Show I U nu ual Restraint Marks Situations in Millin Novel Nove write The Fiddler Offers Absorbing Absorbing Absorbing Absorb- Absorb ing Study of Mental R Reactions By HELEN GARRITY Ono studies Sarah G Gertrude MUlI MU- MU lI llna lIn polished prose hroSe seeking seeking- to lo define define de de- fine fl Its appeal Superficially Superficial Superficial- ly Iy it would seem eem that the epigram is her hea medium Her Hea frugal use of word words I her hei el ability to retain only the mOt most expressive is re responsible for thin Impression slon By combining a i series serle of or simple sentences she obtains a a t unique effect a unified idea that would collapse if it one of or the single contributory thoughts were vere to be bc withdrawn The following quotation from her newest book The Fiddler illustrates illus mus- rates the poInt memory It- It sif permanent Had Find one not noI to guard it like hike a u timid animal of or the tiie wilds And Ud feed It Il And nd teach It little HUle tricks And lure luio It whIp it-whIp whip Iton Iton it iton on on to perform 1 For how ho eager eager It was to esc escape pe and nd how tragically S soon 01 the da day arrived when having wearily abandoned abandon surveillance one i called to lo It and It came not Mrs Millin avoids the race rac I leni In InThe The Fiddler although her story Is placed against the South African background with which she Is so familiar Taking a to theme essentially and amI one might say In Inevitably Inevitably In- In melodramatic she creates cha character whose reactions are I purely mental who through situations that could only be bc I. I by violent physical pas pus Driving her heroine Into a sorry affair with a hotel musician by by the force forc of or a supposed love hove for him she n. nt a the same time tune places into tel er m mind la d lofty philosophical gener generalities not nol at all In line with h her r conduct H Her r fiddler a neg negative live pc personality comfort comfortably bly conventional convention convention- al al commits l a cowardly murder at t slight provocation Neither the they nor or any of ot the characters who are ro told of the lie crime evince c can c'an any an emotion emo emo- tion lou save annoyance The forsaken forsaken for for- hus husband and J is politely urbane and both of or the lovers hovers contemplate returning to their respective mates with stolid Indifference The entire situation Is Incongruously Incongruously Drained of ot all aU emotion In a n. position that owes ove owes Itse Its Us e existence to uncontrolled feeling the ho characters might as well be disembodied dis disembodIed dis' dis em embodied 1 personalities ties el enacting a thou thought ht drama on some tonic astral sta stage c. c SUM Still it Is to assume that anything Involving the human temperament nt could be Impossible In spite of any n critical reaction to the plot lot her inimitable style I is I fas fascinating and her philosophy is a aall at atall atall all times limes most interesting Hor Hor Horace ace r New w York |