Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-14
THE CRITICS REVIEW,

Novel of Southern Lifo-A Good Idea Of
Frank stockton-Hisrorfc Lake Cham.
pIain-A Friehtfully Realistic Story. =
uE xPIATIoN," by Octave Thanet having fin
ished its course in the pages of Scribner',
Magazine, appears now in book form, with the
imprint of Charles Scrlbper's Sons. Readers
who have followed its serial publication will
| not need to be told of its interest and strength
and artistic finish. Even they will be glad to
read it over again.
| The scene is in those regions of the South
which are making backgrounds for SO much
good work in American fiction. 1t is good
sign, this careful study of such elements of our
| national life. The places and people are emi.
nently worth studying. And anyway, the
| novelist like everybody else. does well to begin
with what is nearest What is asked of the
American novelist is study of the phases of
| American life.
Octave Thanet has gone back into the South
of the war time. The place is in the remote
| regions of Village Creek, and Running Water,
and the Black river. The Federal troops are
in the ascendant in those battle fields beyond
the woods and swamps from which the boom of
cannon comes more family than the droning of
the bees. The dwellers in cottage and farm
house are in daily fear of raid by the Northern
soldiers. The cotton has been ordered to be
burned, that the invaders may not find any
thing to pay them for their trouble. Gangs of
guerillas and desperadoes ride about doing the
work Of fiepds, pIundering burning and MUIR
dering. InShe miserably poverty-stricken con-
dition of the people any man who has money is
in danger of his life.
THE story turns upon the safe carrying of a
large sum of money to Mr.. Rutherford,
who lives in a big house in the midst of this
desolate region. Mr.. Rutherford's son Fairfax
has just come from England to visit his father
after an absence which has covered nearly all
his boyhood and young manhood. He starts
out by hight to ride through the swamp, over
road OF rotten corduroy, to his fathers house.
Here the story begins. The messenger who
carries the money is shot and the perllous
errand falls to the lot of Fairfax Rutherford.
''Only the pudules and suiceS of water
showed. unless the rider flashed his lantern
down the road. Then a disk of landscape.
KIND OF weird etching. was struck out of tn
night. Huge gum trees drIpped on either side;
stealthy patter of raindrops dribbling through
the thicket of trumpet-vines, 'Jar-blankets' and
brlar which masked the swamp beneath. The
rain had ceased, but not a star appeared to
illumine the surly and dismal nature. East
and West, as the lantern-bearer knew, the
rotten corduroy was drawn in straight line
across the morass."
OF course, the gray backs are waiting behind
the trees with vigilant shotguns, Dick Bar
nabas at the head of them, and the adventures
begin promptly. "Expiation" is an episode
rather than a novel. The time of the action is
but few weeks, But the time is long enough.
and the story carefully enough worked out to
bring the reader into close acquaintanceship
with the characters.
Mr.. Rutherford with his high sense of honor,
grieving himself almost to death over his sons
reputed cowardice. the Fowlers ''Bud' es
pecially, the men of Barnabas' gang, Adele. the
fair young heroine: ''SlIck MoSe," the half
witted. and Parson Collins, not to count the
background of plantation negroes, are char
acters which improve the imagination as hay
ing real existence.
excellent work, well worth everybody's read
ing. Isl 80, paper so cents. Fl. Watts & Coz
80
FRANK R. SToCKToN's ingenious story, ''The
Great War Syndicate" which we noticed
in this column some months ago, in paper
covered edition. is now excellently printed and
bound by Messrs. Dodd, Mead & Co. Jules
Verne has never written anything more skill
full, and it is as plausible as Looking Back
ward" Why not? Why not equip our navy
with force of ''crahs," 'propellers" and sin
Simultaneous motor bombs" and be ready, if
necessary, to blow whole continent into its
adjacent ocean? ISL so cents in paper; H.
Watts Coz
THERE is picture of Mr.. W. H. h. Murray
in front of his last book Lake Cham
plain and its Shores" He doesn't look as if he
parson, however, crops out here aud there
along the pages, especially in the good advice
which he feels called upon to administer from
time to time to the clergy in general. He
thinks it would be great deal bet
ter for the preachers if they would |
he says, why so many preachers are
dull is because they are repetitions. There is |
no fragrance in the flowers they gather week |
by week for their people, because they are the |
h0uOuetS
logical garrets for a hundred years." Mr.. |
Murray recommends a tonic of fresh air. |
Mature inspires no towards. Nature begets |
no pedantry. Nature suggests no bigotry. The |
spirit of devotion tabernacles among the hills. |
n either saint nor sinner can truly worship God |
while he sleeps under shingled roof. Visions |
come to one who sleeps in chamber whose |
is ten by twelve All of |
which is very pretty, but not particularly prac- |
tical nor borne out by facts: 1t is the man who
is under the sky, and not the sky which is over |
the man, which makes the difference. Not all |
the inspiration of Lake Champlain will inspire |
the man who brings with him no readiness to
be inspired.
Mr.. Murray is always ready to be inspired
Anything that is out of doors is interesting to
him.
AXE CHAMPLAIN is named after a man who
made a fatal blunder. The blunder was
fortunate enough for us whose blood is En-
ylsh, but it decided at the start that the
French should not be the lords of this land.
far-reaching and of immense i'm
portance have followed that reckless shooting
which Champlaip and his men did one bright
afternoon beside Ticonderoga. That dashing
captain and adventurer little knew what he
was about. He little knew that when he fired
into that body of Indian warriors he was aim
ing blow at the most important cOnfedera-
ton of Indians in this country. Thenceforth
every Iroquos hated every Frenchman. No
man ever committed more grieyous crime
against his country.
Mr.. Murray gives good deal of space to the
history of the discovery of the lake and of the
ofits shores The part which the lake
played as background in the Indian wars, the
Revolution and in the troubles of 1872. is de-
scribed, and every point of interest on or about
the lake is connected with the historical asso-
Citations which belong to it. There is chapter
On the facilities which the lake affords for
with careful sailing directions, "The
Game Fish and Fishing of Lake Champlain''
IS an added chapter by Mr.. A. Nelson Cheney.
The whole lacks only map to make it an ex-
cellent guidebook. Even for those who do
their fishing at the market Mr.. Murray's de-
;crlptions will be found attractive. (De W olfe,
Fiske co.,.
pPEscoTT's Conquest of Peru is no longer
L held by copyright, the time having ex-
oired Mr.. John b. Alden has taken the op-
to bring out cheap edition. This
edition is in two Volumes on good paper, with
clear, readable type. and bound in neat and
attractive covers. (S2).
-
M FssRs ROBERTS BROS. have added to their
'A excellent edition of Balzac, his Sons of the
Soil Bazac himself said of this book that it