MOTH

With by no means the furious flagellation of previous works, this is the story of a love rather than a passion, a fairly good guy rather than a heel, and pursues- for James Cain- an almost equable, equitable course in the story of Jack Dillon. With a certain home town (Baltimore) acclaim as first a choir boy, then a football hero, Jack at 22 is considered a suitable catch for Margaret, whom he agrees to marry under family pressure. Then he realizes it is Helen, her younger sister, whom he loves; she's only twelve, and he clears out. A bum for two years, hitting a new low when he empties a cash register, Jack gets a second chance at a better life when he is befriended by oilman Branch, whose young wife loves Jack. At great risk, the men put through Hannah's oil well and find themselves in the money. But Hannah, realizing that it is still the memory of Helen that counts, refuses to be Jack's second choice, and he — after a distinguished record in the war, returns to his old home, accepting himself as a romantic, and seeking out Helen again....Sentimental- rather than elemental.