Evening star., 1934-08-19

the McGeehees of Montrose planta-
ton and the Bedfords of Portobello
plantation, across the river. Portobel-
10 was built by Maj. Malcolm Bedford
for his first wife, Mary Hartwell Nc
Gehee, with whom he had toured Eu-
rope, buying for it luxurious furnish
ings of damaSk- covered furniture, bro
cades, carpets, silver and classic-style
statues to outline semi-circle facing
the house. But Mary McGehee had
died soon after their return and had
lived in her handsome home hardly at
all. Malcolm Bedford had brought to
Portobello a second mistress, Sallie,
who has a grim little face and eyes
gray and downright which shine with
humor both friendly and tart. She
calls her husband "darlin'," when she
sco,ds him and when she pets him
and is one of the charming women of
this story.
AS we read, we wish we could linger
over the picture of the gracious life on
the two plantations and in Natchez
society, while the war clouds are still
not too near or too black. But the
war comes. At first, briefly. the plan
tation life is not much affected No
one realizes how prolonged and ter
rible the struggle is to be, Does one
ever realize? Then the Bedford and
McGehee men go to the front. OF
these war heroes Edward McGehee is
the one on whom interest is centered.
Of him Gen. Sherman said: 81 always
saw in Edward McGehee hope for q
gentleman and for a. gallant soldier
in my minds eye." After the battle
of Shiloh, William Veal, handsome,
dignif1ed old mulatto, "fidus achates"
of the McGehee family, goes with his
mistress, foreboding and passionately
determined Agnes McGehee, to look
for the body of her son Edward on
the battlefield. William Veal also
buries the family silver, as did many
faithful family servant in those war
years when Montrose is burned by
Federal soldiers.
After Appomattox, it is devastated
plantation life which is bravely car
ried on. Hugh McGehee and has wife
Agnes live in small frame house on
the plantation, after the burning of
the big house with all its handsome
furnishings. and there Sallie Bedford
and her children visit them. Every
where there are evidences of pinching
economy and in the conversation are
hints Of the hardships and injustices
Of reconstruction policy and the Chi
canery Of the carpet-baggers. Civil
War novels have multiplied almost
from the end of that war, but few
have given such an intimate and VI
brant picture of the domestic and So
cial life of the South as it was
changed by the great catastrophe.
There are soldiers in the story, both
Union and Confederate, and Gen.
Sherman himself is one of the charac-
tiers, but the important and vital
characters are the Bedfords and Nc
Gehees, violently shaken from their
easy, happy manner of life, but meet
ing disaster gallantly and working
courageously for recovery.
y X
STRONG MAN RULES. An Interpre-
tation of Germany Today. BY
George NJ Shuster. New York: D.
Appleton Century Co.
4 LII who venture to write books, or
even magazine articles. on public
affairs today. whether European OF
American, are in the uncomfortable
position Of knowing that their judg-
ments may be disqualified even before
their writing appears in print. Sc
the wary author discounts this dan
ger by few words in his preface. Mr.