New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-29
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
RECENT NOVELS.

~ iotost work Of Mr. Ho, ellis is similar III is -
49, NJ material and delcacy OF WoiNii"l1 - ro
"a Fearful Responsibility ana 0'noi -i',,o md
drctions of his deft hand when no'u 49, n orort
a. do6ped poation between the mover am ,f
- II l. brief: it is free from the my sVei 10 -
e.oty =, ,orfectIv simple IN plan; and the chafac
49, not elaborated but rather sketcheu WIN
- .roro fonches so quick and free thaJ "o
h,dIv anpreciate the excellence CT the arU uh'' '
olose the book and find how its priucpai pelSoh'o'
banpt tie memory. In its motive ho"VN.''
Rreen's Practice rises distinctly ABOVE INV '"'.
with which the ordinary reader VIII DC ilN''S
connare it, and approaches the intellectual 'oN VI
GTbe Undiscovered Country" Like tna' 'n"''''
work, il deals with serious phase CT m'''''' -
rerience somewhat out of the common an" 90U nv
GO r,r,ote iron, our daily life as to seem unreal
and it analyses perplexity and passion Ht'i
melancholy and little grotesque' Win ,'I--''"7
of sv,ora,bv and gentle humOr that IS Whoily III
;i,oblo Dortor Breen is young lauy-a youHs
III with no eytravagant ideas about WhaC Is
called the cause of woman but with certain ilol-
hid selfquestOning of duty, under inc s'i"'H
of which she has devoted herself to career Sno
does not love. At the end OF the chnS Slc was
puritap belated insulated, if the reader VIII, anu
cast upon good works for the consolation "nch '"5
Puritans formerly found in creed hlcheS anu
ease were sinful to her, and someho" 10 "o "'o,''@
for: and she had no real love for anything t"''I
,vos not Of an immediate humane and spiritual
ofIectv Miss Breen breaks down forever ul'oI
her first patient discovering what the reader mas
soen from the start that she lacks the mental ana
sDiritual ATTITUDE for her sef-imposed task Ih're
,e q deem nathos in this sudden and utter Celeat'
relieved little but not ObScured by an e'uSIIo
flavor of comedy which pervades the nanatlVo IL
does not Impress US long; for Mr.. Ho"eHs uocS
poetical Justice to his heroine at the end ana "Ii"s
-, tine little tale of trouble with a charming ana
dainty advertisement. Grace Breen Is one oil 'he
most loyabe of his creations. She carries our
hearts as surely as the Lady of the Aroostook ana
not less admirably than that exquisite heroine uo''
she illustrate the keen insight into feminine CHAR
acter, and the poetic perception of feminine WAYS
which delight us in all Mr.. Howells's stories. Inc
other fpures in the book are less prominent but not
less life-like Graccs mother" she was an Oh
lady who had once kept a very vigllant conscience
for herself but after making her lille unhappy WIN
il for some threescore years she now appeu IL en-
tirolv to the exasperatiOn and condemnation OF
others the invalid Mrs Maynard embodiment OF
irritating unreasOn and not wholly unanlable IN
Justice; that incompatible goose Miss Gleason;
these are portraits true that they seem 10 s'IU
from the canvas. The sketch of the summer
boarding house with which the story opens the
fragments of conversation among the ladies of that
resort. the talk of Barlow. the man-ofall-work,
show Mr. Howells's drollery well as the fine finish
nf his workmanship in details In the last chapter
there is scene in a country store so real that ono
might almost suspect Mr.. Howells Of passing half
his time in the study of that species OF village III
terror:
AS he passed down the long sandy street toward
the corner where his own house stool inc OIoodlhs
group OF lOalcrs waiting in IackettS store LOT tGe
distribution of the mail, watched nm throhsh tIe
open door, and from under the boughS Of the
weather-beaten poplar before II. Hack6tt had neeh
cutttnr a Mound of cheese out of the thick yellow
disk before him, for the Widow Holman, and he
stared at the street alter Muihrluse pas'u ~ II MS
mental eye had halted him there for the pubic con,
sideratiOn, while he leaned over the counter ana
held by the point the long knife with which he had
II see some the folks from ovcr to Jocelyn's
yist-d'y" he said, in spasm OF sharp crackilh8
speech, and they seemed to thnk ! AIs Mui-
bridge d got to step round pretty spry she dldn
want another the same name III the house Win
her" ,
long silence followed, in which no one changed
in any wise the posture IN when ne i'uhu Ithooh
when Hackett began 10 speak. Cdpn George
Wray, tilted back against the wall IN ms Glair
continued to stare at the sore,keeperi zap jane
Wray did not look up from whiting the chair be-
tween his legs their cousin, Capn Nray StorIel,
seated ON Hail-keg neal the stove went on iret-
ting the rust on the pipe with the end OF a stIn
cast-o envelope; two other captains, more or less
akin to them continued their game OF checkers The
Widow Seth Wrays boy rested imnovable with
his chin aud hand on the, counter, where he had
been irving since the Widow Holman went out 10
"a
GAVIN Bily Wray was the first to break the spell.
He took his cigar from his mouth ang he gb ne
pursed his lips for speech JaOez,' lie SAID u!d
Capn San'l git that cOalierp ....... ,....3...
his chair "shc didn't signal for him till she got
into the channel. and then he'd got couple o pas
sengers for Leyden and Capn Jim brought her up"
II don't know said Cap'n Billy, with stlii yet
tremulous reference of himself TO the stOrckecpcr
as spryness would help her, as long as he took the
notion. guess he's master OF his own snip. NhOS
hu ahs-N Wild 9t
"No. As understand" cracked the storekecpcr
cher husbands turned up. FOLKS over mere seem
to think he's got his eye on the other doctor. .
"GoIng to marry with her, heyf Well, If either
of 'em gets sick they won't have TO go far for adj
vice and they won't have any doctors bills to pay.
Still shouldn't ha' picked out just that kind of
~As | understandr the storekccper began; but
here he caught sight OF Widow Seth Nrays boy
and asked "Whats wanted, Bub3 Corn-ball 7,
and turning to take that sweetmeat from the shelf
hoIIowV reyerberatlng lar d" She's got prOp'ty.n
"Wen, never knew Mulbridge. yet It objcc cd
TO propty-especially other tolkss'
"Barl0w he's tellin' round that she's Try
fine appearin'." lie handed the corn-ball to Widow
Seth Wray's boy. who went noiselessly out II Us
bare feet.
pp. 35S James II. OsgoOd & . D..
The new story by the author Of " One Summer"
has been awaited with curiosity, and we presume
that popular expectation upon the whole will be
well satisfied. The brightness and vivacity of Miss
Towards style are certainly unimpaired. There
are no dull pages in her book. Several of the
characters are skctched with holiness and force,
and the personages in tho little drama are grouped
and contTastcd with picturesque effect. In the
matter of plot the book is open to some criticism.
The springs of action not strong enough for the
results they are required to produce and in working
,ut the denouemcnt Miss Howard allows herself a
spasmodic and overstrained sort of writing which
tepels rather than exctes the reader. There is in