Evening star., 1934-07-29
VIEWS AND REVIEWS.

Cooper stroIls airnlessly through the
living room of her son Georges apart
rnent, while his wife is conducting a
class in contract, and. because she
is lonely. insists on talking TO the
dummy, who glares at her for dis
tracing her attention from the lesson.
She petulantly slams down the win
dow in her bed room at her daughter
Nellies house and wishes people would
stop opening II whenever she is out
Of the room, as she has never had
windows open except in Midsummer
and never intends to. Nellie's chill
dren resent her enscouncing herself
on the couch on the screened porch
on Summer evenings, when they want
TO entertain their friends there. Bark
ley Cooper, because his days are so
long, would Like to putter about the
kitchen. peel vegetables and concoc.
stew for himself, as he has done
in his own home, but his daughter
Cora and Grace, his son Richards
wife, are particular housekeepers and
will not tolerate his presence in the
kitchen, indeed barely tolerate it any
where in the house. For small ex-
penses, even postage stamps, the old
people must depend on occasional
quarters handed them by their sons
or daughters. Both continually long
for each other, recognizing hopelessly
that they will never again see each
other for more than a brief visit at
the time of exchanges of homes.
All their children and children's
children are selfish and blind to
everything but their own wants, but
Barkley and Lucy Cooper are selfish,
too, and unable to comprehend the
aims and needs of the later genera
ton, or anything but what they con-
sieer is due to them as parents. If
their children had been farm people,
with more spaciousness Of living and
some real assistance the old people
could have rendered, things might
have been better. AS 1t is, death is
the happy ending and continued sur
viyal the tragedy. Miss Lawrence is
on the staff of newspaper which
conducts a question and answer de-
partment and her idea for this novel
came 10 her from the many questions
received concerning the support of
old people by their children. There
is no question about the inherent
truth of her narrative. She may have
emphasized the pathoS, but 1t is pres
ent in real life, and her method Of
telling her story is Unconditional,
simply the presentation of ordinary
people in one Of the ironic impasses
with which life mocks us.
THE ROAD TO NOWHERE. BY
Maurice Walsh. New York: Fred
erick A. Stokes Co.
TN HIS first sentence Maurice Walsh
= carries us back to a part of Ireland
in which we have sensed the romance
some Summers ago. South by east
the early June sun was slowly climb
ing the long shoulder of Slievemaol. {"
Down in Kerry, in Southwest Ireland,
Rogan Stuart, wanderer because of
his betrayal by his wife, Is having q
pleasant night of trespassing on pri-
vate land in company with Alistair
MacIan and Paddy Joe, whom he has
met on the road, when he runs into
such a surprising intrigue as he never
expected to encounter of the stage.
He pauses on "the road to nowhere, I"
to the oblivion which he seeks. to
take hand in the affairs of Sir
Jerome Trant, his son Ambrose and
the sons Irish-American wife, Els.
peth Conroy. Sir Jerome, who is a
retired diplomat, and must be missing
diplomatic schemes badly, has con-
ceiyed the unique idea of Kidding his
daughter-in-law, whom he greatly
admires, of his son, whom he despises
as a weakling. by giving his son
every opportunity to drink himself
into hell" The plan has possibilities
OF effectiveness but is not In line with
social sanctions. MacIan, the Scot,
and Paddy Joe Long. the rising Irish
novelist, remember Rogan Stuart's
tragedy and welcome him to their
tent and breakfast mess. wen Offering
to open for his benef. d carton of
vegetarian beefsteak which they have
repeatedly postponed using them
selves. To them comes Elspeth Trant
herself, with her amiable, useless hus-
band, and orders them OF the land,
while Ambrose grins from his saddle.
So Rogan Stuart, who is an inborn
fighter, has a fight dropped at his
door-a fight with a girl who fasci-
mates him from the start. Soon he
is peeping at the family skeleton of
the TrantS and helping to drag it
from the closet. Then these un-
sought associations on his road to
nowhere" suddenly bring him into
contact with Eudmon Butler, the
Black Captain terror on two feet
in love or war" the man who has
tempted his wife away from him and
now designs to try his skill with Els
peth. The plot, and there is plenty
Of it, moves rapidly and Unexpectedly.
The poor, weak Ambrose, really Gre
ated by Mr.. Walsh to be a puppet, is
found murdered and, of course, Re-
gan Stuart, in the neighborhood with
out any ostensible purpose, trespasser,
meddler, is suspected of the crime.
And. of course, he had nothing to do
with it, for he is the hero of the tale.
But he finds it convenient to join the
thinkers, as Rogue Mccoy, and with
them follow the road to nowhere. +"
1t leads him in the end, by many
turns and uphill stretches, to the
arms of "AiliSh" Conroy, whose name
means daughter of kings. Their ac-
quaintance begins when he lifts her
from the ground as she is pulling I'D
the guy ropes of his trespasser's tent
and ends, as far as this story is con-
cerned, with a tinkers' wedding.
The Irish characters of Mr.. Walsh's
romance are modern. yet have about
them a suggestion of Gaelic legend.
Shamus Og, the grown son of Jamesy
Coftey. who would be king if the
tinkerS Of Ireland had a king, is the