The Portland daily press., 1890-02-18
CONCERNING BOOKS.
by e. cAvAzzA.


Strange True Stories of Louisiana: By
George w. Gable. 1t is not the business of
facts to be always agreeable or artistic.
Hence, If the true stories permitted to tell
themselves under the care of Mr.. Cable have
less literary charm than those brilliant
sketches which are indebted wholly to his
Imagination for their existence it is neither
the fault of the facts or their INTERPRETER.
MT. Gable has learned to believe that good
stories happen oftener than once he thought
they did. And since one is apt to find what
he is looking for, in the course of the pas,
seven years, 1t CHANGED on several occasions
that rrus story presented itself to Mr.
Cables notice, in form already so nearly
literary that 1t would have been little In.
| justice to have diverted it to purposes of fic
tisn, removing it from its place in fact Fol
actually has an artistic value all its own
The child who claims ga true story, not a
made-up one" feels this value; it is only
later that one learns that fiction may be in a
general sense truer than fact.
Mr. Cable introduces the group of stories
OF Creole life in the old time Louisiana by an
interesting, rather rambling account of the
manner In which he found the stories. 1t is
Of course impossible to know how much he
mas done toward the arrangement of the mar.
ratiye; but he seems to have scrupulously
suppressed himself and acted only as inter.
prefer, filling in blanks, accenting specia
points, In short restoring these antique pic
lures. The story of the Young Aunt with
white Hair Is almost too painful to be in
cluded in volume of supposedly light read
Ing. The Adventures of FRANCHISE and
Suzanne is full of charm in its vivid
prettily detailed account of a journey
made by little demoiselle who went
from New Orleans. in the year 1895. The
gentle Gallic grace of the recital is extreL o.
ly winning. The romance of Alix de Mo.
rainville is daintily idyllic; the heroine
merits the honor Of statue in Dresden
China. Salome Muller is a strong and pa.
thetic narrative of white slave, whose
Identity was the subject of long lawsuits
The Haunted House in Royal Street is 9
terrible memory of the crimes of slavehold.
ing The story of Atalie Brouillard-hali
CHASTITY, half comic-is one which alarmed
MIR. Cable by its numerous repetitions In
TACT AT the time when he was rejoicing In
its discovery, friend suggested that a SINH
lar incident is to be found in one Of Charles
Levers novels. Yet this was of little conse-
quence, provided the fact had really occurred
in New Orleans. Mr.. Cable betook himself
for comfort to an aged notary, a Creole gen.
tleman, who gave him almost too much con-
ISOLATION. ITO achich case do you rifers
Cause, you kno,c, deg got tree, four case,
IKE dat" And MIR. Cable went away with
the one regret that the story was true so
many times more than was necessary 1t
was In substance the story told by Dante in
the Oivina Commedia of Gianni Schicchi.
who undertook
That he might gain the lady of the herd
TO counterfeit In himself Buoso Donati
making VIII and giving it due form.
And how many times the trick has been
played between the days of Dante and Of
Mr.. Cable--no notary less than the recording
angel knows
The War Diary of Woman In the South
Is OF lasting value as the simply told story of
Union woman in the midst of enemies and
OF battle. 1t is something which could be
neither more nor less than genuine; and is
deeply touching in its unaffected present
ment of the suffering caused by war, not
only by wounds and slaughter, but in the
terrors, the anxieties, the loss of the ordin-
airy security and comforts of existence.
A final word must be said for the unique
and elegant binding of Mr.. Cables volume.
(New York; Charles Scribner's Sons: Port
land: Loring, Short & Harmon. Price
$2.o0.)