New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-09
BRET HART,ES NEW STORY.
AN EPISODE OF SAN FRANCISCO LIFE.

WARD OF TIE GOLDEN GATE: by bree HarVe
12mo, PIP. 240 (HOughton, Miiuin Col
Bret Harte's new story is cast in California, as
usual, but not in the mines. The prologue goes
back to that well-known San Francisco era when
the water came up to Montgomery-st. 1t
is during this period that the Ward Of the Golden
Gate becomes the subject Of peculiar trust, one
OF the members of which is the Mayor Of San
Francisco in his official capacity. She is the child
of notorious woman who has grace enough left
ito desire that the girl shall grow up without
knowledge Of hSr parcntagc, and who dedicate'
the Who'll. of considerable fortune to this pur-
pose. or the two personal trustees, as they may
be called for the sake Of distinction, one is Colonel
Pendleton, q very cleverly drawn old-style South
ern gentleman, who holds that the code OF honor
is the only proper means Of settling disputes, and
who thus undertakes to silence o rumor which
has got abroad as to the identity of Miss ierba
Buena,-for that is the remarkable name bestowed
upon the Ward of the Golden Gate, at the sug-
gestion Of the third trustee, young Paul Hath
away. The character of Colonel PendletOn Is well
conceived and perhaps it is not the fault Of the
author il some of his traits recall Colonel New
come. Certainly he has nothing in common with
the gentle refinement and true Christian spirit Of
the latter but he is a noble old fellow with all
his profanity and his homicidal propcnsities, and,
as the sequel shows quite capable OF the utter
most extent of self-sacrihce.
Nor must his faithful niger" George be
forgotten, the Ingenious and loyal darkey who
makes believe to collect his masters rents when
there are no longer any rents to collect, and who
really supports the colonel by working surrepti-
tiOusly in barber shop. All the by-play Of
poor Georges innocent little stratagem is indi-
Gated with delicacy and serves to bring out
the strong points in the cOlonePs character
Paul Hathaway, who is a professional politician,
is represented rs a very amiabe young man, and
it must be said that this involves somewhat
Of strain upon the imagination of those who
know what the California professional politician
of the period concerned really was. The fact,
too, that Paul is supposed to rise with phenomenal
rapidity to the Office Of observation-disclosures OF
the State is another strong ORDER" and does
not enhance the verismiitude Of the story.
Mr. IIarte has introduced some native Caifornians
into his plot, and we are rather sorry that he
should have thought it desirable to follow a
slanderOus tradition in making them out to be
rather disreputable The chief interest of the
tale turns upon the efforts Of Yerba Buena to
discover who she really is. or course there IL
somebody-apart from the trlistecs-who knows
the truth: and as the girl has become a great
heiress it is equally Of course that rogues should
try to entrap her into marriage which vii
put her large fortune at their disposal. The
author does not make it at all clear. however
why Colonel Pendleton allows Yerba to strike
I'D 50 warm o friendship with the Buenas wht
are at bottom no better than blackmsilers. ant
there Is lack of art at this point.
Colonel Pendleton's unexplained abandonment,
of the code" moreover and his weak submission
to the venal demands Of the pitiful rascal Dor
Caesar, strike the reader as inconsistent will
the character first ascribed to him. Nothing ap
pears to snow why he interposes between Hatha
way and Don Caesar at the critical moment. o.
why he does not himself shut the mouth" o
the blachmailer as he had done in the San Fran
cisco case. Yerba, the heroine, is conceived with
less frmness than either the Colonel or Paul
No doubt it may be said that young woman
placed in circumstances SO embarrassing nigh
naturally be uncertain and changeable; but Verbs
seems to possess rather too fluid character, ant
many things done by her remain unaccounted for T.
the end The story is one Of the longest Mr.. Hart
has written, Gabriel Conroy" being, we think tn
only one of his tales which exceeds it in compass
But it is much better piece of work than " Ga
brel Conroy," and still it does not come up b
the expectations which the authors early worl
t, raised and seemed to justify. Just where MI
IIarte disappoints 1t is not by any means easy I
specify Perhaps it is a certain want of definite
ness and finish, both in the general framework
and the drawing of his characters, that produce
the impression Of incompleteness. Whatever it bs
however, the fault is present here as in most o
his later work, and with 1t somehow goes TN
suspicion that 1t is not really limitation of ca
pacity, but derth Of energy and patience, whic
produces this too common effect. The Ward O
the Golden Gate" is good novel; but one feel
that it might be- and should have been. bette
than it Is.