Evening star., 1938-06-15
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
BY MARGARET GERMOND.
WIND OVER WISCONSIN. BY August
Derleth. New York: Charles Scrib-
ner's Sons.

0cTleIn. new YORK: Charles Scr1p.
ner's Sons.
A powerful and stirring work is this
second novel by August Derleth which
unfolds the story Of an era OF drama and
romance in the settlement by the white
man of the vast virgin territory which
the Indians called "Ouisconsin." A
century ago white men were few and
distances were great in Wisconsin, but
the tide OF pioneers was slowly rolling
westward the frontiers OF a civilization
welded to the doctrine OF conquest.
There are few chapters in all of re-
corded history as thrilling as the chroni-
Gle OF the men and women who pushed
back the American wilderness and blazed
the trail that was to revolutionize all
concepts of the importance Of the North
American continent as an influence in
world relationships. It Is a record of
heroic achievement. an epic that beggars
comparison. Yet its pages are not un-
stained, for it is characteristic of the
white man that wherever he has invaded
territory owned and held by native
races slaughter and destruction proceed
thoughtful and constructive action.
In 1880 peace reigned in Wisconsin be-
tween the Indians and the few white
men who believed that the two races
should live in harmony. Mr. Derleth has
chosen as representatives of this belief
Frenchman whose father had forty
years previously bought land and built a
fine home on the banks of the Wisconsin
River, and the great Black Hawk, chief
tain of the Sacs. Chalfonte Pierneau
Is an idealiSt and a romanticist, happily
married, accommodating wealth as a fur
trader. loving deeply the land he has
inherited and holding in high esteem the
friendship and affection OF Black Hawk.
Both men know that the once powerful
native tribes of the West are doomed,
yet they hold tenaciously to the hope
that there will be no more bloodshed
between the two races. History records
the Black Hawk War as the answer.
Betrayed by the white man, the Sacs
spoke for war; They had been duped into
signing away their lands. Their homes
and their burying grounds had been
stolen and the hostility Of other tribes
had been aroused against them. Bitterly
resenting the accumulation of injustices
and insults, they forced their chieftain
to take action which both he and
Pierneau knew would end in disaster for
the red man.
Into the factual story of the dramatic
events OF this final chapter of the Indian
wars is woven the flctional romance Of
Chalfonte Pierneau. whose whole life is
changed as result Of the hostilities he
sought to prevent. Place Of Hawks is
the name of the Pierneau home, where
Chalfonte lives with his mother, his love-
ly young wife and their small daughter.
Also on the place are a number of
trappers and helpers in the employ of
the Frenchman. In the course of the
war Place OF Hawks Is besieged and
Pierneaus wife is mortally wounded.
Adrienne had come from the East and
had loved this wilderness Of Wisconsin
as did her husband. While dying she
asks Chalfonte to send for her sister to
take care Of the little daughter Made
leine arrives, with bitterness in her heart
for the man who had taken Adrienne to
live among savages and hatred for the
forests, streams and prairies Of the West.
Years pass before reason dispels the
enmity each feels toward the other and
another gunshot tears away the wells
that have obscured the vision of q new
road to happiness.
A prodigious amount of historic re-
search has gone into the making of this
novel, and Mr.. Derleth has pooled his
findings to good effect. In q brief fore
word 1t is stated that with the exception
OF Black Hawk, Hercules Dousman and
the War of 1882. the principal characters
and all the incidents of the novel are nc
ton. Combined with the historically ac-
curate events are stories of local happen
ings that have been shifted to conform to
the major theme, and over all Is the fine
craftsmanship Of a man who is a genius
at description and whose writing reflects
the sensitive nature of q poet.
AMERICAN YEARS. Bv Harold Sin
clair. New York: Doubleday, Doran
& Co.
A popularity of this splendid story of
American life in the Midwest about a
century ago Is that it has no central
characters. 1t is the story of a town
and OF the people who made it, each
individual occupying his or her rightful
place IN the scene in accordance with the
prominence or lack of extraordinary i'm
portance in the growth of community.
Everton. ILL.,, was barely more than
a roadside corner in 1881 when James
AIlin, proprietor of the characteristic
frontier general store, took it upon him.
sell to go to Springfield and present q
petition for the formation Of q new
county with Everton as the county seat,
| AAln knew few things about one of
the commissioners, so he was not kept
| walting, had no difficulty in getting what
ne went after Dane County became ar
actuality and Everton began to grow.
The story is that of boom town that
Is american to the core. Election of q
TAX assessor created an exalted sense of
| CIVIC pride. Building lots sold for small
fortunes and real houses were erected
on newly laid out streets. Saloons
nour1shed and hotels and shops appeared
on the scene. The railroad and tele-
| graph companies hooked the town to
the communication system, and by the
| Time newspaper was established Ever
Ton mad become modern community
with courthouse. library, physicians
ana lawyers, churches, violin teacher
and q place to accommodate its first
| circus.
Inc Black Hawk War took some O,
the men to the battlefront and others
participated some years later in the war
with Mexico over the United States
boundary. National politics loomeo
large in the affairs of the people as the
cIouos which were later to break in the
war between the States gathered.
Aacnary Taylor, Black Hawk, Abraham
Lincoln, Stephen Douglas and other mer
OF historic lame appear in roles as friend