ingness to deal with lives widely diverse. At least three
rank high in the estimation of her fellow-committeemen. "Aurore," by
its terseness and poignant interpretation of the character of the
woman under the Northern Lights touches poetry and is akin to music in
its creative flight. The Committee voted to include it in Volume III,
under the author's protest and under her express stipulation that it
should not be regarded as a candidate for either prize. That another
of her stories might have found place in the collection is indicated
best by the following letter:

The Players
16 Gramercy Park
New York City

November 16th

Re. O. HENRY MEMORIAL PRIZE.

To Dr. B.C. Williams,
605 West 113 Street,
New York City.

My Dear Doctor Williams,

I mailed to you yesterday a copy of a story by Ethel Watts Mumford,
entitled "Funeral Frank," published in the _Detective Story Magazine_
two weeks ago--for your consideration in awarding the O. Henry
Memorial prize.

I think it is the best short story I have read in a long time both for
originality of subject and technical construction.

The choice on the author's part of such an unsuspected (by the reader)
and seemingly insignificant agent for the working of Nemesis, I think
shows great skill. I say _seemingly_ insignificant because a little
dog seems such a small and unlikely thing to act the leading part in a
criminal's judgment and suggested regeneration--and yet all lovers of
animals know what such a tie of affection may mean, especially to one
who has no human friends--and even while it works, the victim of
Nemesis as the author says "is wholly unconscious of the irony of the
situation."

Apart from this I think the tale is exceedingly well told in good
English and with the greatest possible economy of space.

Yours very truly,
Oliver Herford.

"Waiting," by Helen R. Hull, stands first on the list of Grove E.
Wilson, who thinks its handling of everyday characters, its simplicity
of theme and its high artistry most nearly fulfil, among the stories
of the year, his ideal of short story requirements. Though admired as
literature by the Committee, it seemed to one or two members to
present a character study rather than a story. Certainly, in no other
work of the period have relations between a given mother and daughter
been psychologized with greater deftness and skill.

Other members of society reflected in the year are preachers, judges,
criminals, actors, and