New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-05

| ract4horsc of the man she loves, and then dies
| in his arms. 1t is all crude and betrays not only
| the prentice hand, but hand which gives little
| promise of improvement. The Quick or the
Deadr was both srotcsque and in bad taste Viz
| ginia OF Virginia" is dull
| Mrs. Wistcr has made capital translation OF
Schobcrt's fine novel The heroine is waif
literally picked up in the streets by an eccentric
Russian Prince, who is struck by the child's re-
semblance to a picture, the original OF which he
has been wishing TO discover. lie causes her to
be educated and when she has grown into
beautiful young woman, and the convent will
keep her no Longer. her benefactor is dreadfully
pcrplcxcd by the responsibility forced upon him.
A fortunate circumstance solves the difficulty
| and the young beauty, who by the way has
green eyes, is elevated to high rank and position,
| and before long rendered independent by the
! death of her aged husband. One of the minor
German Courts is smartly satirized in the course
of the story, which Is full Of the petty ntrgucs,
| calumny and back-biting of such places. The
characters are clearly, firmly and naturally drawn,
and the tale is decidedly interesting and clever.
The Star OF India is one Of those novels IN
which the search for a mysterious jewel of fab
ulous value is complicated by the events of the
great Indian Mutiny There is material for n
wilderness OF romances in the solid facts OF the
Inter- and hundreds OF people encountered adj
ventures then which il sobcrly related to-day
would appear almost worthy to rank with the
Tremendous Adventures OF Major Gahagan' as
set down by the veracious Titmarsh. The " Star
OF India" is n spirited attempt to maintain fiction
level with history, and in the course OF it the
reader will find sufficient sensations of every i'm
aginabe kind to Danish slumber on the most
oppressive summer afternoon. He may boggle
at the great diamond itself, which certainly does
seem too large to swallow but that little difficulty
overcome there is nothing to hinder acceptance
Of all the other marvels, for any of which the
Mutiny is sufficient excuse and guarantee.
Tic stories in Mr.. Shorthousc's new volume arc
not of even merit. The first, A Teacher of the
VIOLIN" is somewhat dreamy and indstinct story
OF love and music The wild passion of the young
vionst for the princess, which portends tragedy
is exchanged in the end for quiet marriage with
one who could scarcely have been loved by her
husband at such short notice. The second tale,
The Marquis Jeanne IIyacinthe de ST. Paayc,n is
quite different and altogether picturesque, and in
harmony with the period described. The Marquis
is fine example of the best of the old French
noblesse, and his inbred chivalry and refined
courtesy are strikingly exhibited throughout and
most Enthusiastically in the powerful yet quiet
pose of style, and the latent mysticism which
mark all this authors writings, are distinguish
ing features Of these stories
The Wessex Tales" of Thomas Hardy are
strongly individualistc, like all he writes. and
they full Of rare local knowledge, a famil-
iarity with the parts of England he describes.
which proves long, patient and loving study Of
both the country and the people. The tales are
grave and gay, though there is certain grimncss
about the merriest, which is " The Three Strang-
crs'--a dramatic and fantastic sketch Others il
lustrate provincial superstitions and country life
generally. The bovine slowness and stolidity of
the English peasants, their obstinate conservatism
and their frankly brutal practically, are brought
out admirably, while the form employed gives to
the narrative a sharpness and mprcssiveness some
times wanting in Mr. Hardys novels
Brueton's Bayou is an excellent tale the
motive Of which is apparently to instil into the
naughty insularity of the New York mind real
izng of the intellectual possibilities of the
Southwest. The snug and sclf-satisfed young
New-York business man, who is detained by the
lameness Of his horse at Bruetons Bayou, and there
presently meets his fate in the form of a brilliant
and beautiful girl of the region, has the nonsense
taken out of him very thoroughly by his Southern
under the DISCRIMINATION of the gallant
major is marked by rather dubious anxiety for
peace at any price, and that finally the young
lady is practically forced upon him in a way which
is not altogether creditable TO his heart however
his head may stand and perhaps Mr.. IIabberton
intended this typical Gothamite to cut somewhat
abiect figure, and certainly he does not shine by
comparison with any of the BruetOn family or
with the chivalrous and self-sacricing Major
=" Miss Defarge' Is strong study of very reso
Lutte and self-centred young woman, who accom-
pishcs many things by sheer force Of will. But
the most interesting and charming figure in it is
that of Elizabeth Dysart, the blond beauty,
kind OF modernized Dudu-" large and langushing
and lazy"-but of sweetness of temper and gen.
eral lovableness not to be surpassed In some re-
spects she is of heroine than Miss Defarge
who with all her fine qualities. is little hard.
The story which gives the title to Miss Jewett's
collection does not strike us as by any means the
best in the book. The Counting of Sister
Wisby," " Law Lane ~ Miss Pccl1's Promotion
" Miss Tempy's Watchers where only two per-
are each and all better in their several ways
They represent insight to and understanding
of life in New England and especially Oh the coast,
which is productive of the most genuinely realistic
effects. The local atmosphere is always repro
duced with conscientious fathfulness. and the
curious. half-sentcntious talk of the village peo-
pie, the discussion Of their narrow interests, the
manifestation in them OF common emotions mod
fed by their peculiar training is all set forth with
wonderful minuteness dclicacy and certainty
One feels that Miss Jewett is sure of her ground;
that she has travelled every foot Of it; that her
people have been under her microscope long time
and are all fully analysed and catalogued: and
that above all they are real people, to read whose
conversations is like perusing a particularly good
piece of interviewing" capital example of
this eide Of VI IS Jcwctt's art is the little sketch
" Miss Tempy's Watchers when only two per-
sons appear and they elderly women who have
undertaken TO sit up during the night preceding
Miss Tempy's funeral They converse, and from
their talk we obtain clear and sufficiently full
views of their lives and their characters, and the
process is perfectly simple and natural and the