TWO TRAMPS AND A CHILD

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 242, 9 July 1938, Page 6 (Supplement)

TWO TRAMPS AND A CHILD

“The Cat and the Medal,” by Mollie Carpenter Hales (London: Methuen.).

A mentally backward child, and two tramps, one an old man with a hatred of many things, women among them, the other younger and ‘virile, play the principal parts in "The Cat and the Medal,” a rural drama of strange intensity and power. The old tramp loses his Crimean medal, and when eventually it is found, the younger man teases him with the sight of it, and jestingly pretends to drown a kitten which has found a place in the old fellow's heart. 'The child carries it beyond a joke and, from curiosity, actually drowns the kitten. It is a queer situation brought to a neat conclusion by Miss Hales, whose vivid writing and powers of description make this a memorable, If minor, novel. She is particularly successful in her portrayal of pathos and bewilderment underlying the workings of the child mind.

This year’s S'. 11. Prior Mefnbrial Prize competition conducted by the Sydney “Bulletin” attracted between 150 and 100 novels from writers in Australia, New Zealand, and from Australians resident in England, South Africa, and elsewhere. The total is more than 50 more than last year. It is hoped to announce the result about the last week in July. The final judging this year will be carried out by Frank Dalby Davison and the editor of the "Bulletin.” .