Cermond.

York: The John Day Co.
Two lads facing westward become,
through the simple circumstance of a
nasty trap set by q group Of hold-up
men, partners in q settlement venture
in Minnesota territory, where they
grow into sturdy manhood and pros
per with the steadily developing Hen
nepin country. But greater than
their partnership and their prosperity
Is the bond Of friendship, pledged
on the long. lonely trek, which super
sedes the onslaughts Of hardship, petty
mischief f-makers, the tricks Of shyster
lawyers, and eventually defeats that
most deadly of mans enemies-jeal-
ousy.
Dan Blodgett the elder and Dan
the younger had headed for Minnesota
from Vermont, because the health of
the father could no longer Withstand
the rigors Of a New England Winter.
His once stalwart body undermined
by the unwholesome effects of service
to his country in the War with Mex
leo. and later ravaged by the dread
white plague for which no remedy
was then known, the elder Dan be-
lieved that the only possibility Of a
restoration to health might lie in the
climate of the Western frontier, Of
which only little knowledge was then
available. Hope and opportunity for
great adventure filled the younger
Dan with enthusiasm for the project.
Young Larry Kimbro started west
ward with neither fllial nor altruistic
ideals. Literally the bondsman of a
tyrant master in Kentucky, a quarrel
over the possession of the finest gun
made resulted in the departure of
Larry as a fugitive from the law,
after tying hand and foot the man
who had made a slave Of him, for
the frontier region. Weary and lonely
for lack Of companionship, Larry
passes on his fine mare the slow mov-
ing oxen team Of the two Dams. and
wishes that they had invited him to
join them. He falls into the hands
of the hold-up men and by a slight
trick Is able to warn the pair on
the oxen team of their danger as
they near the trap.
The two Dams are grateful for
Larry's service to them, and he is
equally as grateful to them for effect
ing his release, so they become trio.
The younger Dan is a born leader,
able-bodied and idealistic in charac-
ter. Larry is more of a follower than
a leader, but his traits are as fine, and
his experiences in Kentucky have
made him capable nurse He quick
ly sees that the elder Dan Is too i'll
to push onward on the journey and
insists upon period of rest and care.
His knowledge Of the disease and the
tenderness Of his ministrations for
the sick man amaze both father and
son, and warm affection springs up
between them. Several weeks later
the elder Dan dies, and the two lads
go on together. bound by tie of de-
votion to each other which only
Jealousy threatened to break.
Against the historic background of
the early settlements in the Mime
sofa territory, the founding of the
cities of st. Paul and Minneapolis,
and the stalking of claims in the rich
farming regions, these two young men
are written into a novel of strength
and beauty. Their variety of en-
counters with the Indians, their de-
clslon to share equally their goods
and their gains, and their experiences
in founding the city of Welcome make
a story OF red-blooded Americanism
that is Of intense and authentic in
terest and that has a lasting charm.
The novel is peopled with an array
OF characters typical of the pioneer
era, yet different in temperament
from those no less sturdy and coura
geous souls who settled in the more
southerly regions of the vast middle
plains which divide this country.
There are claim jumpers, swindling
statesmen, antagonistic as well as
peaceful Indians, and the individuals
of outstanding interest include the
Widow Clapp, Roscoe Tandy. the
genial blacksmith; Mr.. Terwillinger.
the shopkeeper: several stolid Ger
man families, Pleiades TORY, kindly
philosopher, friend and man of gen.
eral knowledge concerning many
things, and his pretty daughter. with
whom both Dan and Larry fall in
love.
Romance, adventure, history and
LIE on grand scale is pictured with
rich wholesomeneSs and a vivid re-
ality.
WITH NAKED FOOT. BY Emily
Hahn. indianapolis: The Bobbs-
Merrill Co.
1t is a popularity of the white man
OF Europe and of America that he is
fascinated by the dusky women of the
Oriental and tropical races, that he
has little appreciation of their culture
and pride of racial heritage and that
in his assumed assurance of self
superiority he makes no attempt to
understand their codes of conduct.
their philosophy or the ancient wis
dom with which they look upon the
white mans behavior. There is hope
that II the world lasts long enough a
few more thousands of years will bring
an intelligent enlightenment between
the various peoples Of the earth, but
at present, despite his centuries of
cultivation and his high degree of
civilization, man is still an elemental
savage.
Elemental man, or men to be exact.
and an alluring woman of the Congo
is the subject of this unusual story of
the intermingling Of the civilized white
and the semi-barbaric African. Mawa
Is a woman whose charm Is beyond the
understanding Of the men who fall
under her fascinating spell. They ad-
mire her, they love her and they do
her bidding, and they know not why.
For the most part she is docile, kindly
and adoring, but If occasion demands
she is as ruthless as the jungle and as
deadly.
-Four men of the Caucasian races are
those of deepest concern in the story,
one Of which is an American educator.
For all of them Mawa had something
to give for which they might have
awarded her eternal praise and blessing
had their heritage been as deep-rooted
and their wisdom as profound as her
own. But that is not the way of the
man Of more modern civilization.
The novel has all of the exotic
charm Of the Congo background, plus