Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1934-04-01
REWEWC OF The NEW BOQOK|

sented all of Roselands, the family home on
the Cornish moors, where lived the Admiral
his grandfather, and secretly detested Aunt
Emily, who wouldn't allow him to talk to jar
dine because he was a servant. Howell loved
Roselands, though all the rest of the family
except the Admiral disked it and considered
1t a burden. Howell was not to have it, how
ever, after his grandfather's death, for his
brother Gilbert was the eldest son. In spite
Of this, he had from his earliest childhood q
feeling of possession toward Roselands and
he moved into manhood it deepened, until the
day when the unprosperous estate really be-
came his through the death Of Gilbert in the
war. Then, being only an average man, not
the master of his fate he could not manage
to live in the place he loved better than he
loved any people. Christabel, whom he hsi4
always disliked and been attracted to, would
not accept what she considered practical burial
in Cornwall
The air force offered to him the work BE-
had done during the war. to Christabel an
opportunity for the social life she must have
and to them both small but secure income
So he reluctantly let Roselands and went into
the air force, carrying with him the fear, IN
expressed even to himself, which was always
present whenever he few. Only through the
substantiation of that fear did he win his
freedom-from Chrstabel, to live at Rose
lands. Settled there with his young son Robin
Howell found contentment and was in no way
disturbed by the recognition that Robin had
All the nnasterfulness in dealing with life
which he himself lacked. In The Sycamore
Tree" Miss Cambridge shows the same ability
to understand the personalities and life prob
lerns Of unremarkable people in her first
novel, Hostages to Fortune" in which a
doctor with energy dulled by the World War
and his wife, who had wanted TO be q writer,
gave hostages to fortune In the form Of chill
dren and were for many years unhappy, but
finally settled down to acceptance. Both Of
the novels suggest Carlyles comment on Mar
garet Fuller's grandiloquent statement Il
accept the universe; he said. Cad. she'd
better"
VILLAGE TALE. BY Phil Stoug New Yosh:
Harcourt, Brace d Co.
THE village Of Brunswick Iowa. was no Gran
= ford, populated by courtly retired officers
and delicately- refined spinsters who drank tea
from thin china cups and in their gossip care
fully concealed their poverty, which was,
nevertheless, known to every one. In Brunswick
there was little delicacy, no attempt at con-
cealment Of misfortunes or frailties. Any such
attempt would have been futile, since half the
residents Of the village eongregated daily at
the railway station to see the six-forty five
come In from Keokuk The leering old sinnefc.
Tessie Oosthoek, with her rich, unseemly
vocabulary could be depended on 10 unearth
singie-handed anything that was going on. The
story Of happenings in the lives of the villagers
Is almost entirely told through their own con-
versation. Slaughter Somerville. having been
able to attain a prosperity above that Of bis
fellow citizens, was, Of course, the object of
envy. So when his love for Sybil wife Of Elmer
Jameson, became known to every one except
Slaughter's mother, Amy the village rejoiced IN
the interest of the scandal and set to work to
make as much trouble as possible for Slaughter.
Into the situation, which soon grew violent,
were brought Elmer Jameson, a cowar&y
wilmer, vigorous only in threats: Drury Steven
son, mean and tricky; his wanton daughter
Lulu; Ben Roberts, the stationmaster: mischief
making Eddie Winters; the would-be brave
BOIly HOFFMAN, hired man on the Somerville
farm, and, Of course, all the rest of the VII
layers The plot is slight, centering entirely
ON the connection of Slaughter Somerville and
Sybil Jameson. The picture Of village chaTac-
tiers, with their smoldering resentments and
overt meannesses makes Sinclair Lewis Main
Inn idealiSfic