New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-12
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
RECENT FICTION.

Ricp.RD MALCOLM JOHNSTON. l6mo. PIP $685.
AIATrER-DAY SAINT Being the story Of the Com
version OF Ethel Jones related by HERSELF iohi0'
PIP 200 Henry Holt 4 Co. .,,,.,r,n
ONLY AN INCIDENT. BY GRACE DEMO Lhe"i ~
i6mo. PIP. 226. G. p. Putnam's Sons ,,o,r,v
SOME OTHER FOLKS BY SARAH fnAif '>
l2mo. PIP. 2s7. Cupples ophaia W Harry
THE PAGANs BY ARLo BATES. 1omo' PIP - "'n'
Holt & Co.
TREASURE ISLAND. BY ROBERT LOUIS srk'ENsoN
i6ino pp. 292. Roberts BROTHERS,
WHY Mr.. Johnston should have called MS STORY
4Old Mark Langston" it is hard to see, for the
.,n,Io ola man who bears that name has not been
made conspicuous figure therein. He provides,
h,vover nm element of sweetness and nobility
which could not be spared. though his name be out
If Mace mon the title-page. II is pleasant to know
that Mark once lived indeed; that the author mas
not drawn upon his imagination for his characters,
I'm. has painted-and with delightful spirit and
yiyidness-the portraits of people known TO ms
vouth. That period has long passed, life in middle
Georgia has greatly changed, and one cannot put
he grateful to Mr.. Johnston for these records OF
n Quaint peoplc-records such as will probably
never DO found elsewhere.
The plot of the story is so full of absurdies that
on the principle that truth is stranger than notion
IL NAV be considered real are the characters
II is certainly ingenious few novelists woud nave
had the courage TO conjure up the singular hpuo Vi
n man who helps young couple, priVa,ciy n"'io ,
TO run away and after decent intcrVai' "ne'i oo'
are dead reappears the widower OF the ori"e anu
holds possession for many years OF her properly
Many minor improbablities accompany the WORK
ing out of the plot. But 1t is not as story 'iia'
Mr. Johnston's book is most interesting. IL Is MS
vigorous drawing of character which gives II Value'
He does not merely say of his people that thus they
talk and act and look he has known how to make
them move before us that we see them III
tbe,r habits as they lived. He does not analyze
them. but so presents them. that his readers lhag'
nation is stirred, and he finds double pleasure in
himself conducting the Analysing process. There IS
fascination in the romance which is acted before
onr eyes; there dreary surfeit IN the microscopic
exhibition of thought and motive IN whrch Vhe
average modern novelist delights. There Is nothing
unnatural in Mr. Johnston's characters, though
there is not commonplace one among Them Not
the least delightful is Badly Riddle, whimsical
p,own-up boy, whose fantastic generous and sem
sitiye nature Is indicated with an adroit hand Mr.
Riddles artistic tastes MAKE him an important
member of the little Georgia community.
Baldy's musical repertory, however excellent emit
within its circle, was limited. Billy IN the Low
Grounds Sally Good Waown Ss "SsT Blankets
step and Fetch it, aWat You Come for" Go
sportive pieces, while the serious, or as ne styled
them. the Systematically" were limited amost EN-;
Jericho He had not been known, except on very
few occasions to play IN Ssneers Ton fo her
thing that discouraged such concert. lie was
musician who wont to vary the time or hls
tunes according to he's S 5e him
self TO be exertng upon his audience, ana leSpecay
when playing with others) that apprehension he
felt that his colleague, or colleagues, as the case
miobt he would reach the close III advance OF hlin
lie seemed ever to regard such colleagues not only
as rivals but adversaries. His habit on finishing
W character,
final brief stroke away up on the strmg wlthh
an inch of the bridge The musician, IL Is proDaole
did not live who could anticipate him at this trlum-
infant note on the consummation of which he
would take down his bow and smile -complacently
rs his adversary came on up TO the goal alone III
The latter stopped in the midst. or afterward COM
planned that he could not play IN Satisfactory uni
son with him, he would answer WITH cnncke
"That's your lookout, my dear line leliow, ana
So far from Directing to such contests. he rather
liked them regarding them as friendly trials OF
speed and he liked them the more because he al
WAYS foresaw that he would prevail; ms he maze
a point always of doing. and he would do 1t even II
he had to jump over any number of bars; 1t had
been his boast that he had never met up WIN nd-
derno not even hgger soon as made
up my mind that co1ld play the middle, made MADE
her up that I'd never DO beat IN Its tansactG1s;
and flat I'd be previous and PRIMARY or nothln:"
OF all the auditors he had ever had MISS wood
bridge seemed most impressed by his performance.
This grated him intensely tng br more 70 PoTsy
niano was the first he had seen, and even the
crude performances of Eliza had pleased him
greatly. After supper, when Miss WQodbrldge
went with spirit into the BratlebOro Waltz" and
others lie was transported. Never had he felt so
Embarrassed as when called upon to succeed her IN the
Evening entertainment He would have pleaded that
his T. string was weak, and that from sheer forget
fulness, he had left at home the resin 1oI ms pow
Bnt Eliza. according TO his express directions had
had a new string of silk twisted for his use ana
when the resin difficulty was presented she went for
his waistcoat-pocket and drew out a piece large
enough to last any reasonable fiddler for several
weeks
Giving his accustomed laugh at detection he rose
took the instrument, and, screwing his lace INTO
prmaces meant to indicate the varying struggles OF
the strings against being put into satisfactory ten
son he began his preliminary WORK anu Win ra'
The primaces made by the musician as he turned the
screws, blowing aud whistlIng the while with dec-
siye anger into the nuts whenever they refused TO
hold TO the pitch he assigned, the calm, brave sense
of finally established and acknowledge ownership
with which he drew the bow over the chords, when
SATISFACTORILY adjusted pleased the young woman
from Vermont TO a degree that. even before the
music began. her handkerchief had to be applied
both to her eyes and her mouth ,
He opened with Jenny Virgins, the WOOL,
wnder.s In the first essay before so distinguished
seemed to have an idea of an imaginary colleague
who was endeaOring TO outstrlp him IN the race
To this idea doubtless was to 10 referred the ex-
cited haste which, if the lady from whom the piece
was named had employed 1t IN her work, must nave
led to some ENHANCEMENT of her threads lie scraped
away patting bis foot continuously and heavily
upon the floor. and when he was through any com,
pettor must have been mpelled TO feel ashamed OF
himself for the distance at which ne would nave
been left behind seliss Woodbridge seemed to be IN
great emotion Colonel Porter observed 1T, and i'm
mediately cried out in hasty generalization,
Bravo Badly! l never knew you to make
Jenny do her winding fast. An industrious
young woman that. Miss Woodbridge, Ell "
y" / never-never-" answered the young lady, in
tears but she did not get out another word.
aOh YES kernel" said Badly, " size were said to
he the most industrious and transactions young
person of her sections in them days"
Miss Woodbridge nearly screamed with admlra-
ton of this female of an older time.
In spite, however. of the gayety of Mr.. Riddles
disposition and the presence of the sportive over
the serious in his collection, it well known that
his favorite pieces were the Seaside Shores" and
especially "The Walls o jericho, the former OF