The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-01-15
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL VIRGINIA AT
TH0RESS.

Hale Weston. by Miss MollIe seweil.
1t is gratifying to our pride of State
10 hail the advent of vet another Nir-
ginian romance writer of distinguished
merit. Ilalo-W eston." which appears
complete in the January number of Lip
WHcons Nag0sfae, is a novel by VI Fl
lott Sewell, familiarly known by her
friends and admirers as Miss Mollie
" Sowell Ohe local pronunciation of the
paironymicl, the daughter Of the emf
nent lawyer of the York river region.
John T Sewell, and grand-niece of the
late eX-Prcsident John Tyler.
The main part of the scene and action
of the story is laid about half a century
ago in the neighborhO0d Of her birth
place; and the dram0tis pcrs0nQe seem to
have been suggested by personal ac-
Quaintance and traditions of her elders.
10 is graphic picture of the scenes. Gus
toms and characteristics of Eastern Viz
einia Of that period. The hero, Henry
Weston, is typical young Southern
gentleman of noble instincts, feminine
delicacy of sentiment, and a modest
courage, illustrating the adage-
The tcnderest are the brayest"
and totally at variance from the swae-
gering blade falsely conceived and de-
picted by our friends of the colder
North
The character OF his proud, handsome.
selfish mother is maintained with pecu-
liar force and discenment to her de-
spairing death-bed scene This is the
character OF the book
Henry WestOn's love, Ann Brandon.
whose sparkling badinage and ripping
humOr scarcely Obscures her deep un-
dercurrent of Womanly feeling. enlists our
interest al once, and holds il TO the last
Elizabeth is too commonplace 10 serve /
even us "a foil TO her brilliant sister Ann. /
contributes nothing 10 the motive of the I
story, and might well have been omitted, /
The Cheyalier Vaughan. whose name .
implies his character the tea-drinkng 4
gossip, Mrs. Thorpe; the genial DR. f.
Peyton; The plebeian minister, Mr.. Step
toe; and others support with credit the
actors in this domestic story.
The dialect and peculiarities of the
negroes, incidentally introduced. are
given a. even few-born Southern can
present them.
The action is temporarily translated 10
Paris fifty or sixty years ago, when that
;ity was much gayer town than it is
low-gayer even than under the second
'mpire, when vast number of bavonets
we're concerned in forcing the people 10
augh, dance and enjoy Themselves. Ii
vas time of secret societies and of
evolution, when the police were anxious 4
OF the people TO be AMUSED, 10 laugh. to
10 anything except 10 trouble the Cham.
'er of Deputies.
Our author trayerses the bOuleyards
nd she saunters into the palaces and }
teatrcs carietfs with the easy familiarity
# Partisan of that period. The pro
incial and impressiOnable hero loses no
inc in Enthusiastically falling victim
D the meretriciOus charms of an obscure
ctress, with whom he contracts a I
'csQhi0hce that produces the necessary
implications which are eventually
noothed out by her elopement with her C
lore congenial French barber, and the y
iscoyery that the pseudo priest who had e
eriOrmed the marriage ceremony was a T.
raduate OF the peniientiary and that
ne whole proceeding were null and void T
M IL must be admitted that Henry and o
mn, with the assent Of their more ex- X
erienced friends, manifested an over.
Gaming confidence in the press to RELY s
nj act upon the uncorroborated report b.
a foreign newspaper TO that effect :
This romance is characterized by purity
sentiment, with the elegance of die "
on, and composition of practiced and 81
terminating writer and, while there "
no striving after startling dramatic ef- 81
ct or eccentric character drawing. the
terest is maintained from first to last a
Space is not allowed for more particu- TO
+ analysis of this work, and this slight ID
'tice is designed as simplya tribute TO vi
e genius of the author, and 10 draw 10
bic attention 10 her best and latest
oduction Oh