Evening star., 1938-07-27
NEW BOOKS AT
RANDOM
By MARGARET CERMOND,
OLD HOME WEEK. BY Minnie Hit
MOOdy New York. Julian Messne,

1t is "Old Home Week" in Prairieville,
The town is bedecked with flags and
bunting and banners, and its eighteen
hundred inhabitants are all athrill with
the excitement attendant upon a full
program Of festivities in which every
member Of the community has a per-
sonal interest and pride. 1t is time
when almost anything can happen, and
Pralrlevllle proves no exception to the
rule. All OF the things that usually sup
ply the unexpected events that mark
such a celebration occur-and a good
many other things besides
Mrs. Moody's story opens with the
first day of the celebration, when "all
the way along Cedar street the Monday
morning Washings tapped in the wind
like the sails Of ships" Everybody's
wash is out early, but Annie Benton's
is, as usual, one of the earliest to be
pinned to the lines. Annie is the wife
of Hiram Benton, owner of the towns
big hardware store and one of Prairie
ville's outstanding citizens. Annie and
Hiram have three children. Hiram, jr.,
is student at the State university, Jo-
sepha has just graduated from high
school and Jackie is typical of the aver
age ten-yearold boy. Then there Is
Grandma, who will be one hundred
years old on Friday of "Old Home
Week. and who expects to celebrate the
occasion by attending all the functions
OF that day, including occupation of
seat on the platform with the Governor
of the State at his invitation.
1t is through the experiences of this
family that Prairieville's gala week be-
comes significant. The carnival spirit
of the community reVives memories of
similar celebrations in the native towns
Of millions OF Americans who have par
ticipated in "Old Home Week" Keen
characterization brings to mind many
OF the types that come to be regarded as
institutional. But it is Grandma who
carries off the chief honors in this
warmly human tale of a group of peo-
pie thrown out of gear by the impact of
frivolous festivity against habitual pro-
priety.
Among the distinguished natives who
return to the home town to help it
celebrate is Avalon Hayes, now rich and
rejecting in grace and charm the
sophisticali lion of New York. Another is
Willard AmeS, famous as motion pic
ture producer. Hiram and Annie Ben
ton may not have given much thought
to their respective Schoolday SweetheartS
since they settled down to complacent
content in marriage, but the advent of
Avalon and Willard stirs anew old
flames of romance. Then the younger
Hiram falls in love with the tight-rope
walker who is member of carnival
troupe. 1t would seem that the Bentons
were enmeshed in enough trouble, but
Josepha also must fall in love, and she
elects to bestoW her affections upon the
airplane pilot whose price for a ride
in the air Is penny pound. Little
Jackie nearly browns. So, all in all,
the Bentons, except Grandma, have
reason to be grateful when the week
draws to close. That grand old lady
fulfllls her three greatest ambitions dur
ing the week. Three things she wants
on her hundredth birthday--a perma-
nent wave. ride in an airpIane and
two orchids. She gets all three, and Is
ready for more thrills.
The whole spirit of merriment and
sentiment reflected in "Old Home Week"
is sympathetic and sincere. If the tur-
moil that besets the Bentons is a bit
overdraWn, the error is not too great to
be overlooked
DEATH FROM A TOP HAT. BY Clay
ton Rawson. New York: G. P.
Putnams Sons.
A word about the author of this ex-
ceptional tale of crime is in order, as this
is his first venture in the field of mys-
terry and he has made a high mark. He
is an artist by profession and in his
spare time he Is an amateur magician.
Ea heep irtereSted IN Y,roctiiioito.
ton since he was twelve years old, and
is now an accomplished conjuror.
Against a background OF professional
trickery he has set his crime story. and
from first page to last it sustains a
steady pace.
Cesare Sabbat a man Of unpleasant
nature and a student of demonology, is
found dead in a sealed room. His body
is stretched across the pattern of
magic pentacle drawn in chalk on the
floor. A queer assortment of callers
break down a door and discover that
murder has been done. On the scene
when the police arrive is Nine. Rap
pourt, spiritual medium; David Duvallo,
famous escape artist; the LIE Claire team,
which holds audiences enthralled by
blind reading; Eugene Tarot, the great
card king; Donald Mcneil, who per-
forms as a Chinese magician under the
name of Ching Wong Flu; Judy Barclay.
former partner of Tarot, and several
other professional tricksterS of one sort
or another. Before the night of grilling
by the police is very far under way
Inspector Gavigan calls upon the IA
NOUS Merlini, retired magician, for ad-
vice and counsel.
Also before the night draws to an end
a second murder is committed Several
of the suspects, released for the time
being, depart, among them Eugene Ia
rot. A few hours later his body is dis
covered in the apartment of Duvallo,
while that eminent gentleman is in the
apartment of Sabbat
With so exceptional a group of pro-
fessional tricksters and actors the lay
man is from .the beginning of the story
lost in maze of evidence that is as
tricky as the artists suspected of the
crime. Every one is suspect, and every
one INDUCES at one time or another in
some performance of magic that sets
the inspector on ear and for many hours
puzzles and confounds the great Mer-
lini.
Only person as familiar with leger-
demain as Mr.. Rawson seems to be
could plan and carry out so extraordi-
nary a tale. It ramifies into many
branches of the art, and it comes out
on top. There is not a dull moment,
and Merlini is man worth meeting. He
should prove a popular addition to the