New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-02-12
GAIL HAMILTON ONCE MORE.
THE STORY OF AvIs-A REvIEwN ". PARTS.


nity. and grace Of the woman. But her man Is MADE
nm. All she wanted of him was to bring out Avlss
character and round up her story. Consequently
moor pbilip is whisked about rather unmerc'iuuy'
Sucb woman "a Avis would not be taken eaptiveby
any rough or weak hand therefore, through all his
courtshp Philip royal lover. Ills voice was tne
most wonderful compound of brook and si'' anu
suffused penetrative sense of pleasure OF uheN-
plajned organic ioy. like that of Nature In her
simpler moods His GOODNESS and courage saved mel
life. His controlled. intelligent grasp gave her
perfectly new conception OF the power OF he human
hand He saw instantly and clearly INTO the SOU
of her picture He understood every phase Oh ho'
feeling He followed and adjusted himself 20 her
most delicate fancos, Der most unusual moods. he
Welded ON the spot all his confessed prejudiecs
AGAINST n gifted wife. and even went so far as 10
suppose that they two had been born for the express
nnrnose of showing that it was eroundlcss prejn-
dice of showing that the enthusiasm of superiority
couid be perfectly mutual thing. He refused to ac-
cent the sacrifice of her work her individuality. lie
declared shat her genius should be more tendery ms
pride than his little talents could possibly be hers.
Miss Phelps, predetermined to abuse hlm, sneeis nv
him little for this, but very unjusty. She says ne
uttered this daring sentiment as ardentiy as IL DO
had ever thought of it before She discounts MS
nobility by saying that 1t only then developed;
that he insinctivey brought bis own nature to the
rapid test of this type OF woalanliood' ana tnat
he would have scorned himself If his Hanhooc had
not ring responsive to it. Very well. That is all
we have any right TO ask of any man. His ideal
woman Is but the creature of the time, Of custom,
of silly talk. II. as a real woman comes he
rises to meet and greet her her way he performs
the whole duty of man. Philips reverence for Avis
grew with his sense of loss. He thought be would
rather be scarned by her than loved by any other
woman. He enlisted for the war partly reckless.
partly feeling that If he fell she would mourn for
him, that death would not be a costly price TO pay
for the mastery Of her soul. which such a thing
would give him. and that IN the wide new word
beyond the grave his nature might become worthy
OF approach to hers. Now, this is very humble ana
patient and noble. however contemptuously MISS
Phelps may splash around amid the shallow yellow
of her emotional naples. Philips exaltation may
have been short-liyed but mans nature cannot
upspring even for moment without inward. and
therefore immortal, buOyancy.
But having made Philip noble in order that Avis
should be able TO love and marry him, it becomes
necessary TO make HIM ignOble in order that Avis
should have her Story. Instantly Miss Phelps turns
about and strikes him down into commonplace,
or rather below a commonplace, vulgar domes-
tic villain He is selfish 10 his poor. PLAIN
mother and, what is worse, unpoetically selfish.
He not only negects her. but he who dscerned with
almost preternatural cearneSs all Aviss high
wrought fancles, fails to discern the pretty,
pathetic fancy his old mother had for
sending her own white satin wedding shoes
for her sons wife to wear at her bridal. When
four months married. his wife as sacred amarvel
to him as on the day when he first touched her reuc-
tapt hand and he felt himself TO have taken supreme
lien upon an exhaustless joy. Six months married.
and he was calling her gracious victory over disap-
pointment aud distaste furry" and asking her
easily if she were tired, when the question Itself
seemed TO be a kind of insult. A little further on,
when Avis had been up the whole sultry Jnly
night With rs hsr fGTiRs G Treakfsst '9 Sl
he did not know what either of them
could have been thinking of to marry. He is found
TO have committed the Vulgar error OF not mention
ing to Avis previous engagement lie commitsthe
still more vulgar error Of making love TO another
woman, and has the brutality TO do it while as yet
Avis has barely up out of the Valley Of the
Shadow Of Death. He coolly admitted that his love
had changed-that it was his temperament He
bore himself 20 her with polite reserve. certain
hardness IN his nature developed itself, of which she
was the especial object Once just before his de-
parture for Europe, when he would naturally be in
a tender mood, she, longing to leave no stone un-
turned for mutual reconciliation before their long
remember the night when we first came home. when
had it on !"
"Yes, remember" said Philip. distinctly.
ave were very happy then, Philip"
Eyes"
"Sometimes wonder" TREMENDOUSLY. if nothing
in this world can ever make us feel so again."
THAT" he said, regarding her with cool, distant
eyes, ais entirely out of the question"
suppose Il is not impossible for a man TO say and
do thus but surely it is impossible for such man
as Philip OstraDdeT during his courtship and
early marriage. man who could so appreciate and
admire and satisfy q woman like Avis is rare. A
man who could be capable of such slow, cold, I'M
winkng ferocity toward wife is also very rare.
That these two should be the same man is impossi-
be But it was necessary that Avis should be- won,
and it was necessary that she should be alenated
and. of course any light objection as the trans
migration of sons could not be allowed TO stand in
the way.
Miss Pbepss purpose. so far as she had any beyond
that best OF all purposes which as still no purpose
the instinct of genius, is to show that woman OF
genius should not marry. The argument breaks up
ANONYMOUSLY in her hands, but the argument is
there. She in common with many other women. Is
90 impressed with the suffering and Injustice of lfe
which alas. is real that she has come more or less
into advocacy of that measure of relief known as
w oman WniCu, SldS. ID AHc itouib
is fatal flaw in the art as we'll the argument of
her book. Her artists marriage is poisoned by
husband who would have ruined any marriage. A
woman need not be painter to find her life wrecked
by selfish, cold and cruel husband. One need not
be- an artist 10 believe that it is better not to marry
than to marry brute. Miss Phelps's argument is
simply against bad husbands, for whom there is no
argument. To make out her case for Avis she
should have kept Philip the same delicate and
devoted lover the same strong and honorable man,
that he began. If. with such a husband, reverent