New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-16
- vopu n.uy TRIBUNE SUNDAY lss9EIGHTEEN fAEo

an s.znSt,ps methods OF evasion, At every HsP w
entsnslsnsens become thiehsr and more waespFsu
and q sharp, original and dlsspated soic'por' W.,
thinks himself called upon to play tho par OF 'po''"
providence to everybody, conirves u MAKO inc ooo
fusion moro coniounded By his ingenonsly pervers'
.,rgcstIons and intoffsrences. As tho story draws
on the fun becomes wilder and faster. II must DC
confessed that thele Is . distinctly grim and hor1'he
e,crncnt about a Ioko which takos tho shape OF an
unidentified human body, packed, now IN oaro''
anon IN piano and hustled about with ths freedom
md hilaty OF the policeman In the pan'omime' whose
corpse tho clown treats disrcspecduy aiter having
RIM Il throuc tho mangle Tho audaoity with which
90 matter /. ..rrcd on By Mr. Michael Ftrsbury, the
aforesaid dssipated solicitor certainly tends TO lessen
tho naturally Repayment impression made by the corpus
dcli-t, but tho experiment was, at ieast III ques-
nonablo tasto.
A, might have been forcssen from tho hrs'' he
mysterious body il not that Of Unclo Joseph VINO
never was killed OF all How tho nsW n's"
disposed OF eventually even the authors Au W 70"
u.s. When last seon II Is being driven inpp spsSs y,
a thief who has stolen tn, carriers wagon IN Wn'on
n was being carried and the thief Is left to get OUT OF
b,s scrapo AZ he ran. Ttore can b M TWO opnions
about the humor of The Wrong Box. or ts eaooouis
quahntness and Oddly OF style. II IL s'ory u isn
OVER and yet II is not story which iesVo, Nno''
humorous impression. Tho truth Is thh Mr. e'o'en
sons heartiest laughter Is never very I'r i'n "~'
and thai the STOnE atrtCIOn fOr INC H'~@'.N
has cvtdsntiy inherited with his Scotch oiooo comes
10 tho surface in tho surprising ways ana unaef
the most unex pccted circumstances In MS hen'es'
and most extrsv agant writings. TO Wv No may Do
we'll admit that this popularity IA on adaeo eha'",
hat We arc not suro that everybody Is equally fho oi
weird sub nsvors in their fiction
Mr. Julian Corbcts has shown very pretty FANCY IN
NJ. last novel "Kophetus tho Thirteenth 10 mo las.
pr,ncc Of tho house founded by the King VINO malron
the begsarmaid: that magnsnimous ana mos' nus
tr,,s King Kophetua,- who according 10 Armaho sol
eve upon tho perucious and indubfste oessAr
pen,lopbon- and took her to wfe Tho Kingdom, ~
IA yal known was In Afrha, though, nnui mr.
Corbcu wrote the precise location OF u WAS uhhhoNh
and wn observe that he has, WIN Umho"a'o''
Judgment placed It far from tho track OF monerh eA
pioration. KophotuTs Kingdom Is uuIy Origins
one. having been established BY an ElIzabeheh khsh.
,tur,tod with Uarrnstous Oceana," the Utopia oil
Sir Thomas More and tho queer political Visions OF
,hst germimatve and fertile period HISTORY ~pe"s
us.n hsrs too, and In oneirla the lS'
King Kophctua initiates quite nn""uhnS
,hr course OF the FIRST and becomes ehsmoro'
Of a bcgesr-maid, whose name. like that OF her IL
Iu,,rous prototype. Is Penolophon Tho conception
OF Orora and It's peculiar politics. which have como 10
hinge entirely upon the question Of the Kings mar
Rage and Of all tho Htrgues and hctionsi mo'emeh,'
which spring from his, Is very clever ana 'hc "noe
S,nrn ou,-of.the way story Is carrtrd forvar1 WIN
,kl AMI livellneu which render II thoroughly in'er-
csInr Tho conclusion. however. Is rather dissp poh'
pr Kophstua tho Thirteenth DOES not marry Ms oegss
maid after all, aud Penelophon, who 10 rraV orslh
,rr Young pcr,on Is made ~ fall distinctly IN tho
r.ader's estimation bv the facility With which she
rconciles herself to her with man she docs not
love As 10 The French girl who wins the sing
she slnIy does not deserve such fortune ser N
unspcakable cruelty and TREASON she had been Sniity
O, toward Prncophon and besides the interest 81 inc
tale Is seriously weakened BY the knowledge hat 'he
was only a calculating in'risan'c' VINO entertainer
m real Affection for tho weak and vaci!latns prince
80 ,h. ,r,on,l,,ent misogynls Is TOO exaggerated
-, .,sy.rs , pantomme prime minister rather than
,c, ono But the book Is full Of action and bright
milk and deserves Ia be read