New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-14
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
RECENT FICTION.

WHERE THE BATTLE MAs ,2m' pp. Az James
Il. osscec:d, 4 Co OF 4 WIDOW A Novel. ny
1hh au F,wcErr. l2mo. pp. 34l James ~ oeeo''
,,s1 TT0vvy A Medieval Romance. andlN Mo J,,o
MIS- okT Jonrna. nv the author OF Jonn hai"A'
Gentleman." l2mo. m. 2o3' h"pe' "'
NJ Cra1docks novel is not what the admirers OF
Mo dialect sketches probably expected Inc Nu"'
lies by which he has won success III F." ign
branch Of literature are indeed displayed in IT, ou'
thcv are subordinated to powers of very dilereh'
hind "Where the Battle was Fought is move,
- rIo+ and incident. The scene is land near held
IN Tennessee. popularity believed to he haun'eu D!
,be dead who persisted there in a fierce engagement
of tho civil war and the narrative introduces so"
tvnical characters the high bred. generous "i''
enable. fantastic. bankrupt confederate e'm0'",
few pompous &" gentlemen OF the 'iH S'noo' 49,,
snecuen or two of the border Sta'e Pooi
,Tl,o a., of these personages, General wayne IL
carefully drawn and highly successful POI
He helongs TO class with which hctloh mas "o"'
prettv often but no apology is needed lot i''"'.o
-, Tho familiar figure when it appears so H.
stinct withfc and appeals so strongly u o"' o
ethics rs il does in the present case Ihcso
p,,torn tvrcs however. arc indirectly CON
- IN the story The plot depends
-, tho actions Of conventional lovers ana Nlh'lhS
ho,o,cno 10 no particular section OF humanity
rho combinations embrace disputed lnhcrl'anc''
.bc false pcrSonatiOn Of a missing claimant anu
mystery as to the identity of young Ieuoi a.
Officer. and these elements are very naturanl anu
effectively combined with the story OF the o"'V'-
field The interest is admirably sustained 'n' '''o
secret which the reader Is not expected 10 u'N'o''
until the last chapter is well kept ana 'he lh"u".
in which the various springs OF action are D'', ="
control one another aud to advance Inc gC''l"' ~
svlt,s often ingenious. We should call the novel
Il &C X-e
srncrGulties like the gambling scene, forwhich VT,
C,oddock created a supernumeraIy character. and
tc long episode of Crafty Bcalc which Is TOO eiao-
crate for matter 80 slightly attached TO the pio'.
,Ttor IA also an err or of in the frequent anu
ovcr-strcuuons intro luction of SCENE eHe'lS ''"'
neced with the battlefield and the constant r'cuI
,orccto the mysterious sounds and illusions OF ligh'
aud .b,dow which haunt the old fort. EXuocr,
arce however is ycnii fault. aud practice VIII
coon teach MI Craddock wise economy ol MS h'
torilI That m departing from ms carrier INC VI
enort hc IS won this Aattcrng success I" E'oo
omen for his future
Mr. Fawcctt tells tho story of q Now-loiN Wo-
man. of wealth. fashion, and h)uo-hlood VINO tires
of her dull aristocrttc acquaintance o'" Nv
tcmpts 10 found htcrry salon. She t''l' because
,,.,,,t,,, f., Nt. l,vcctt'a observation. the liter
,,, mon mud women If NcV-lotk are low ore"
idiot Tho widow accordingly returns with
,cn.c of relief % her ptoprr lphorc aha We arc
lcr to infer that she GUIDED 10y making an IRE
rro,,hnLlc alliance with Mr. Cormudt Hickman
one cntlcature of so.callcd literary and mu"'
evening has been drawn 10y Mr. faw'ett bci"'"
md its repetition and enlargement ia TINS N'l,W,
do not improve It, If the author has lc1iA h""
onv pcr,onal experience of such a dime museum
ofuonstro,itcs ~ he collects in the palloS oil MIS-
Dare, he is very much to he pued hu'
We snspcct that he has made all thS o"'
of his own head. Certainly 1t bears II,
resemblance to anything which can fairly be called
literary society. 1t is not satire but bf"a" pi'
lcsouc. so very much too broad that II cannot DO
called funny. One of the crotesque figures IN thD
sceue.-Carson the poet of the Charnel lionSe-.'
only a sketch OF the Romaine of Mr.. faWcetl
"Rutherford" published but few days ago We
fear that Nh Fawcctt wrote " The Adventures ol I
Widow " before the book was quite ready 10 b'
written. In point Of style, however, 1t Is muci
better than Rutherford
Miss Mulocks story is a simple and touching niue
narrative of the relations between two nlddie-aGco
,eonle Of the present time. Nothing could be more
dclicatc than the romance winch she weavcs about
them. nothing more charming and poetlcal than INC
harmony between the style and the subject In
House Boat Is a pleasant journal OF week on 'h'
Thames written Tor the young