New-York tribune., 1880-10-24
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
TIE GRANDISSINiEs.


lnlrlng readers for his Sketches OF olu tre"ie D'SS
lie has an extraordinary gift OF acute oh'eFvauon'
with corresponding talent for vivid Description
and nnitcd thorewith--not always. but very often
tha, true poetic feeling which makes al the differ
ence between Photographic realism and pictorial
art. There are few living American writers who
can reproduce for Us more perfectly than Mr. Cabe
does in his best moments. the speech. the manners
the whole social atmosphere, ol remote time ana
peculiar people Characters stand ont from ms
PAGES with lilelike distiuctneSs; and IN 'hef
dialogue We hear the very tones OF tncr voice ""
catch the ecccu.rCiticS Of their accent y u'i'""0
flavor OF hnnor pcnctrStCs The story anu 'uo "'E'
portons-lor Mr.. Cable concerns himself win '"c
shadows no less than the lights OF the strange
scenes he has chosen to dopict--arc handled with
rare strength He has found picturesque SUBJECT
IN ,le life of the Frcnci croolcs in NcWOrieans, at
,he epoch of the purchase Of Louisiana by the
United States in le03 and be has SO forcibly re-
produced their customs, their dialect. and their
nriudces that il is hard realize that he Is very
young writer who can have had no personal ac-
uuaintance with the society Of which ms characters
are such lively representatives.
IL will be seen therefore that the author of The
Grapd,ss;mes" has many of the qualifications OF a
good novelist but we cannot say that he has yet
written thoroughly good novel. lie lacks con-
strnctiye power; and The weakness OF his plot Is
,,od even more conspicuous than il need bo by the
inefficient handling of mulrituc' OF pers"nagVS
who crowd aud ObstTuct the stage without Todilf
adding ANYTHING the progress OF the acton ihere
me s., Inauy OF the GTandissmes, there Is so mrch
ancient family history 60 be taken 10 heart. mat
,,,, the most studious reader eau identify the fig
,r.s constantly moving and talking before HIM 1t
is the common fault OF beginners 20 attempt too
many things at once they must show in one essay,
alI they know. Mr.. Gable has wonderful felicity in
.onvipp the Creole dialect, and he has yielded TO
the temptation 10 give too much and too many yaii-
cites of il. Unfortunately. his principal characters
are not always his most distinct OF most interesting
Honorf the heaa Of the GTandIssinc family anu The
chief hero Of the story Is something OF DoTe' ana
his dialect l0f which this is Il specimen: - Nou VIII
excuse me- sch lhavc, myself, ONE inerne7t IN TWO
of these grhaves. sch. ~ suppose--yOu VIII pahdon
nv freeGonl-you have IN the Otneh 10 } becomes
jusuferably tedious. His quadrOon brother also
named Horole Is dim and tragic figure which
MIGHT have been made extremely effective, hut Just
misses pelpg so The American ap0tnecaly,
Frowenield who shaIc, with the white honoIe the
distinction of being tie hero of The story, has no n
tividuaiity; anl OF the two hclomes Aurora ana
Clofilde Nancauoi, mother ana taughter the mother
is a charming and fresh creation while the daughter
isa failure The last chapter of Tie book, III which
HonoIG aud AurOr ais brought together, Is 50 sOod
that We copy = almost IA luI:
Anr.-a gave her hand and Withdrew IT, In
thc act the two somewhat changed position, and the
Iays Oi rny iaut. IS the mad passed thc door, iai-
ing upon Aurora lace betrayed 'oe "s"lA uP'uih'o
- 'Sicur GIaulasune--'
Tie ioycr paused.
You thing I'm oInOl.
She was tie statue ot meoknCSS.
Hopc has been crnucI TO nc. ferheq N. Gran
aissiine mot you; that canlOt e,., Ahcu'
"'Seur GIAndlsSiinc-
She seemed &" treiuDic.
. 'scuT CiTandissine" he. voice was very tender
wad Won hOrIy q"
There was great silence.
"',icur Graudisslmc. you know-teg chair
lie htsitated moment and then poih sat down.
The servant repasstd thc door SGt hGh Aulela
broke the silence, sho spoke IN Enalish-haylng
such hazardous things ~ say. II would conceal
5Senr Cr4ndis. .iiae- you know dad rim /"
She slightly opened her fan, looking down upon
have no rhsh, to asl. The rheason," said NJ.
CrandIss ne. Ii H. yOa-nOt mlnc.
aWrH Won know she dropped it meditativcly
to one side with her Cves the floor" It's bick
i.use--'t lis bick-ause thing in few days I'm goin
N. Grandissinc said never word. lie was not
alarmed. ,.., ,., .
"a if to resume but her eyes fell before MS, and
ave 80 Inudgo trout Wit dad hawt'
She lifted one lutle hard teebly TO the cardiac
region and sighed softly, wi;h dying languOT.
81 Grandissime gave no response. A Ncihcic
rumbled Icy IN the street below, ana passed away.
Al the bottom OF ths room, where o gldcd Mars
WAS driving into battle soft note tod tie half
hour. The lady spoke again
=. Id macuc she ghed once more" so strange,
sometime thing N Eitu CreZZN:
still he TO hoIn these fearful disclosures were
brug made remained aS silent and mOionleSS rs an
Indian captive, and after another pause WIN It's
painf1l accomp panunsnt of small 50 Jncs, the 1air
Speaker resumed With more energy, as behtling tno
approach 10 an incredible CLIMAX
=" some day, 'Seur Grandi8sne,.d mague NE
fo'eid nv hace. ] thing ii young"
She lifted her eyes with tho evident determine
tion toncet lis SIUaIciy hut lt VAS TOO lnucl
they fell as before yci she went on kptakiu9;
An wen eoucoOddlc 2ltu Ivd NyH wld
'lnsey an bIg'n to Hli ole. an wan somebodGie to
;imEI tbing -. m love TO me- Her fingers pt
M little s,utiiing with the fan. " thing Pm
crcZzy. / thing | muz be gOn 10 dic t0recIlc..
She looked up 10 the ceiling with large eyes and
IN s,Tsadir6 and sbntting. An drz dc i'm.
jSirYI Grandis,iIrc" She waited until il was cor-
fam he was about TO answer, and then interrupted
him ncrvously: ION know, Hlcur Cl4hulssImc;
jd w0On zoe rel,d, Ill woon be de luztH 10 You!
An you dc bcz man eva knoH III my me- 'olcuf
Grandissmc" Her hands Sh0ok. = man wat
neyVa wan to cid marrid vld nObOodlc N Is life,
and now trine to GID marn'd juz only to rp-osc de
soul Of is OncI--"
M. Grandissime uttered an exclamation Of pro-
test, and she ceased.
asked yol," continued he. with low-toncd
emphasis. " 60 tho single and only Theason that l
Yez." Size quickly replied: daz all. Daz wad
j
I,raaGlssIne. Bick-ausc. yOn know, you az me is
too mole 40 taig aboud dad loyn, you know. An
ysu goid dad grade iHpcg 10 ne; hn me ! godd
lad ,ghpz rispcg To- you. bud sic cutchcd the
fIn and her face sank lower still" bud she
sWalloyed-slo0k her head" bud She bit her
lp: she could not 90 on.
Aurora" said her lover, lending forward and
taking one ol her hands. q" do love yCu with all
my soul"
She made poor attempt 10 witt draw her hand,
abandoned the effort aad looked up savagciy
through a pair OF oyeriOwIug eyes demanding:
Mais io' WY you din wan to seSsOT
The most amusing and probably the most natural
of ali the characters Is young Rae Il lnneiarty and
his bad English Is quite unrIyaed except by that
loe