The Romance of Rosy Ridge
by (Coward-McCann, $1.25),
tells the story of Lissy Ann, daughter of Old Gill MacBean of Missouri, and Henry Bohun, Comb-Hummin’ Henry, mysterious minstrel who wanders in, one night, out of nowhere, preceded by his strange and singularly enchanting melody. Even Old Gill, wary of a musical vagrant without credentials, who may well be a damn Yankee, voices cautious approbation. As for the two hound pups, they are at Comb-Hummin’ Henry’s feet, ‘eyeing him and looking like their hearts would break if he walked out of their sight.’ But in their case one must suspect a triumph of personality rather than of art.
And as a matter of fact, Comb-Hummin’ Henry’s personality is as potent as his art. Mr. Kantor has given him no visible marks of the hero; he has created him small and odd, and has denied him even the redeemingly fine eyes of convention. But of the force of this unromantic little figure there is no question. Just as Henry can fetch from his primitive instrument as swooning a melody as ever was fashioned and can as easily set heels stamping and throats roaring, so he can flash in an instant from gentle dreamer into wildcat. Soft enough to lie face down in the grass, sick to the soul with grief and rage because his lame thrush has been shot to pieces for fun by Badge Dessark, he is tough enough to face, with only Old Gill beside him, the galloping band of bushwhackers who look ‘like bad dreams a-riding’ as they loom nearer, hooded, against the sunset.
Vigorous, not to say violent, as this story is, Mr. Kantor’s cadenced prose gives it the lyrical quality that is one of the characteristics of his writing. It is a spirited and harmonious performance: not, however, I think, to be ranked among its author’s more important creations.
ETHEL WALLACE HAWKINS