New-York tribune., 1877-06-27


"outda." LIMO PIP. 3s4 J. B. Llppncott & Co
2 AFrFRGLOw No Name Series. lGmo. PIP. 3l6
Roberts LfOtHelS'
4. cHEDAYNE or KoToNo. By AusrUnS TOwNrR
I2nO. pp. 600. Dotd Mead, ca.
= NOpsION's REST. BY Mrs. ANN s. STEPHENS. 12mo
pp All. I. B. Peterson a Co
G. THE HIRES IN THE FAMILY. BY Mrs. MAC
KtNHE DANIEL l2no. pp. o9o' l. b. Ie'olson
Co.
The mantle OF Gilmore Simms seems to have 1allen
upon Mr.. John Esten Cooke,-but 1t Is mantle oi
gayer pattern and Is worn upon graceful shoul-
ders. He is a thorough Vireiuian,-So much so, IN
deed. that il there were Virginia we suspect he
would write no novels. Ills scenes and characters
are so overwhelmingly those of his native
State and the latter always of the Cavalier
element the old arisOcratic blue blood,
that his stories have come 10 possess a same
ness of atmosphere which almost neutralizes
their ease and yvacty Of style. We should notice
this less If he dropped his lines little deeper INTO
the universal nature of men and women lie Is un-
touched by any changes in the art of fiction since
Scott was model and his three chief ingredients are
pride fighting and love. In " Canolles," however,
Mr. Cooke has tried an experiment wmch.wc cannot
think successful The hero is the sou of one OF the
first families; his father supports the Continental
cause, up 10 the moment when independence Is de-
clarcd; then taking ofiense at the action OF Con-
gress he raises G25,O00 by mortgage on his estate
and goes to England. The son is too much patriot
to follow him, and espOuses his quarrel too earnestly
TO join the American amy so he raises company
of marauders lives in the swamps near James River,
and wears only the coloIs of Virginia lie Is thus
made representative Of State supremacy, and ex-
ated into hero Of ideal and generosity But
il Is little fortunate for this symbolism that Ia
nses plumbers the British money ychcSts-not to gye
the treasure 10 his beloved Virginia but 10 pay oil
the mortgage Of e25, 900 his fathers estate. thus
father also is represented as the soul Of nobility
and gcncIOsty.yct he deserts hs two sons, carries
of the value Of the property which should have
been theirs and spends it Having captured enough
money, Canoes lifts the mortgage, ayes the greater
part of the estate TO his brother. aud retrcs from hs
independent service What particular devotion he
has shown 10 Virginia, cannot discover. here are
four pairs Of lovers in the story. including Walter
Hayied, boy Of 16, who mauies before he Is
year oldcrl The chapters describing marches and
skrmshcS are fall of action and spirit, and 1t is
easy to see that hut for the ineradicable force of
traditional tastes, Mr.. Cooke might do much better
literary work.
The irgepfessible "Ouda" comes forth again,
ills time in q Greek pepiun and sandals, with roses
n her hair WIth pace which Is meant to be that
Of choric dance but rather suggests the chop
skip and Jump of school-chldrcn, she circles
around a mutilated altar casting into the flame
upon IL huge handfuls of strange gums and spices,
some of which give us momcntary sense of per-
fume while others blind stIdugc, ana set lis cough
ing Out of the smoke arise the forms Of her story,
vivid almost to naturalization 0r fading away into
the dimmest of outlines. as the mood takes her Far
hence We pYoftuc! Come not here to qucsUcn.-tor
she will not answer CritciSe and she is deaf COM
plain. and she points to the door. A woman
who has written at her own wild will for 50 many
years and found so much profit in it, VIII not give
up one sham diamond Of rhetoric for all the critics
in ChrIstendom She is the very Zingara Of liter-
ture, and in spite of her medieval years We can't
imagne her without loose hair and a tambouunc.
SIZE knows that she has "weird eyes" and that
when she turns them upon thousands Of sentimenta!
readers the latter cannot help but read Nothing
can be more mady incohelent than 'Aradne,'
more shallow and lippant in It's cassiciSm, more
hystorica in It's pasSion,-yet a clever talent for
presenting piQuant and unexpected situations, and
iniusng narrative with willful spirit of life,
cannot be denied to this to all other works Of the
same author.
49," Afterrlow" is title which has rs little appii-
cation to the story behind it as Starlight" or
"CycloneD would have. The idea Of taking the
American colony at Dresden, with its female " cam
paicrersD and their daughters It's reduced genility
and extraordinary mixture of two irrcconcilIhle
modes Of life its students and lis outside circle of
German Officers the mise en- scene OF novel OF
society, Is very guOO, ava some ol lts OnNIous 'u-
vautages have been turned 10 excellent account by
the author. The free ways of certain American
Girls. and their consequent diSparaccmcnt when
they attempt 10 transplant their home manners 10
foreign parS for example, very well represented
and many portion, Of the story are hardly more
than transcripts of actual experiences. The style
betrays a mingled c9relcS,ncss and ccverness
as of one who knows that lac can to better
work and would do il if bis name were
10 appear on the ttlc-Pacc There is an occasional
reelection Of 3!r Howes IN the treatment Of the
heroine, bu: f. +. onlj the resemblance which an
admircr might uuc0nsciousiy hctray The real au-
thor uced not De cOniectuIed, since If known. hc
viii hardly care. a wear later, to acknowledge this
anolymoss WORK: aud, if not known, he must do
better Hocl i1 order to become known. \ writer IN
the Contributors Club" in the July number Of TIE
AHqaEe N0Aihig. discusses the Inconsistency OF char
actcrs ia fcjico. and defends tie prevalent ten
dencv TIE author of "Altcrgow" " would heartily
agree with the same views. The principal charac-
te1s are apparently in love with two more pcY-
sons a. the same tigc, and tho direction of passou
seems 90 depend not upon its power ana certainty,
but upon accidental occurrences which turn Il
tbis way or thaf. The heroine. Miss Lily Dag
cett IS ouite wiiuout tie true refinement
OF lady: Acr mother is simply dctc,,ablc; and
even the hero, Allen Bishop, IS of unstable fiber
that it s q relief 90 iave him Killed, at la-t. The
author il perhaps mo-, much 20 blame, 80 aii tits
for the story iupro>>os Us as having been mainly
written e. ineot tie necessity 90 having another
"No Name" for the saues. Ihc same material, used
ir the service oi ga earnest, ab ,orbng conception,
worked out u devoted obedience 20 the laws OF
literary art woo.d have been far more effective.
Perhaps both author and publishers may protest