Evening star., 1935-04-28

which she loved, we were not so sure
about that inferiority; In fact, we
decided that "A Few Foolish Ones"
is a very worthy successor to "As the
Earth Turns" and to be especially
commended because it in no way imi-
tates the first novel.
Gus Bragdon married gentle. ro-
mantle Sarey Gray, soon after the
night when she followed him from the
meeting which he deserted In indig-
nation because the elders refused
burial In the churchyard to Keturah
Lnscott, one OF the lawless Linscotts,
who had given birth to an illegitimate
child. A daughter Of Gus and Sarey
was to marry that child some years
later. Gus may or may not be taken
as a typical Maine man of his period,
which ended with the end OF the post
World War boom. Hard work, thrift,
penuriousneSs were the standards Gus
upheld for himself and his family.
They were not the standards of the
dreamy. religious Grays, nor of their
daughter Sarey. and once at least be-
fore her death Sarey summoned cour-
age to face Gus and demand a bit of
profit sharing. Then she had a brief.
and foolish. fling. It was the one
piece of fulfllment in her hardwork-
ing and discontented life.
OF all the family of Gus few at
tanned fulfillment. He himself did,
and died with great satisfaction.
thinking Of his valuable farm and
wood lots and his four bank books,
each representing thousands OF dol
lars. Kate, at so, finally reached full
fillment in the carrying on Of the
farm, In her passionate love for the
country, long after her early love for
the vagabond Stephen Blaine had
settled into a wistful, protective
friendship. Ben, neither gifted nor
energetic. despiSed by his father,
longed for an education in order to
be preacher, but died young and
embittered without ever having savor-
ed life JEFF, whose standards were
the replica of his fathers, lacked the
strong fiber Of Gus. Lovice, weakest
of the children was all Gray, with
no Bragdon firmness or love for the
land. Her one great effort was in
moving her family from Derwich VIII
lage to Fall River, from their roomy
farmhouse to a tenement. An effec-
tive late scene in the story is Sum-
day gathering at the farm of Gus,
when the children and their children
are present, to listen to Lovice's son,
James Aaron, as his solo with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra Is
brought to them over Kate's new
radio.
THE WIZARD OF MONTE CARLO.
BY Count Corti. New York: e. p
Dutton g. Co.
MEN have made their names
N famous in many ways. through
war, craftsmanship, science, literature.
art. Francois Blanc immortalized
himself by building the two most
celebrated gambling centers in the
world, Monte Carlo and Homburg. In
1906 posthumous twins were born to
the widow of poor tax collector near
Avignon. Their mother did all she
could to educate them and was then
obliged to turn them loose to make
their own way. Both had decided turn
for gambling, first in a small way,
then on the rise and fall of French
rentes. Soon they were in business
in Bordeaux, where they opened a
small bank. In 1887 they were on
trial in Bordeaux for having obtained
illegal advantages in speculation by
corruption and bribery. They were
adjudged guilty. but no penalty was
enforced and the brothers moved to
Paris and continued gambling on a
larger scale. In 1910 they signed a
contract with the Landgrave of Hesse-
Homburg, who had long been anxious
to develop Homburg as a resort, to
build pump-room and secure con-
cession for gambling. The fortune
of Homburg was made and Edward
VII, as Prince of Wales, made it
world famous. Louis Blanc died dur
ing the early Homburg days and
Francois, with the help of his clever
second wife, went on alone with his
managerial gambling career. In 1863
Francois Blanc acquired from the
Prince of Monaco the gambling con-
cession at Monte Carlo, where a num-
ber Of others, whom he feared as
rivals to Homburg, had already failed
to make the place pay. Monte Carlo
grew, while Homburg declined and
came to an end shortly after the
Franco -Prussian War. Many impor-
tant persons, royalty, nobility, mil
lionaires and others of lesser degree,
made and lost fortunes at the two
famous gambling casinos. Count
Corti, author of THE House Of Roths-
child" has in this bit of special his
tory written also an exciting, pano-
ramic true story Of adventure.
LEAVES FROM A GREENI AND