BATHROOM'S DOWN THE HALL

A mildly amusing, unevenly written bit of family nostalgia -- all about a boarding house and the procession of characters who paid the rent. When Mother turned to taking in boarders in the Johnston's South Dakota home, her first boarder was a model of honest charm. But Mother was not prepared for what followed -- Mr. McGovern who erected a suggestive cemetery memorial in honor of his lady friend's late husband; simple Benny who loved animals; ""Neighbor"", who painted bricks to heave at the President; Mr. Meringue and his fur pelts; and other abstracted inmates. The author's occasional lapses into sentimental wash, and naughty snickers about bathrooms often curdle the flummery.