Books: Auntly Sentiment

OLD-FASHIONED TALES-Zona Gale-Appleton-Century ($2.50).

Men may improve with the years, but most writers, after they have passed middle age, do not. The transformation of generous talents into sere opinionatedness is a recurrent phenomenon each generation recognizes, but only in its predecessors. Authoress Gale, no ten-talent writer, still possesses the tenderness of her youth, but it has grown a little mushy, auntly sentimental. Practice makes pat and Authoress Gale knows better than ever how to put her gentle, everyday stories together. Some of them:

When it came to a showdown, Marda found that Mother knew best: married love was better than clandestine.

Waldo and Stephen were enemies, but when Stephen’s little girl was lost in the storm and Waldo found her. . . .

Old Martin and his wife had faced a lot of things together, finally the poorhouse; when they found they were to be separated they promised they would signal each other with their lights, and were told it was against the rules.

Old Miss Mintern had enough money to pay for a gigolo; her enameled gayety cracked when she saw her old beau again, but not for long.

His whole family were down on Mr. Lindaman for the unnoticing way he treated his wife; his near-bankruptcy showed her she was not forgotten.