Evening star., 1934-04-25
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.

L
THE THIRD OWL. BY Robert j.
Casey. indianapolis: The Bobbs-
Merrill Co.
Above a broad doorway in tottering
chateau near Dijon five decorative owls
had reposed for so many years that
their actual history was unknown.
There was legend that they had
been presented by a sorceress to
Charles the Bold as a charm against
evil, but that instead they had
brought misfortune to the Valois
dukes. to the princes who followed
them, and to all of those who had
lived in the old chateau at Dion.
Two Bourbon princes had hanged
themselves in the doorway by
throwing a rope over the large owl
In the middle-the third owl. whose
malevolent aspect was greatly en-
hanced by the loss of one Of his
large glass eyes.
When Silas Hinchliffe purchased
these carven ornaments in 1880 he
bought the curse along with them.
He was not impressed by either their
art or their antiquity, but he liked
the legend and was entirely uncon-
cerned about the superstition save
as the counterpart of possession to
display to his friends. He had made
q fortune in railroad building and
had become a power in the Middle
West, where In his youth he had
endured the hardships and privations
OF poverty. 1t had pleased him to
build castle on the ridge above the
Fox Valley of Illinois, and it also
pleased him to purchase the panelings
and decorations OF the two principal
chambers Of the old chateau and ship
them at great expense for incorpora-
ton into the castle which later gen.
erations of Hinchliffes we're to look
upon as an architectural monstrosity.
Sunday, October Is, 1893, marked
the end OF three generations of watt
ing on the part of the Hinchliffes for
the curse Of the Duke of Burgundy
to strike. Instead of the poverty.
degradation and woe which the evil
third owl portended. the descendants
of Silas Hinchliffe had grown steadily
more wealthy, more powerful and
more prominent in the leadership of
society. Perhaps the wrath of a
bird OF lll-omen moves slowly to a
climax. Certain it is that this car
ven image might have struck sooner,
and to good effect. But more than
half a century slipped away in ap-
parent peace and security before doom
descended upon the pretentious house
in Ivanhoe, Ill.
Near the close OF a day OF storm
and gloom the beautiful wife of
George Hinchliffe found the rain
soaked body of her husband hang
ing from a rope anchored to the
one-eyed third owl. To all appear
ances 1t was clear case of suicide.
The coroner SO ruled But Joe Crewe.
chief of the Chicago Detective Bureau.
and Jim Sands, well-known investi-
gator of crime, came away from the
inquest convinced that the gen.
tleman had been murdered. Alice
Hinchliffe's admission of fear that the
violent death OF her husband was
but the beginning of series of hor-
rors, and her plea to Sands that he
remain in the house as her guest
literally confirmed his unspoken YER
dict OF murder.
George Hinchliffe had been the
benefactor, philanthropist and out
standing citizen Of Ivanhoe for years.
The question on the lips of every
body in the community was why
should he take his own life? And the
the question Sands was asking him.
self was why did some one else do
the job for him?
Another question which bothered
Sands was how it happened that old
Horace Jackson had suddenly shed his
mortal coil on the rain-soaked ground
under the hedge bounding the Hinch-
lif1e estate at just about the time
that George was being strung from
the owl. But before either of these
problems could be solved a third one
thrust itself upon the scene. Who
could possibly desire to kill a girl so
beautiful and so full Of life as Stella
Maris. or who would harm so mag
nificent and charming a woman as
Alice Hinchliffe herself?
Jim Sands is up against it from
the beginning. There are more con-
f1icting elements. violent tempera- =
ments and impossible situations than
any criminologist should be expected
to handle. Surprises spring from
every direction with all of the force
which elemental emotions can pro-
ject.
Mr.. Casey has broken away
from the gangland type of mystery
story and set his two delightful and
popular detectives to work in the
luxurious atmosphere of the socially
elect. The Third OWL" is both unique
and intricate In design. and its rapid
ly moving episodes click with preci-
sion. 1t has grip which holds with
increasing intensity and fascination
until the curtain falls upon the final
dramatic scene.
SARA ALONE. By N. S. Leitch. New
York: Doubleday, Doran & Co.,
Inc.
Ihe story OF Sara Is not especially
convincing. 1t might have been had
it been written fifty or even thirty
years ago. for in those days the sep
aration of woman from her husband
was considered something of a dis
grace and actual divorce brought
nothing less than condemnation. But
In later years men and women. pos
sesSed Of the knowledge that individ-
uals are not goods and chattels. have
rightly come to the realization that
the ancient teaching that marriages
are made in heaven failed to take
cognizance of the fact that there are
some marriages upon which a benev.
olent celestial sanction could not pos
sibly be bestowed.
When orphaned Sara married Phil
lip Vandelt, she expected life to be
beautiful and happy. She had been
reared by a famous scientist. and
she was now to share the rest Of her
days with famous artist. The honey
moon destination had not been reach
ed, however, before she discovered