The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-04-07
LITER A II u r e.

q failure we would have been very loath to
acknowledge IL. There Is no American author
for whom we have greater respect than the one
whose work nov lays before us. It is seldom
that we see writer who has acquired fame in
a particular department ofliterature boldly ven
ture into new field, and hazard his reputation
already acquired by endeavorng to succeed in
q style in which he is o novice. Yet such, of
late years, has been the course Of Mr.. Taylor
BY his travels he has achieved high place among
the writers of our land. He had an established
reputation, yet we find him venturing into the
field of fiction ana keeping his name as a live
author continually before the public by some
new work. Other writers lie supinely back
upon their already secure position, and let
American literature take care of itself, while
they take care of their fame. Mr.. Taylor de.
serves great credit for his energy, even if he
has failed. But we are glad to say that he
has not. "The Story of Kennet" is a decided
success. tits graphic, piquant, and interesting,
natural in Its details, and abounding in original
characters. Its plot is not complex, nor yet is
it clear one.
Gilbert Potter the hero, is generally sup.
posed TO have bar sinister in his genealogy.
Nor can he blame the good people for their
belief as it would seen that his mother, Mary
Potter, did all in her power to strengthen it.
AT last, goaded to desperation, he asks her, and
she says that he is her lawful son, born in we'd
lock, but declines, for mysterious reasons, to
reveal his fathers name During the greater
portion of the work he is employed in guessing
who was his other parent He at one time sup.
poses DR.. Deane, whose daughter and Gill
bert are betrothed, but abandons the idea. He
then suspects TaTdy Hart, a high way man,
but as Tardy swears he is not, that idea is dis
PEELED. 1t finally appears that an Alfred Bar
ton, mean, despcable creature was the man
who having sworn Gilbert his brother to
to secrecy until after his (Bartons) father
dies, as he fears he will be cut off in the will
The old man then finds out his sons marriage,
and at the last moment leaves the great bulk Of
his property to Mary Potter Barton. Gil
bert and Martha Deare are married. and
''lived together happy for many many years.
Such is the skeleton of the plot. The character
of Gilbert is one to be admired. Struggling
under load of infamy and poverty, he plays
new part, and has the sympathy of the reader
throughout the entire work. Martha Deare is
rather too much on the strong-minded order, as
we fear all the Taylor heroines are. She resem-
bes Harriet Thurston in some respects but is
much better character for man to fall in
love with.
DR.. Deare is advancing respectfully. Wash.
Deare and Sally Fairthen, two well-drawn
subordinate, are of the honest country order
and represent social type much read about,
but seldom met with. Mary Potter appears to
have been giddy, ambitious girl at the time of
Gilbert's birth; but is tanned down by sorrow.
Her husband, Alfred Barton, is most despica-
BILE wretch, cowardly selfish, and dishonorable.
Between the two, we have to wonder where the
paragon of virtue and manliness, Gilbert got
all his good qualities Tardy Hart and his
attractive paramour, Deb. Smith, are both
well introduced, and tend greatly to keep up
the interest of the story. The last important
parsonage, Betsy Lavender is O reticent Cos
sip, silent receptacle for secrets and DIS
Criminator of news. A good-hearted creature
with much intelligence and true nature In
fact, the most serene of all old maids we have
ever seen. Blessed is the "Kennettn which can
boast OF such an acquisition. So much for the
characters. The New York Tribune, speaking
oft, says:-
THE literary execution OF this story shows
that it was written during gracious and happy
mood of the authors muse. the arrangem ent
and evolution of the plot exhibit no lack of in
venuve resources; the scenes preserve their
interdependence and consecutive relation with
admirable effect; and the machinery WithaWhich
the sequel is brought about, though simple in
its conception, and free from ap excessive COM
plication OF details, works VHth true artistic
power. The style is slngulaf1y graceful and
sweet, and throws spell of quiet fascination
over the reader whose taste has not been drugged
and debauched by unwholesome provocatives
For the most part it is remarkable for its pure
and vigorous English, with few of the vices of
expression from which such fertile and popular
authors are seldom free. The local dialect of
which Mr.. Taylor necessarily makes abundant
use has natural and honest air, which is a
strong evidence of its genuineness.i
The New York Post says:-
''It is a tale of purely country life and of q
phase rather peculiar Kennett is a farming
township in the interior of Pennsylvania, and
quite aside from the highways of travel The
opening scene is dated as far back as 1886 and
the actors in the story are either Friends" or
else more or less affected by the prevalence of
the Quaker doctrines and practice in the neigh
borhood. A phase Of life which could not now
be found in its purity anywhere, even in Penn.
sylvania, is thus presented and we must saw.
with great fidelity and no little descriptive
power.
"As picture of rural life we think that this
novel OF MIR. Taylor's exceeds any OF his pre-
yious predictions The plot is by no means an
impossible one, and is developed with considera
bic skill, and the characters are consistently
maintained throughout The interest of the
reader is secured at the outset, and increases as
the story goes on. The style is plain but vigor
Gus and attractive AS q whole we can con
work which has in it the elements of popularity
and which is a real contribution to the history
OF American rural life."
The Round Table, on the contrary, asserts:-
"Mr. Taylor's new story belongs to that schoo
modern uUhi oh afn at civ nla mn