Parrot & Co.
(Bobbs-Merrill, 1913)
Here's a nifty little novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The tale opens up somewhere in Burma, along the banks of the Irawaddy River. A steamboat is carrying passengers downstream, and Elsa Chetwood happens to be one of those on board. At the last moment, another passenger embarks. He is known among the local riff-raff as "Parrot & Co." His name is Paul Warrington, and he travels everywhere with his manservant James and a Rajputanah parakeet. In fact, these are his only friends. Warrington is a rough adventurer who has spent the last ten years in tropical jungles searching for wealth in the form of oil springs. After trekking so long with no luck, at last he strikes rich. Now he carries a letter of credit from the Bank of Rangoon, which makes him a millionaire. But it seems Warrington has something dark in his past which he wishes to hide. Nobody knows why he roams the far countries of the world. Nobody knows anything about his previous history, other than that he was forced to leave the U.S. But why? An aura of mystery surrounds him.
Like a typical lady, Elsa Chetwood becomes intrigued. For among other things, he is the spitting image of Arthur, the man she's going home to marry. But how different the two men are! When she befriends him, she incurs the ill-will of all the other passengers, who have marked him down as a shady character. Then, one day two scoundrels come onto the scene. Mallow, a vicious bully, and Craig, a card-sharp, begin spreading rumors about Warrington. They have information regarding his past, and are determined to share it with others. This creates all sorts of complications, and eventually culminates in an action-packed climax which will set fire to your heels.
This tale has a very pronounced mystery element, though it is quite equal as a work of popular romance. Once again, MacGrath creates a cast and crew of interesting and likable characters. As one of the renowned globe-trotters of his day, it is evident from the descriptive content that his local knowledge is first-hand. One feels, in reading this book, an actual proximity to the scenes described. Indeed, the magic and mystery of the Orient color every page. The plot mechanism is quite clever. MacGrath had a unique way of writing his novels. He wrote the first few chapters, then broke off and wrote the end. Later, he filled in the main content, letting the characters themselves work out the dénouement. Whatever fault one may find with this method, one thing is indisputable: it works. When the mystery is finally unraveled, we can't help admiring the ingenuity with which it was gradually brought to light.
As a work of entertainment, Parrot & Co. takes high rank. MacGrath himself was never too concerned with the "purpose novel." He once wrote: "The one definite idea I have in mind in writing stories, is to afford an agreeable, pleasant hour or two to my readers. I wish to amuse them, to make them wish that they, too, might have lived as this or that hero, in this or that land, probable or improbable. I prefer sunshine, mirth, buoyancy, and I believe most readers prefer the same. Grown-up people never wholly lose their love of fairy-tales; and grown up fairy tales have been the scheme of most of my novels." Admittedly, I myself agree with MacGrath's philosophy. I always find it hard to swallow a piece of didactic fiction. If a man has a social message to impart, he should say it in a straight-forward manner. Any veiling of social ideas behind the garb of fiction is, in my view, a questionable practice. At least it must be done with extreme care and caution, for not everyone can successfully pull it off. Most readers don't like to be preached to. As we see, MacGrath avoids the error altogether.
If you want a good story, get in line for a cruise with Parrot & Co. Used copies generally range anywhere from $8-$15, while dust-jacket editions soar upwards of $100. The title has become scarcer of late, and is one of the author's more collectible books. The Bobbs-Merrill editions are profusely illustrated by Arthur William Brown, with color plates by Andre Castaigne. These illustrations reflect the typical Edwardian interest in "picture-oriented" fiction. In fact, this popular tendency grew stronger with time, until it merged into the form of cinematic entertainment. By the late-1920's, illustrated novels were a thing of the past. Today, Parrot & Co. can still be read with much the same relish as it was in 1913. For an adventure mystery, it is very little dated. Triva: MacGrath re-used the parrot motif in his 1919 spy thriller, The Yellow Typhoon.
--B.A.S.
**************
