The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-09-20

hh"ph
s.t,s;.n This is what We feel in reading the
novels of Miss Fisher.
Most of the characters In Ebb-Tide are resi-
dents of Charleston, where the opening scenes
are laid. We give the picture of a May-day
morning on the Battery:
Ten O'Clock, on q glorious May day, with the
freshly-rlse sea-breeze sweeping over tne
sparkling waters OF Charleston Harbor; inc
bright sun gliding all things with a HOOD OF
golden glory; the white shipping dazzling tne
eyes like snow; the wooded shores e!ot1 1Sa
| in q royal garment of soft purple mist; lne
| stately city throned like a queen between ner
'swiftly flowing rivers, while the SURF OF tne
! great Atlantic beats like music at her feeli U
| fragrance of roses pervadin2 the air, una ~
| Astounding sense CT glory and vitality ~ tnH
| buoysnt atmosphere !! Nature mas oPe1nea on
her choicest stores on this marvellously lovely
| dav. This 18th Of May, 1856; there is not a tint
| known to art which she is not wearing, anu
many-how many for which art has neltnse
| name nor power to reproduce. ous on Iue
sea there Is an opalescent glory, clang,mg
and shifting with every CLEAN OF lgns . n,ee
catches the foam-crested waves as lily IN
the snnshIne The land seems painting uhaer
liz wealth of loneliness, of fragrance ana OIL
bloom Everywhere Is spread eartns matcnr
less livery of green and gold; every oreatt VI
Air ia fiower-scented; every souno-eVea Jug 10
city'S distant hum OF pleasure hnu s,ob the
onSordInate to the divine anthem winch tne
mrriad voices of nature are ch~antlng-tn
sVeet invitation which they give 10 tne chill
Sron of men. s'Come p cay the waves IN
,The eT soft zones of ceaseless, rhythmic music.
"Come! - echo the happy songs Oh oiras, ene
merry chirp of the great, lnVlsiole inseeu-
han those OF Araby the Blest. Come !"
murmur the trees, gently sWaying tneiE emeI-
aid leaves. and finging graceful SHADOWS over
the velvet turf-"come and pc happy )! Anu
how few answer how few do not 60 on tneiI
way, be 1t TO funeral or 10 ieast, VILE oilnasa
1--we her az she should be loved, is not Nature
Gods ambassador upon earth, speaking, IN
every culver of her wondrous light and shade,
.glad lidIngs of great joy" o rare, SWEEP
zfnGna mater! III all This weary. slH-iaden,
suferlng-steeped world, there is nothing IKE
to thee; there is no Joy like thy Joy, no beauty
like thy beauty, DO glory Ike tiny gloryi thou
When thy first dew.drops glittered IN the sun
light of the creation morning, and even my
gracious Maker owned that thou vert ''good !
And who would see this noble mistress IN heI
most royal mood, who would worship at mel
most royal shrine, must seek her Wnere she
loves best to d~well-under the deep.Dlue
Southern sky, by the purple southern Walers
L lat I'M In6 ROIRtOu6 tCPLho 49,
of the aromatic Southern woods! Nowhere
eIse does she hold out her arms With suct
a tender embrace; nowhere else does enc WoC
us with such regal charms; nowhere else
does she wear such robes oil state as clothe
her amid the glory and beauty OF these en-
chanted scenes.
Yet a girl who stands on the pleasant Bat
terry, leaning against the railing, and looking
with wistful eyes far adown the bright bay tt
the broad ocean beyond, seems wholly uncon'
scious OF all the witchery round her. She has
tilted her hat forward 80 as to keep the sur
out of her eyes, and there she leans, q motion
less, absorbed figure, needing the curious
us little as the boundless gloty OF earth, an0
sea, and sky. A vessel Is just crossing the
bar Into the harbor; the day ID 30 wonderfully
clear that, through
.sThe purple moons transparent light"
It is possible to catch o glimpse of the spars
and rigging outlined against the sky-no nor
rlble, ugly steamer, beIchlng form IN, o a1aa
der masts and snow-white canvas, Outspread
like an angels wings. The girl lifts an opera.
glass to her eyes, and gazes eagerly on, 30
eagerly Toward The newcomer, the slraDg.
er, perhaps, the friend 1t may be. Two Or
three nurses. accompanied by children, pass,
agd, stopping. gaze also, open-mouthed. at
II lno W VI S0h q . "a "eJs @'SJ WIN NNN
nothing remarkable about it, however; 30,
after q time, they continue their promenade.
Other nurses follow, other children scamper
e. t6eas { Rstte eIHHs Il a tr a The hf Population; then
Sou1ui i1esS%%o ffaSdfes. (Veiled 30 as to efrectually
shut out all possibility OF enjoying the day;)
then an old gentleman, walking ~lelsurely With
his hands behind his back; then q young gen.
tleman on horseback, who looks keenly at the
graceful, motionless figure with the opera
glass levelled apparently at Fort Sumter;
then q tall, handsome girl, who, ascending
| the steps, walks directly up to the figure III
question and touches Its arm.
In some respects, Ebb-Tlde is the best Of
Miss Fishers novels. The heroine Is a win
some thing who steals the readers heart away;
who suffers and Is strong. The hero Is very
much like other heroes, but the type Is one that
| Ill of us admire. Madelon Lautrec is q care
fully drawn character, attractive even In her
moral deform;ly. The villain of the story Is O
smooth-spoken rascal who, as Ia real life,
escapes the punishment he deserves. Miss
Fisher also gives US a capital specimen OF the
matchmaking mamma, and the spoiled blonde
beauty. The drawback is that all The young
women are exqnisitely lovely, and all the men
strlkingly handsome. This, unfortunately for
the world, is not true to nature. We should
prefer to meet with q sprlnkling of ugliness,
If only for the sake of contrast. There liz,
besides, 80 much itch coloring that 1t threat
ems to cley. An occasional stretch of cold,
vigorous writing would give greater effect TO
the rich descriptions Of Southern and tropical
scenery. Insaylng this, we have finished our
faulLinalng. The conversations are spark
ling, and there is, here and there, o flash oil
unexpected wit. Ebb-Tlde is an indeseriba'
bly, touching story. In the English tongue,
there is no loftler sentiment or truer pathos
than is found in the scene which closes the
eVenttul history. The plot We refrain from
describing.
Miss Fisher Is making progress. Let her
remainw where she Ia, and she is still Without q
rival In America. Let her advance for ten
years, as she advances now, and she will be
40 unworthy rival OF the queens OF English
fiction.
In the same volume with Ebb-Tlde are three
short sketches, lively aud spirited, but OF the
kind known to artists as ''pot-bollers." No
words of ours are needed, we are confident,
to insure for Miss Fishers latest novel the
support and favor of the public.
For sale at Holiness Book House. Price 81.