Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-21
THE CRITIC.

ings.
All the magazines no doubt, have readers
who let the serials go by with leaves uncut
| They object to listening to the story-teller who
regularly stops in the most interesting places
and goes away to stay month. Such readers
| of the Century Magazine are just now TO be
| congratulated. Because, If they had cut the
| leaves, they would have read Mrs Catherwoods
| story, THE Romance of Dollard' (the Century
Company, H. Watts Coy. And, having al
| ready read it, they could not sit down. as some
of us can, and put their feet upon tine Ienoer
and have the felicity of reading it for the nrst
| time. Still, it is worth reading twice.
"The Romance of Dollard" is a new book, by
| a new writer. with new hero and new hero
| ine and a new plot and with its scene in new
| country. Mrs Catherwood has discovered
| Canada, It is not little remarkable that the
| New France of the seventeenth century should
so long have escaped the notice OF the novellst.
Because here are all the conditions OF romance.
| Two hundred years ago Canada was Still IN the
| days of the middle ages. feudalism, ch1valry,
priests, martyrs, fair ladies, fierce BARBARIAN
chiefs, civilization and savagery in strong con-
trast-this Is the very stuff out OF which ro-
nance is woven. And these were the elements
of society in that new France which Francis
Parknam has made alive again in his histories,
and in the midst of which the people OF The
Romance of Dollard" live. This story is as re-
freshing as journey into An untraveied
country.
'sMademoiselle, you like cabbage, is it not
so?"
"Yes, monsieur" responded Louise. with
out lifting her eyes.
Cabbage is very good vegetable. Do you
wish to be married."
:'Yes, monsieur"
81, in fact, wish it myself. When you go as a
soldier you don't want wife. But when you
settle down en- censive. then, mademoiselle 1t
is convenient to have woman to work and to
help dig"
murmured Louise
Jacques spread his hands, the cap pendant
from one of them.
az have the island of st. Bernard under my
seignior, mademoiselle. 1t is a vast estate. al
most league in extent. Do you ever drink
brandy mademoiselleT p
"T, monsieur! Never in my lifer
THAT must be good thing in woman
commented Jacques, with nod of satisfaction.
"Are you at all lazy or thriftless, monsieur
the demure girl took her turn to inquire.
"'No, mademoiselle. make my clothes do
year after year. And had you seen the frozen
fish and eels, the venison, the cabbage, the
beets and onions stored in our cellar for win
ter you would not ask if 1 am lazy
Louise smiled her bashful approval upon
him, and said in explanation:
81 should not like thrlftless, lazy husband
"'Mademoiselle. we are cut out of the same
caribou skin, and match like a pair Of mecca
sins. Shall we go to the notaryT
"'H you will, monsieur"
So they we're wed. This was in the marriage
market of Quebec, in the year 1850. A ship
had just come in from Francei and His Maj
esty, Louis XIV, had freighted it with most
acceptable cargo for his lonesome subjects who
were colonizing Canada. The ship bore
by way of burden a large COM
pany of venturesome French maidens
who had volunteered to brighten the skies of
this new world and to take hand in its hard
work, also, by marrying the settlers. The
precious freight was unloaded in the mar
riage market. And here the stout Jacques
found the demure Louise.
And here. too, Jacques master, Adam Dol
lard, who had come in to look on at the mar
riage market, found Louise's mistress, Claire
Laval, who also had come to see what the mar
riage market was like. Thus begins 1.-THE Ro-
nance of Dollard."
In that same year, 1850, the battle of the Pass
of Thermopylse was fought in Canada; the
armies of Xerxes were armed with tomahawks
and decked out with warpaint: and the name
of Leonidas was Adam Dollard.
The Five Nations had made up their minds
to attack Quebec and Montreal and drive the
palefaces into the deep sea. 1t came into the
heart of Adam Dollard that a company of
heroes with stout hands and strong courage
might save New France. His plan was
not to wait till the invasion came, but
to 60 out to meet it And so it came
to pass that the van of the invading
army met an impeachment. Beside the rapids Of
the Long SAINT behind a picket fence" by way
of fort II Frenchmen, 4 4Algonquins and Hu-
ron stood in the face of 700 Indians, and for
hours held them at bay. 1t was a piece of
splendid herolsm. There is nothing finer in all
the stories of adventure. OF course the heroes
met the fate which befell the Spartans, but
Dollard's plan succeeded. He had taught the
Iroquols such a lesson about the valor of the
French that they hurried back afraid. The in
vasion was abandoned and Canada was saved.
Thus the Romance of Dollard, which began
in the marriage market of Quebec, ended be.
hind that fatal palisade beside the rapids of
the Long SAINT.
Mrs. Catherwood has taken this fine hero out
of history, and found a heroine meet for him
in her own imagination, and thus, adding love
to bravery, has made this charming story. The
people in it are all interesting, the lights and
shadows have just the right depth in them, and
the tragedy, without a trace of somberness,
moves to its end as gaily as ever the young
knights in the other France across the water
went out to fight.
1t is to be hoped that Mrs. Catherwood will
keep on making discoveries in this unfamiliar
country.
The truth is that we know almost as little
about the romantic possibilities of Canada as
Daniel Webster knew about the financial posi-
bilities of the West. what do we want" said
Webster, with this vast, worthless area-this
region of savages and wild beasts, of deserts
and shifting sands and whirlwinds of dust, of
cactus and prairie dogs2 To what use could we
ever hope to put these great deserts, or those
endless mountain ranges, impenetrable, cov-
cred to their very base with eternal snow?
What can we hope to ddsWith the northern
coast-a coast of 5000 miles, rock-bound, cheer
less, uniDviting, and not harbor on ft2 What
use have we for this countryr'
That was not SO very long ago. either.
-,
The only part of the United States of which |
we can make such wild af1rmations now is our
province of Alaska. And probably there are |
but few of us who can consistently throw stones |
at Webster. For who Is there who has not |
thought of Alaska as a skating park?
Mr.. Maturin NJ. Ballou, however, who has |
been almost everywhere, and seen almost |
everything and written delightfully."- about all |
his journeys, has come back from Alaska and |
brought a book with him, which Houghton.
Mif1in A. IN nuhlish and TT Watts A Co I,oro
for sale, and which is named THE New Eldo- |