Rich White

THE STORE--T. S. Stribling--Double-day, Doran ($2.50).

In The Forge (TIME, March 23, 1931) Author Stribling gave the first spin to a projected three-novel cycle about the South. He told of the fortunes and misfortunes of the Vaiden family during the Civil War. The Store tells particularly of Col. Miltiades Vaiden and his rise to notoriety in Florence, Ala., about the time of Grover Cleveland's presidencies. Written in the great tradition of well-peopled novels, the book successfully commingles impartial observation and ubiquitous sympathy, tinged with a faintly subacid humor. In pitch, scope, execution it is easily the most important U. S. novel of the year. Col. Miltiades Vaiden, a vastly human character who should walk straight into the U. S. Pantheon, is more than the central figure of the story. He is the focus in which the town of Florence reflects its earthen realities, its haunting bright potentialities. Left high & dry by the Civil War, before which he had been overseer on a cotton plantation, the Colonel is now of no particular account in his own eyes, or in anybody else's. Only Ponny, his dull, adoring wife believes in "Mr. Milt's" in evitable greatness. He had married her for her money years ago, but the money was gone, and she was barren. Ponny grows bigger & bigger with affection and fat, but never with the hoped-for child.

In the middle of his middle-aged decay Miltiades looks about Florence for some foothold to begin his climb. A drunken confession on the part of T. Handback, the town's wealthy merchant, gives him his chance. Years ago Handback had cheated Miltiades of his small fortune in cotton ; now, when the Colonel learns that the highly respectable Handback keeps a quadroon mistress, Gracie Vaiden, one of the old Vaiden slaves, he uses the information to pry himself, as a clerk at $7.50 a week, into Handback's store. Straight way he makes friends with the Negroes and poor whites, by selling 16-oz. pounds of goods instead of the customary twelve. Soon he has the reputation of being the most upright man in town.

Trusted entirely by the rascally Handback, Miltiades oversees the collection of his crops. Chance brings him the opportunity to settle old scores -- he ships 500 bales of Handback cotton to New Orleans, puts the proceeds in a valise in Gracie Vaiden's attic. Though Handback's mistress, she is an old Vaiden slave and will never tell. Miltiades goes about his business, calmly awaits the storm. The whole town knows of his peculation, accepts it philosophically : "Hit's nachel -- hit's nachel . . . evahthing what's bad is nachel."

Handback, ruined, is philosophical until he can collect legal proof against Miltiades. Then he starts trouble, mostly for himself. In his frantic search of Miltiades' house for the money, Ponny, whose pulling & groaning at last mean more than obesity, is frightened into a miscarriage and death. Handback finds himself glad to accept Miltiades' trifling settlement.

Miltiades spends his money fast. "If I have money I think I ought to do beautiful things with it. He opens a department store, buys an estate. He proposes marriage to Drusilla Crowninshield. an old flame of his, marries her daughter Sydna instead. Drusilla knows him of old: "You really are an outrageous man. . . . You appear to people who don't know you as a most conventional man. but you really stick at nothing and regret little.

Miltiades' troubles do not end with his wedding. His investments go bad, his tenants try to bully him. But by means of his extraordinary pertinacity he wins at least respite. Handback. on discovering how Gracie took part against him. commits suicide. The force behind Miltiades' tragic story has, willy-nilly, affected everybody in Florence -- Landers, the second- sighted postmaster; Toussaint, a Vaiden octoroon; Miltiades' nephew, particularly a young highly Jerry Catlin, attractive character whose undeveloped capabilities leave the book with an aftermath to be harvested, presumably, in the closing novel of Author Stribling's cycle.

The Author. Born in Tennessee, 1881, Thomas Sigismund Stribling was graduated from the University of Alabama in 1904, wrote super-Sundayschoolish stories for the Nashville Sundayschool magazine. From such efforts he made a slow recovery. Birthright, his first novel, was published in 1921. Ten years later he began publishing his cycle for which he has been gathering material all his life. Says he of its characters, its locale: "To talk about whom I interviewed for this book is nonsense. I was born into it and when I get out of it, I'll die out of it." Other books: Fombombo, Red Sand, Teeftallow, Bright Metal, Strange Moon, Clues of the Carribees, Backwater. The Store is the Literary Guild's July choice.

Genesis, Exodus

WE BEGIN--Helen Grace Carlisle-- Harrison Smith ($2.50).

In the cyclorama of historical novels, reaching around from hoary antiquity to practically contemporaneous times, there are some highly pictorial spaces left comparatively blank. One such space, crammed with history not adequately fictionalized, is the period after Queen Elizabeth's death, when religious malcontents fled England for Holland, cleared out from there for a newer, presumably better world. Pilgrim Fathers & Mothers are the heroes & heroines of Authoress Carlisle's book. In We Begin she paints, with meticulous nicety of detail, an historical mural of extraordinary scope. Following muralist technique, she manages to make her characters striking but not too personal, her details vivid but not too bright. Only a theatrical ending tarnishes her brilliant scenario.

The story starts in Scrooby, in Shakespearean times, when William Brewster, lord of the manor, first listened to the Brownists preach of a God whom the Church of England failed to recognize. After a stormy career at court Brewster retired to his country home, became the mainstay of what was regarded as a rabid sect. Among these were Eleazar Dexter and his younger brother John who, though saints of a kind, still thought enough of the devil to fall in love. Both loved the same girl, but in different ways. Eleazar was a religious bigot who loved Anne in order to save her soul, John a happy farmer who loved the earth and all its foison. Anne chose John, sending away Eleazar half mad with sanctity and lust. The brothers' contradictory natures clash throughout the story, symbolize for Authoress Carlisle contrary traits in Pilgrim Father psychology.

After intolerable sufferings at home the Dexters, with other Pilgrims, get away to Holland. There they stay for some ten years before they can collect sufficient money, organization and courage to cross the sea. At last, bonded to the speculative Merchant Adventurers, they are furnished transportation. With their embarkation on the Mayflower the story enters more familiar ground. But the actualities of the trip, the landing at Plymouth, the first buildings, the first plantings, the first Indians and their strange ways, all are materialized by Authoress Carlisle in fascinating detail. Meanwhile the struggle between John Dexter and Eleazar takes an unexpected turn. Hopeless of his brother's wife, Eleazar transfers his unholy zeal to an orphan, Purity, whom Anne has adopted on the Mayflower. His passion, countering the similar passion of John's son, David, is ended only when he violates the maid, leaves her to drown herself.

The Author. Born in New York City's East Side 34 years ago, Authoress Carlisle ran away from home young, went to London, worked there as a typist during the War. On her return to the U. S. she took up acting, played a child role in The Miracle. Disappointed in her theatrical talent, she took up writing "in an effort to do something." Together Again, See How They Run, Mothers Cry (the last snapped up for the talkies by First National) were immediate successes. The scholarly weight of historical research in We Begin acts as a sedative to her emotionally excitable pen.

Murders en Brochette

Six DEAD MEN--Andre Steeman-- Farrar & Rinehart ($2)*

With an elan vital worthy of an amorous novelette Author Steeman, whose book won the 1931 Prix du Roman d'aventures, writes of five murders in a villainous row. For all the police could do, the row might have gone on around the world. A languorous heroine stops that--at least one man must be left alive to prevent her murdering herself.

Five years ago six friends shook the impoverished dust of Paris off their feet, scattered to the world's ends to win fortunes which, at an agreed date, they are to return to share. The time is up. George Senterre returns to Paris rolling in wealth. Jean Perlon, who has won nothing but a sunburn meets him; on their first night's celebration they run into Carmen, their friend Gernicot's fiancee. Both men desire Carmen, but Gernicot, traveling with Namotte, is due to arrive on the Mauretania. Just out of port Namotte is tossed overboard. Gernicot arrives in a bad state of nerves, full of wild talk about a mystery man with a red beard and black goggles who is out to get them all. Gernicot is shot, Gribbe stabbed, Tignol abducted. Meanwhile the police have not been idle, have detailed Wenceslas Vorobeitchik, nicknamed Wens, to trace the murders. Spick & span Monsieur Wens, whose progress in the case is registered by the way he wears his trousers, creased or draped, adds to the horror by identifying the murderer as one of the already murdered men.

*New books are news. Unless otherwise designated, all books reviewed in TIME were published within the fortnight. TIME readers may obtain any book of any U. S. publisher by sending check or money-order to cover regular retail price ($5 if price is unknown, change to be remitted) to Ben Boswell of TIME. 135 East 42nd St., New York City. *Published June 16.

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