Evening star., 1938-07-24

plots known to novels and plays OF
the tropics, and that furnished out
in solemnly florid phrases-the plot of
the little native girl who is loved by
the big white man and then turns out
to be the lost daughter Of the white
lady who died years before-not a
native after all, but quite fit to re-
turn to the place in Devonshire and
take her position in local society.
Now, really. 1t is as fragrant as that.
To be sure. the story is not allowed
to run along just those well-Worn
tracks 1t is taken out of the ranks
of happy lenders, and becomes lovely
tragedy, something in the Ramona"
vein. The couple marry, still in ignor-
ance of the girls real race. They have
son. The young man goes blind, but
is loved just the same. Grandpa then
arrives from England. full of con-
tempt for his dark daughter -in-law,
but resolved to DO THE PROPER
THING. But the daughter-in-law falls
over cliff while in search of some
flowers to use in medicine for her
husbands eyes. She dies. And then
he dies, too, And finally Grandpa
learns the truth. And is sorry. 1t is
all very noble, sad and pointless You
have to be born that way before you
can really like such opera.
A DAY OF BATTLE. BY Vincent
Sheean. Garden City: Doubleday
Doran g. Co.
THIS Is well-written and we'll
planned novel. but still one which
is without any particular interest to
readers not closely concerned with
the historical matter with which 1t
deals. 1t is the tale of the battle of
Fontenoy. 1745: one of those novels
in which all the action takes place
between sunrise and sunset, beginning
with the sound of reveille and ending
with taps. In between there is allowed
to develop the tension and hustle of
battle preparation; then finally comes
the storm OF fighting and last the
dying away. 1t is no mean task to
execute such work well, but Mr..
Sheean has done it here.
But beyond telling the story Of the
fight and giving us some rather fatty
sketched in types of fighters. he has
only a slender thread on which. to
hang his tale. That is the idea that,
though the battle was bravely fought
and magnificently planned, it had no
results; the French statesman shelved
the work of the soldiers. They de-
cided against an invasion of England
and the cause of Stuarts, with that of
their Scotch and Irish supporters, was
lost forever. The battle, which was to
prepare the way for the invasion,
might just as well never have been
fought at all. That is about the sum
of what Mr.. Sheean's new book tells
us. The prose. incidentally. Is very
highly polished.
FRUIT IN SEASON. BY Anthony
Thorne. New York: Random
House.
THIS is neat, well-executed little
tale of no significance whatsoever.
1t tells of how family of English
children grew up in rarely fine old
mansion, went out from the mansion
CAD. 1920 and returned (AD. 1889
disillusioned and sad to spend fort
night there together. And the at
mosphere of the place sort of helped
them pick themselves up again The
writer seems to think that it is very
important But the reader will prob
ably wonder why anybody ever took
the trouble.
THE SPANISH HOUSE. BY Lady
Eleanor Smith. Garden City:
Doubleday Doran e. Co.
THIS is romance, in the tradition
beloved by lady romance writer's.
A gypsy youth, no less, adores a high
ly-bred young girl. They are innocent
children; they wander in the woods
together and deep love is born be-
tween them. But they are torn apart
by the young girls people. and she
marries another man. After while
would you believe it-she leaves him
and goes of with her gypsy lover