New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-29

w,
reverence his love- If he be little TOO
perfect in character he is at least an
agreeable contrast to the hero of the new school
W no is too perfect merely in clothes and manners
Dr. Claudius is at any rate man and not what MI.
Carlyle has called popinjay.
Ii is the old stoiy of the pine and the palm. Inc
golden bcarded Northman loves the beautiful dark
woman whose imagination is unstirred, whose heare
is untouched, and who has not lost her dreams III
the habits Of society. Their surroundings are as re-
fined as even Mr.. James could have conceived
an English Duke serves as confidential friend, the
villain is an American millionaire, and there IS a
generally pleasing atmosphere of lace bouquets
lady's-maids and Wallets. The upholstery Is Ill
short, in the best modern taste-whlch may oe pidse
or notbut it has not been suffered to smother the
poetic romance of the plne and the palm
Mr. Crawford has drawn his characters with skill
and with self-restraint which an occasional bit of
"gush would seer- to show is carefully studied
His Wall street villain is sufficiently amiaOe ana
conventional 10 suit the time and yet villanOus
enough to make the comedy march. OF course IL IS
by way of separating the hero and heroine III
was an unfair plan. he medtated, bad from the
root up and he knew it; but he did not hesitate on
that account Sas b. Barker, ir., had not
enough conscience TO make 1t an
object for him to deceive himself as to the morality
of his actions A year or two since he would per-
hans have defended himself in a general way by
saying il arrogance for man to set himself mp
as any better than his surroundings Bat between
a year or two ago and this September evening there
was set gulf, represented by couple
of transactions in the street over
which there was small Joy in heaven and very little
on EARTH Mr. Crawford's New-York readers will
concede that it is not a far cry to Mr.. Sllas B
Barker The DIXIE is perhaps at first too much ike
the ordinary Duke OF the new school, but he de-
velops in the of the narrative some excellent
Qualities which prove him TO be rather an eAtraor-
binary Duke after all, with good deal
of the fine fellow about him. Most of the minor
characters are skotched in with quick and adroit
touch. This portrait, whether emOeiiished or not,
may perhaps he recognizabe
Tie Duke rs he had told his sister. had invited
his friend TO dine. They all sal together waiting
his arrival. Punctual TO the moment, the door
opened and Mr.. Horace Beilingham beamed upon the
assembled party. Ay, bat he was sight TO do good
to the souls Ut the hungry and thirsty, ana of the
poor ana IN misery
lie requires description not that any pen can de
scribe him, but no OEc ever saT HIN 40 dd not
Immediately wish to try. lie was short, decidedly;
but broad deep chest ana long powerful arms had
gwen him many advantage over taller adver-
saTies in strange barbarous lands lie was perfectly
bald, but that must have been because Nature mad
not the heart To cover such wonderful Uranium
from the admlTing gaze OF pm enOlOglsts y sweep
ing mustaChe aud "a long lmperla OF snowy white
sal well on the ruddy tan of his complexion, and
gave him an air al once martial and diplomatic He
was dressed IN the most perfect of London clothes.
and there were superb diamonds IN his SHIRT. @hIe
priceless sapphire. sparllled i'll plain gold setting,
on his broad brown hand. He * the only man OF
his time who wear precious stones without vui-
garty lie moves IKE hllg and has the air oil Tie
old school IN every gesture lis dark eyes are
brighter than his diamonds ana MS look, lor hi MS
white beard and seventy years, N as young anu
fresh as the rose he wears Ia his coat
There are some people who turn gray hrt who do
hOpy " ~ II
wrinkled, whose hearts are sore wounded IN
many places bat are not dead There Is y"uth
that bids defiance ego and there IL Kindness
which laughs at the worlds ToGsh nsasT. These
are they who have returned good Tor evil not nav
ing learned il as lesson OF righteousness but be-
cause tLey have 10 evil III them TO return upon
others Whom the gods love die young. aud they
die yDung because they never grow ola. The poet,
hO at the verge of death SAID this, said IL Of and
The Duke went through the introdnctions first
TO the Countess then TO Miss Skeat, then 10 his
sister, and last of all to Claudius, who had been IN
tently Watching the newcomer. NT' beilhshan
paused before Claudius, and looked up in way
peculiarly his own without raising his head. ll0
had of course heard III New York OF the strange for
tune that had befallen Claudlus on the death OF
the well known Mr.; Llndstrand, ana now ne stood
minute irving 20 take Tie measure OF the individual
before him. not III the least overcome by The pbysi-
cal proportions OF tho outer man, but struck by the
intellectual face and forehead that surrounded such
a tower of strength.
." was in Heidelberg mysef-a student" said
he lis race Lighting up with coming "reminiscences,
years ago. , go
| would like to 20 hack TO the Badscher iIof. |
remember once bat he broke OF short and
turned the Countess, and sat down beside her.
He knew all her people in America ami her hus-
bands people abroad. He immediately began tell
lug her a story Of her grandmother, with a and
graphic spirit that enchanted Margaret for she
not so long since-well it IS long story. How
ever in ess than one minute the assembled guests
were listening 10 the Odtimc tale of Margaret
ancesress and the waiter paused breat HESS on the
threshold 10 hear tho end, before he announced
dinner.
There are two very different ways of dining
dining with Mr.. Bellingham. and dining without
HIM. Bat for those who have dined with him, all
other prandIal ARRANGEMENTS ars an empty sham.
Ar least so ClaHdlus SAID to Margaret in an aside
" hen they 20: 70 the fruit And Margaret, who
looked wonderfully beautiful with single band
gold through her black hair, laughed her assent
aud said It was hopeless for the men OF this dav to
enter the lists against the veterans of the dncicH
rfgine. And ClauGus was not in this least hunt Gv
the comparison, odious though it would have been
70 Nj Baraer had ne been there. Claudlus had
plenty OF vanity but IL did not assume the personal
type. Some people call certain form of vanity
pride IL IS the thing q larger scale. Van
ty IS TO pride what nervousness is to nerve, what
morbid conscience is TO manly goodness, What the
letter of the law is 10 the spirit.
Mr. CrawforTs story has not much plot. and the
mystery which surrounds his hero is not sufficiently
explained. His style, while it is natural
and easy, has no special graces. He
has however pretty art IN writing con-
versatOn-his characters talk with animation,
sometimes with lightsOme SPARKLE and never
drearily. His foot-noes explaining divers Amer
can collcGuialisms scarcely necessary even for
his English readers and would much better have
been omitted The worst fault of the book as a
literary performance is that before mentioned ten
dency toward over-enthusiasln which manifests it.
self now and then in a somewhat gushing para
graph, phrase or ejaculation. But it spite of its
faults it is an interesting and attractive story and
is i'll directions positive advance upon " Mr.
Isaacs"
Nem publications.