New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-14

to obtain concessions from railroads, and efect.pg
nothing without becoming discouraged, Is life
like description Of q well-mown Western type.
Here and there in the story, sometimes having
little or no relation to IT, are bits Of description
OF life in new prairie town which deserve
TO be regarded as photographs. The sketch OF
the lazy man in the new town OF Hooper Is ono
of these, and it is so good OF its kind That we
extract it as fair specimen OF Dir. Howcs most
characteristic work
He was so fat and lazy looking that he attracted my
attention almost n | saw the nainc OF Thomas
salisbury above the box ON which the fellow sat and
as no was stIll there when caD,e out again. after
seeing the proprietor. looked at him more CLOSELY
IT. seemed to be looking the s n an Ss nrope aSie
poor wondered how such a lazy-loohihs man ever
became so fat.
tho street q block away and went over to sec what
was W but the lazy man did not move .' a.nough
found on investigation that a man had brought In
wolf which his dog, had caught on his way to town
crowd fingered around for hour as though they
were looking for excuses to idle their imo away
finally began wondering II Uncle Tom woud not loln
the circle for all the other people seemed to BIC taking
look at the dead wolf and While looking toward The
store, saw tho lazy man slowly approaching ne had
snccInbed at last and after he Joined the circle he
was the last one to 60 away v,,, ,,o vo,t ,oa at
the particulars twenty times 10 The new comcrs and
the lazy man always Listened WIN me srca'os.
ss When the RS" wolf was taken away the lazy man
remained awhile IN the street alone wondering where
pc wSnS T h. sa ." s on and OEa %
those who came In Hero ] heard him speak IN
to man who came IN and cs ,So n r s lame ne
usual and soon after he asked II he had any mall.
and went ONT when he found there was nothing Tor
him. The man with the wolf had new crowd around
him In front Of the posfoce and Bl Joined the circc
again. and listened with the greatest interest to the
times before. when the wolf carried away \
second time BID was again left alone 10 the street,
he would go next He decided on livery stable not
far away. where soon followed; and found MIN sitting
for Of TIE stable that he had better lake that bay
horse but the proprietor said he already had all tho
after dinner. although followed him around nearly
all the morning. About noon he DISAPPEARED from tho
town. and that he had gone over there to dinner.
" hen he returned there was so much grease In tho
corners Of his mouth thar he rad dined on
bacon. but he LATER than ever hy reason of IT, Az
did not move about so mnch as In the morning inde ~
vailed into Uncle Toms store. bought ten cents
worth Of saeratns and began asling " any one lnrw
found one and him going away. seated In tho
bottom of the wagon-bed and looking though
would like to hear that wolf story once more
The story ends happily. after threatening the
worst Despite the defects which in several
places make il drag and much of which could he
cured by judicous cxcision, there is decided
power and as decided fascination IN the Man
Story" Much of this is attributable TO the
Trculinritics of the style, but there is also more
humor here than in the Story Of Country
Town. and a curious atmosphere Of make-belicve
cynicism which is apt, mt first, to mislead the
reader. Taking it altogether, the merits of the
novel outweigh its faults. II has originality,
Imagination. and subtlety of observation, and il
brings out by sharp and often mastery strokes
some of the strangest phases and aspects Of q
particular kind of Western life