St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-21
THE QUICK OR THE DEADq
The Blasted Britishers Poke Fun
at Amelie Rives' Book.

lhC DiNSlcu DrltisttcfS NVhC ctea
at Amelie Rives' Book.
London Saturday Review.
After all the monStrouS deal OF talk
over the new American book, The Quick
or the Dead? an insular reader Is apt to
be disappointed by the book. At last 1t
has been published cost you 6d) by the
Messrs. Routledge. and is now within
the reach Of the humbfest purse
and the least-expefienced curiosity.
And, after all. it is only the old,
old passionate business which any
one can study for himself in MISS
Broughton'S early novels. Perhaps
1.-The Quick or the Dead?" is more like
the parodies than the originals of these
r0manceS. but the arms. the shoulders,
the lips. the kisses, the straining. cling
ing embraces. the wild, weird tear
fraught eyes; the romping, and the rest
of it are after the ancient pattern.
Barbara Pomfret was the widow of
Valentine Pomfret, widow but re-
Gently bereayed. She had an elastic
night-coOl cheek. Mr.. Pomfret had
been accustomed to tell her that her
curled lips were cup and
her breath wine, and that they
made him drunk, drunk. She was
eternally posturing. dashing herself
about, giggling Historically, and
striking attitudes like a queen in
Greek play over her marriage bed. She
sometimes drank three cups of tea and
ate two cartridges, together with num-
berless biscuits, for supper. She met
her husbands cousin. Jack Dering,
and nestled in his arms in storm.
and he told her that she was
a great, golden, uneanny thing.
Style appears to have run
in this gentleman's family, as wickee
keeping does in others, because the late
Mr.. Pomfret's remarks, as reported,
were similar in character. Mrs. Pom
gold hair. She played her graces ill.,
and as the Piper said, ut was not
nature there should not be kiss
ing" Kissing there was. 1t was
an eager kiss; it was as light as flower
leaves, fine as fire. Her stormy bosom
tossed some little diamond pins she
wore into irideScent Sparkles. She then
took his face into both hands aud held
it near her own, and remarked that
there was an open grave between them,
which says little for American GENE
terieS. When Mrs. Pomfret came to re-
fleet on her conduct, she says she was
wanton. She did pennance by sitting
up all night with the thermometer at
zero. Perhaps we have forgotten to
mention that she had rattle arms, a pad
ding step, and that she smelt like
sponge, THAT eXquisiteiy fresh fra
GRANGE" She wore dense. yet filmy
gown and delicate foot in web-like
stocking, and riotous masses of copper
colored hair. Perhaps it is superfuOus
to add marks of quotation. The style
betrays itself.
The adventures of Barbara and how
she sent her dead husbands cousin
away and called him back again, and
the number and variety of their kisses,
and how Barbara repented and Tilted
Jock, absolutely for the last time, are
written in The Quick or the Deadg
They are all perfectly familiar in charac-
ter and manner TO the most ordinary STU
dent, and it is hard to explain why they
have attracted so much notice in Amer
lea. In one respect the volume deserves
its popularity. Not even Miss Braddon
or Ouida has described more dresses.
some with wool of fire and web OF
smoke, some of peach-bloOm colored
silk, and so forth. Perhaps it was on
account of her varied costume that Bar
bara's lover ''now seemed atfianced to
some Eastern houri, languid in rich en-
broiderieS among many cushions, and
the next followed a moderate Atlanta
through the brown vistas of her familiar
woods" On the whole it seems a pity
that the Widow POmfret did not marry
Mr.. Dering. AS Miss SqueerSremarked
of Tilda Price, it was ''most desirable
from the very nature of her feelings.
that she should be married as soon as
DOssibleo