Prizewinner's Second

JORDANSTOWN -- Josephine Johnson -- Simon & Schuster ($2).

Josephine Johnson's first novel, Now in November, took the 1935 Pulitzer Prize on points, for sheer beauty. Last week she went at the hurdle of her second novel-- which for authors is what Becher's Brook is for Grand National riders. Interested bystanders shook their heads over a near-cropper, gave odds that she would not finish in the money, and those who attach more value to performance than style said Author Johnson's Pegasus got his feet all mixed up in metaphors, looked better in a show ring than he did over a fence.

Allen was a young rebel. He wanted to shatter conservative midwestern Jordanstown to bits, fit the pieces to a humaner pattern. So did his pal Dave. When Allen scraped together enough money to buy the local paper he proceeded to set the town on its ear. Subscriptions fell off but needy friends rallied to Allen's cause. Jordanstown's bosses dropped Allen a hint to mind his manners, but he went right ahead. Climax of his crusade was a parade of the underdogs, led by Dave and Allen, to the new meeting house built by painful comradely effort. When the cheering marchers got there, the chief of police and a committee of plug-uglies were waiting for them. In the riot Dave was shot, Allen clubbed. Then the meeting house was burned down. When Allen got out of jail he found his paper had been wrecked. Most of his intimidated followers left him. Dave died of his wound. Allen somehow got his paper started again, closed the ranks, marched on.

None but Jordanstowners would deplore Author Johnson's humane sentiments, but many from other counties will squirm at the humorless rhetoric she dresses them up in. Unreconstructed oldsters who remembered Booth ("Old Tark") Tarkington's The Conquest of Canaan averred that they still preferred his version of the story.

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