Chapter D: G. Carter

_Book Reviews_

_The Boy Grew Older._ By HEYWOOD BROUN. (Putnam’s.)

“The Boy Grew Older” is a tale of paternity told in the terms of a sporting-writer. As a story of paternity it is rather appealing; one cannot help but feel a warm sympathy for this bewildered, clumsy, kind-hearted reporter who takes it upon himself to rear his infant son, after his dancer wife has deserted them. The very theme plays (not too delicately!) on the chords of human compassion. But as a story told in the terms of a sporting-writer, it is not so successful. The style shows lack of careful writing. It often verges on sloppiness. Mr. Broun imposes upon a public which has raised him to popularity, in writing in so slipshod a fashion. Besides, the story in itself deserves a finer exposition.

Peter Neale is the writer of a sporting column in a New York newspaper. He falls in love with Maria Algarez, a dancer, and chiefly by virtue of the fact that he praises her as much as she demands, persuades her to marry him. When their baby is born, she runs away to Europe to have her career, unfettered by the cares of maternity. Peter unselfishly devotes himself to the care of the boy. It is his ambition that he shall grow up to be a Harvard athlete, and finally inherit his father’s column. The war comes, and after it there is a meeting with the mother again—with the final decision of the boy’s career.

In an incidental way, Mr. Broun’s often-exercised delight in making Harvard appear superior to Yale comes into the story. Father and son help vanquish Yale. We mustn’t mind that, if it pleases him! Besides, occasionally Mr. Broun achieves an amusing paragraph by his obsession—as when the father, unable to recall the words of a lullaby, sings the baby to sleep with Harvard’s song ending:

“And if any Eli—”

The song had to be cut short; the baby must not learn Harvard men’s words of profanity at such an early age!

Whatever faults the assiduous critic may find, “The Boy Grew Older” is an amusing story—and that’s the greatest reason for buying new novels, anyway!