The Wilmington morning star., 1947-12-14
Mr.: Spearman',
Literary
| Lantern
BY WALTER SPEARN,,

CHAPEL HILL, Dec, n y,
tall tamarack tree that Stood 'I' u
the clearing at The foot ~ -, ''
stratton in Vermont was ,|' .+''
ness to the Wing conventio1D w.t. t..
l84O and may have Gstsno51 s,lo1 Of
Daniel Webster address the i3e'Ta g..S .
ering. But not even the tsosssa2 tan gam
tree knew some Of the hs"'.fta's .s.s
that happened during those '1@ags ,tng
days when the quiet Vernon taee
Ilage was overrun with ;,' vis,. WI
politicians, gamblers, drunE.r-54ts
farmers from the f,!ls -aaJ1' 'a.1'
Southern gentleman" trore '19 ",
ginia. What did happen ''it js W, a,
story of Howard BresIjn',' . +.s 'ae
moving historical novel 1!- t&s''
Tamarack Tree, December ,re =.
lection of the Literary G,SiI II,
(Whittlesey House, New yo-s ~il
279 PIP. So. ''A'
| Before the Wings came troon
ing in, Lovina Chester dan,5. ,I.p'
of the local minister was eTn,r S,~.'
encing difficulties IN the c9mr., pr.,
of her true love for Charles & Cr;.
tenden, young farmer. The ro5
headed Zilpha Brayton was t;roa
of her shiftless husband fsm
1nnkeeper Dan TarboX was ms'
pairing for the conyention
Wealthy Joel Patch was out +,
make more money from his sag'
mill or his politics. Among n.
convention visitors were T6omas
Jefferson Dunbar, conventior.I
Virginia gentleman with an eyo
for the ladies aid d peacbsnt "a,
duelling, and Doc" Merrlfel5
with a stock Of patent medicns
and his young ward, Mercy.
While Daniel WEBSTER SPOKE
and the tamarack traa listened
to campaign slogans like "Tippp.
canoe and Tyler too, Ioyjn,
leicester listened to the blandisb.
ments of Thomas Jefferson Dun.
bar and Dilpha Brayton slipped
away from the meeting to a tryt
with Isaac Mead. Before the ey.
citement of the convention died
away, the town Of Stratton had
suffered a duel, a murder and
an upsetting of many individual
lives. Author Bresling has skill.
fully inserted his historical back.
ground of early American poll.
tics, his New England dialect ls.
plete with laconic "E-yah's' and
his brief bits of New England
Landscape, but these never dis.
tract the reader from the story
and the characters. You may not
lfeel that Lovina and Dilpha are
very important, but you will fol.
low their love stories with inte..
est. This is Mr.. BreslinS first
novel but he has written numer.
GUS short stories and radio
scripts, including Lionel Barry
mores mayor of the Town,
If it were not for Burns Mantle
and his annual volume of best
plays, many of us who like plays
but do not get to New York often
to see them would have little
idea of what each dramatic sea-
son is like. "The Best Plays Of
1946-47 is now available (Dodd
Mead and Co. New York. 555 pp
$4).
Included in this years selec'
ton are "All My Sons, The
Iceman Cometh, Joan Of Lor.
raine, Another Part Of
the Forest years Ago,
John Loves Mary" "The Fatal
Weakness.' ''The Story Of Mary
Surratt, "Christopher Blake,
and "Brigadoon.' Best play Of
the season was probably Arthur
Millers "All My Sons NOV
ing account of an American buS'
nessman's fail; dishonesty IN
building war planes and me
tragedy of his sons discovery Oh
his weakness. Greatest preo,iisse
was shared by Eugene ONelAS
bar fly drama, The JcenaA
Cometh," and Maxwell AndcT'
sons account of Joan OF Lof,
raine,' which starred InsrH
Bergman. Funniest farce g GONE,
dy was Norman Krasnas 'J0Il9
Loves Mary about returned
soldier and his girl troubles , Iun,
niest domestic comedy was nun
Gordon's Years Ago WIN
Fredrick March and Florence bi
bridge in the leading roles, 5.n.,. o.'
musical was included, 'Bfls' @
adoon,' a fantasy about oSor .s.,
land, Lillian Hellmans Another
Part of the Forest" is an 1, ez,
citing earlier chapter in the s3,J, s.ot5
of the Hubbard family so ylWq' 'G'
" created in her The Ll'''
Foxes"