Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-07-24
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

BETWEEN rHE LINES, story of the war
by Captain Charles King,U $. A., author of
"a Wartime Wooing," etc. illustrated.
Harper a Brothers, New York, publishers
In a recent article in the North American
ReuieW, on Foreign Influence on Ameri-
can Fiction" Maurice Thompson says
American genius has faltered in the path
of fiction as II uncertain of it's footing
just now we are trying to be
French; yesterday we were cultivating
the Ru ssians I; last week the English had
us under their thumbs" The writer
goes on to say that both James and How
ellis have done something in raising the
standard of American fiction. With their
works We can class the novels of Capt.
King as worthy of a high and permanent
place in our literature as distinctly Amer
lean works of fiction. Tho period Captain
King has chosen for " Between the Lines"
takes us through the Peninsular campaign
TO the battle of Getty sburg. At Hopeville,
near Manassas, Lieut.. Frank Kearny, of
tho New Jersey cavalry, while doing stan
duty, was wounded and captured by
scouting party of the Confederate army
under Captain Armistoad, who, for the
sake of former college days, sends secretly
TO his fathers home. There as was nat
|
Armistead, to whose care and attention he
owed his life. At parting he told her of
his love, only to have his suit rejected.
Lieut.. Kearny found the old saying
true, that "trouble never comes single"
for charge of desertion had been
brought against him. Hardly had he been
eNonerated from this, when his name was
connected with q murder, but after very
little trouble he succeeded IN clearing him
self from the false accusation. His turn
now came TO prove his gratitude to the
Armisteads, for Capt. Armistead, while
visiting the bedside of his diving father
was captured by Union men; it was only
through the efforts and influence of
Kearny that he was saved from being
hung IA a rebel spy.
The author has given us a manly hero,
one whom he has not made do impossible
heroic deeds the same may be said of the
heroine, for what could be more womanly
than the way she expresses her love for
Kearny?
Few writer's could bring before us with
such force as Capt. King has succeeded in
doing the stirring pictures OF military life
especially the description of the battle OF
Gettysburg; told in n vigorous manner
that completes the excitement of the scene.
described.
Could anything be more terrible than the
state of Virginia at that time? Tho people
ON the verge of starvation, the desolate
homes, the ruined country; it Is most GER
tainly true that great as the distress and
sorrow the civil war brought to the people
of the North and South. none of us knew
such suffering as they who lived "between
the lines"
HERNDoS's LINCOLN. The true story OF
great life. The history and personal re-
collections of Abraham Lincoln. BY Will
liam II. Herndon and Jesse William Weik
In three volumes, l2mo., illustrated. Bel
ford, Clarke a Co.
This is not a formal and stately nara
tive of the life of great man, but the object
of the work, as stated in the preface, is "to
deal with Mr.. Lincoln individually and
domestically; as lawyer, as citizen, as
statesman" This aim is we'll achieved, and
we have the character of the man, the cir
cumstances and secrets of his family life,
presented with boldness and truth that
are startling. We have undoubtedly
reached time when the private life of a
public man is public property. II is use
less to regret the disappearance ofthat deli
CaC.y anu conslueratlon tnat used TO post
pone the publication of these things until
long after all who might be hurt were dead
and buried. The world now demands
faithful life sketches ofits heroes and don't
care if n few estimable people are hurt in
their feelings.
As an example of Mr.. Herndon's reck-
less method his treatment of Iincoln's
marriage is most striking. He tells how
deeply the future president felt the death
of his fance, Anna Rutledge, how he
afterwards oyercame his bashfulness and
lack of ease in the society of women and
unintentionally impressed Mary Todd. his
future wife, with the belief that he was
courting her. Finding that he had been
misunderstood he asked the advice OF
Joshua Speed who told him 10 go and tell
tho lady that he did not care for her
enough to marry her Afler great effort
Lincoln got his courage up for this terrible
undertaking he called upon Miss Todd,
intending to tell the truth, but could not do
il and left her engaged to be married. The
marriage day came and found the guest
and bride ready but no Mr.. Lincoln. lie
ha fled ,and.his mental state was such that
his friends were afraid he would commit
suicide. Then mutual friend brought
about reconciliation and they
were married. The biographer calmly
goes on TO describe the unhappiness OF
. liQpOln'S life hy raaSa,, Of ,h;s