A CLEVER FARCE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 34, 8 August 1925, Page 17

A CLEVER FARCE

" Mischief." By Ben Traven. London: John Lane (through' Dyinock'*, Sydney).

Mr. Bee Traveri, writer' of "Mischief," is also ths author of " Rookery isook," " The Dippers," and other inteiiaely humorous novel*. Incidentally he is a great-grandson of. a turgeongeneral to Queen Victoria, and had him-i-ei'i during the war a'distinguished carter in the Flying Corps. "Mischief" j-u£s close to. the wind in one respect, l»ut it has the aaving:grace of humour. It, is intensely funny, and, if possible, more so than his " Cuckoo's Nest " — and that it saying a great deal, ltegin,l Id Binjjham, a domineering and eminently successful business man of fifty, imfrried a gay and pretty girl much younger than himself, and he tried hig iiiaturaily. ])ompou§ and blusterous way on' lior. He was rich, knew what he wanted, mf.de up his mind to get it, and usually get it. " She (Mr. TraVers tells us) submitted with cynical readings to this pounding fellow. She adnmed him for his cool supremacy rather ;>.- ■ one admires a' good-natured policeman on point duty. He wat very kind anil very liberal. He had no tense of humour, but, oh, why make excuses foi* her! She made npno for herself. ITsney! money, money, money! The frailty of such women is half their charm; and>if Eleanor had never exhibited frailty more culpable than thi* bargain,, 'the fact makes her only the nioio tantalising. There was.an 'Algy' —there usually is—an admirer of Eleanor before she married. He is what is often called a 'chum,' but he proved a thorn in the side ( of Reginald Bingham. Perhaps "it'would be better to describe him as a needle, for one can usually pluck out a thorn but a wretched needle will travel all over the body. .Algy Richardson Gascoygne upset the pence of mind of the rich but fool'sh lnmband. Pelicious humour is the outcome, and some most embarrassing situations aro the result of Reginalds auspicious and (more «till) the definite con,viction's o£ his'iiitsr LwilieV *K»* Eleanor js " carrying en " with Algf at a r*t# far top »yrjfj JotJkJMCti«4 !K«M« -Qs4

of these suspicions and convictions is a merry story with material for a laugh in almost every page.