FACE VALUE

Almost a double dozen of short stories that gleam with sheen and are slippery with slick -- and are out, with puns and trickery, to amuse, entertain and intrigue the reader. There are six Chinese tales -- of short, sharp diversions of justice and luck; there are several of Sir Humphrey Gallstone, Ret., whose past catches up -- and nips him; the rest concern a rather personal attitude toward the British taxes which involves a certain amount of satisfactory bilking; there's some refined haunting, and some pay-offs from inferiors to superiors. The accent is on double takes, along with some double entries, and is based on plot structure, so that the whole performance has a wide -- popular -- appeal. Relax.