New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-21
NEW NOVELS.
A STORY OF MoNMoUTTs REBELLION.

MICAH CLARKE, HIS STATEMENT; 10y ~ Crnsn
Doyle. l2mo. PIP. AL. Longmahs' 0rcoh
ST. cUTHBERTs TOWER, BY, Florence warden
l2mo PIP: slo. FRANK T. Low IoTen a. q " r,,r,..
hart. I2mo. PIP 1877. Charles sehbners Sons.
DR 45dI i on DP pP sso hP S 0G CO.
HAGAR. BY James Arthur MaeKnisht l2mo pp.
3al. Belford Clarke Co.
THE PARAgox GLg9 p F ESad 6n LIMO
The statement OF Micah Clarke, as mado N bis
grandchildren during tho hard winter OF lTJA' u
story OF Monmouth's rebellion, related by one VINO
took part therein. In somo particulars ths DooA
recalls Mr. Backmore's fine novel, Lorna Dooho,
and especially In tho person OF the narrator who Is
a Young giant At tho time OF tho action, and who
Is OF simple character like 81 Great Jan Ridd' W
course too Mr.. Doyle comes into competition with
Mr. Besant, whose last novel dealt WITH Ihe same
historical events. In spite OF these drawoaohS Aho
rescmb ances, however, IL Is quito clear that lhe
present author has borrowed from no ono, and equally
APPARENT that he talent enough 70 face even
serious competition Some may think Micah Clathes
story too detailed and dkIuse. II Is no doao'
difficult to give perfectly natural air to narrative
which purpOrts 10 have boon delivered dfaiy' Inc
method Is awkward and unmAnageahlo IN lnou.
Apart from that the Statement is wonderfully Viva
and realistic, full OF the color OF tho ume' ana
characterized by remarkable power. Tho hsure oil
Micah Olarko's father, the grim old ROundhead VINO
had been one OF Nolrs troopers, Is such portrait
"a the most veteran romance writer might DO prouh
10 acknowledge. But better still Is Dcelmus eaAon'
the soldier Of fortune, who shares the heros pef'S
and adventure Dugah Dslgetty himself Is not
a more original and mastery creation than Dccimu''
Tho crafty experienced, cynical hard and ruthless
old fighter With his easy a1apiiveness, his iaclIo
| assumption Of Puritan pety, bis skill oil arms MS
cool presence Of mind and fertility OF resource III
the field hts fondness for plumber, his almost I'M
controabIo when bis blood Is up, his quaint
saraolous worldly wisdom. and tho loyalty and friend
! illness which redeem his darker qualities, Is one
| ~ the most fresh and interesting char
! acters in recent fiction Tho story aoounds
| IN exciting incident, and among other soo1 Things
| contains a stirring and picturesque description OF
| tho baltic OF SedmOor. Sir Gervas Jerome tho
| fighting dandy, who powders his hair and arranges
pStehe on his face before going action, and dies
| berocally lighting against overwhelming odds, Is
another striking individuality. But thore arc SO
| many pieces OF excellent workmanship In Micah
Clarke that It would take too long 10 name them Tho
story u.s. wo believe, by beginner, and Judging from
| this example Of his prowess the author should 60
| far
| Florence Warden seems TO have taken a leaf from
| I'd win brood" In planning 81. CuihbertS Tower
| which csu,res upon q mysterious murder, the victim
being supposed to have been buried In church crypt
which has been covered by the falling Of one Of the
towers over its entrance The interest Of tho story
lies in a case Of wrongly imputed guilt. Thorc AFRO
two brothers, both clergymen. One is married, pros
porous and a model OF proprlciy, genality and Kind
Illness The other, q bachelor, Is haggard restless
miserable, and bears tho heavy suspicion Of being
the murderer Of poor Nellie Mitchell The Suthor
maintains the mystery very sRlltuily though tho
truth becomes apparent long before tho end is reached
OF course a Iovestory is interviewer with the criminal
element and there amateur detective business
of rather clumsy kind. But tho book has some
good portraure Of character, and Enough It may bo
thought that the rector Of 81. Cuthberts some
what OF a slmpeton TO submit for ten years 10 tho
dreadful suspicious which wero directed against him.
there be question as TO the nobility OF his mo-
tives. The women In this novel arc moro than
usually good and natural. Tho study Of Olivia Is
delicate and adrot and that Of Mrs Meredith Brandes
who sacrifices her brother.lnaw 70 deliberately TO
cave her husband and children, though necessarily
less attractive Is not without its Ano and sympathetic
points Tho young cub Williams is, however de-
cdedly overdrawn. Even tho ideal AIRY cannot be
Imagined as speaking to young lady who Is u
stranger to him with the frank brutality and inso-
lence used TO Olivia by this lttie wretch. No doubt
no Is amusing to certain extent, but he s, never
theless, beyond nature.'
Mrs. Burnett has this gone 10 Spain for scenery,
plot and characters and tho result Is entirely salts.
factory. Tho pretty sister Of Jose aided by Mr..
maiden, whose caprces and initial hard.hesrtedness
serve to prepare the reader for the transformation
which he knows Is coming, when the maiden medlta-
ton fancy FREE" shall be exchanged for the doubts
and distresses which Loves wounds entail It Is
true that love affair the hero of which Is slaalght.
erer Of bulls, matador, that is TO say, may seem
At the first glance TO lack of the elements OF
romance. But bulL6ghters In sunny Spain arc the
idols of the populsce, and Sebaslano Is very superior
maHadoP indeed and IN all respects a. deserving of
Peplta as any mortal could be. The loves Of
matadors, toreros, have. moreover, always had a
special attraction for novests, witness Gauer's
@MItona,s the heru Of Understandable certainly
a much more savage and homicIdaf person than
the susye and gallant sebasteno. JuAncho permits
bull to kill him In the arena, because he has lost
his mistress sebastiano Is nearly killed By a bull
in the arena because his eye Is caught by HIS cruel
J mistress at critical moment But through sebas-
tisnos wound Love enters, and Pepta discovers thai
! she cannot 1.-Two without him lust when It seems