New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-03
SOME NEW NOVELS.
THE WORK OF AMERICAN WRITERS.

| MONSlEOh MULE. Dy phANN ANA'
| A. o. Armstrong * Co.
| A DEBUTANTE IN NEW. YORK SOCIETY BY RACHEL
| BUCHANAN. 12mo, pp 1868. ID. Appleton 20.
| A CASTLE IN THE AIR. BY General HUGH EWING
| Lone pp. 273 Henry Holt Il CO.
| THE ARGONAUTs OF NORTH LIBERTY. BY BRET
| HARrE. 16mo, PIP. FOG. Houshtsn. Mihiia Co.
| Grace Kings sketches of Southern creole life
in Monsieur Motto are Of marked merit, deli
cate. subtle, picturesque and lifeike. The Instl
tute ST. Denis is surely personal "reminiscences
but whether that or creation it is equally vivid
and realistic The figure of Narcotic is re-
msrkable one She is the heroine Of the story,
and her character is drawn with striking power
and insight. Nothing is more natural than the
failure Of this loving loyal devoted soul to pro-
vide for an emergency, which nevertheless had
been before her eyes for years. but under the I'M
mediate pressure Of which she collapsed. Belong
ing to a race without provision, living IN ana TOT
the day. trusting vaguely to chance for the future
poor Marcelits is plunged from the height OF hap
piness to the depths Of despair by the simple COM
ing about of that which she knew to be newt
able. The fiction by which the faithful nurse Sc
cures the education Of her foster-chlld breaks
down at the critical point. All this part of the
story is charming as also the episode OF the notary
and the schoolmistress. The methods by which
Marie is restored her fortune and social position
are however somewhat too crude. Great estates
do not change hands in so prompt and free and-easy
q manner, save in fairy tales. Everything ends
happily it is true, and many readers will pardon
much on that account. Grace King certainly has
talent Of q high order, and has written here an
exceptionally clever novel, but not as good one
as she can write by exercising more care, and
above ell by avoiding the improbable. She has
= Il, and with lnCc
humor than Mr.. Cable, she exhibits at times a
keener sensibility and a more apprehensve OBJ
servation than his. What she most needs is
larger experience in constructive art.
The adventures of "A Debutante in New York
Society are told in letters The epistoary form
in fiction as q rule lowers the interest of the story
but that objection is not felt much in book like
this which aims at the conveyance OF satire
through light thread of narrative The authors
object is the exhibition of the fivoliy heartless
ness and mercenary calculation which sway modem
society. together with the weight of the burden
which its practices customs, pomps and ceremonies
entail upon the socially ambitious All this is
shown in the letters of young girl just out to
an aunt in the country and the tasl, has been per-
formed with decided skill and judicious avoid
ance Of extravaganza. Nor is the picture Of society
too one-sided. Almost equal proportion of esti-
mable and contemplate people are introduced, and
while the intellectual standards If anything too
high the ugliest features of the situation are dis
creetly overlooked as they of course would be by
real debutante. The head of the family whose
inner and outer life are unfolded is an American
gentleman of the best and purest type. The
mother is a society leader without heart The
eldest daughter is an incarnation Of graceless
selfshnesS. The supposed author Of the letters is
her fathers girl, endowed with an inquirng mind,
independent impulses and a healthy scOrn of shams
and false pretences and venal intrigues At one
time she appears perilously near surrender to the
strong influences which surround her, for she has no
calling for the position of poor mans wife, and
her love of lsxury is defect in her character
which shows in disag reeable way in her treatment
of young Porter, the poor but highly developed
Bostonian The debutante has wonderful luck in
her matrimonial adventures and it is evidently in
tended that the final disposition Of her should Gre
ate the impression of fidelity to high ideal This
attempt can hardly be considered a success, mas
much as the fact is apparent that Lenox is ac-
cepted, not only because the girl likes him very
much but because, though she tries to pretend she
cares nothing about his fortune she is yet alive to
the pleasure procurable through it. Perhaps this
is quite as far as society girl should be expected
With certain training and certain habits, pract-
cal cynicism must be expected, and systematic
egotsm of the most carefully cultivated type This
cyncism and selfshness are exhibited clearly and
soberly by Rachel Buchanan in the present vol
ume and the study is interesting and suggestive
General Hugh Ewing has taken for the basis Of
his story A Castle in the Air" the well worn i'm
posture of pretended searches for American heirs
Awaiting in European bank the requisiton of
those transatlantic administrators and assigns No
doubt there is material for sufficiently amusing
tale in this hoary but still vigorous fraud but
General Ewing has not been content with one
strong motive, but has taken hostages of Fortune
by calling in the supernatural Also Exactly how
he means this part of his story to be taken it is not
quite easy TO understand. Sometimes he appears
TO believe in his own ghosts, and at other times 10
he sceptical. or course such hesitation is liable
TO puzzle the reader and to throw obscurity over
some of the most remarkable incidents, but this
has TO be endured 1t is lively and well-sustained
novel. not too realistic, light and somewhat
nimsy but well adapted to summer reading
In 1.-THE Argonauts of North Liberty Bret
IIarte carries his readers from Connecticut to
Southern California, and manages story of do
nestle treason and complication with much skill.
OF the characters in the tale, that Of Ezekiel Cor
win is at once the least agreeable and the most
artistieally conceived Joan, who first appears as
a Puritanic prudc and passes from that phase into
phenomenal frivolity and improperly OF conduct.
is perhaps dramatic possibility, but does not pro-
duce the impression of being natural woman
The young native Californian, Rosita, is much
whoesomer, and in many ways is charming. Mr..
Harte's men in this story are more shadowy and
than usual, and the transformations
of character imposed on Blandford and Demorest,
no less than on Joan, have tendency to break the
interest by suggesting doubts OF the identity OF the
people In fact the actors who appear In Cali
fornia have very little apparent resemblance to
their namesakes OF North Liberty, and while Mr..
Harte may have intended TO illustrate i'm these
changes the magical influence Of champagne at
mosphere and strawberries all the year round the
general effect is somewhat bcwildering