New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-31
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
NOVELS AND TALES.

NOVELS AND TALES.
TIE yAsI p sg .1 HsrG E 3D. A.lss ssss
ny saIrsA IT, LOUISE s sy w. Clark Russell
81 ST. p1 nfs ST. ssSs
CHIEF sys JOIN w. ns K-5 Co. Emil
~ln the Valley is tale Of tho Mohawk Valley In
tho early stages Of the Revolution The su'os mas
made careful study Of the prsRevoutionary society
ana hs descriptions Of the old Dutch settlers OF inc
Mohawk, and Of the English colenists destined 70 pc
como The Tories of history, full OF anmauon ana
local detail The narrator Of tho story Is
be Q DutchmAn, and whether the author 'houSn' .
certain slugeshness Of thought ana aeuon ha'ura "
the character or for other reason he Is repre-
sented AZ something of laggsrd in love-, though not
Altogether "a bastard in war; In effect the readers
sympsthy Is apt to b little strained In hnding eA-
cuses for this very circumspect young mans
On moro than one critical occasion. he permlts hm-
self TO be buliied and insulted much TOO tame ana
vhen he loses his sweetheart one feels that so hating
. suitor deserved no better fortune. Even when he
,ar,,ns hsr II is through exertion Of his own AS
for his show Of magnanmity toward Philip at the last
n NAV be thought that 1t would have been Just ~ wen
for eyerybody's sake that irreclaimabe runsn nad
been left TO lie where he fell. The story Is, however
a strong one in the main, and fresh one. 1t is IN
has not before tempted novest to explore SO rich ana
virein field Possibly the Dutch element In 50 much
Of thst history has had something to DO with the neg
lect but Mr. Frederic has now shown how much can 10
done with material which may have been thought I'LL.
promising The story is very we'll and fully ILLUSTRATES
BY Mr. Howard Pyle, whose spirited drawings aao u'
to the realism Of the narrative.
Mr. Russell must begin to feel that wide as inc
ocean u.s. as field for romance it has even narrower
no land X,
can be got out Of the in the way Of felton, ana
wrecks cave been exploited by Mr.. Russell ALREADY III
every conceivable way. any Sh!pmate LOUISE i
rather desperate attempt to maintain the interest W
multiplying the accidents The couple des'neo ior QUO
another got left derelict In midocean' ana aic
only rescued thence to be put in the power OF crazy
captain Of q merchant vessel who thinks he kho"s
where a treasure lies buried on a coral island In the
South Pncfc. The mad captain having committed
suicide an equally crazy crew become the cuS1ouanS
Of our adventurers, and compel the nero 10 navigate
the ship to the supposed situation OF the ourled
treasure As Mr. Russell proceeds in his literary career
he loses much Of the salt flavor when
made his first books so delightful; or perhaps the
subject has been overdone. In this tale the most III
teresting feature is the gradual tanning of my ship
mate Louise, through misfortune and propinquiV AZ
FIRST she is naughty and arrogant young person WIN
thinks herself much too good "1or human ha'ui0S
daily food but successive wrecks and othcr I'M
take the nonsense OUT Va "''o
her down TO her bearings, Mr.. Russell would say
md uhen the last adventure finished she is no longer
, curst Kate, but a tanned and greatly improved
shrew No lover OF action and thrilling vicisstuocs
Is likely to complain that his taste has been ihsuii
GENTLY minstered to IN this novel.
1The Heriots' is mastery piece Oh work. anu
proves Sir Henry Cunninghame to have huinoer VI
strings to his bow, besides demonstrating kho OF
cleverness which is more and more rarely Iouha Ill
action. The authors who can write really ofiihah'
dialogue have no doubt always been few but never SO
few rs today Sir Henry however. has fully vindi-
Gated his title to be considered one OF the small Ill
no1ty. "The Heriots" is a family story above all
else We have the head OF the Mouse, baroheo'
who resides upon the ancestral domain, ana Ills
brothers and sisters and brohcrsinlaw and sisters
naw and the old lady mother, who resides in London
and is grande dame de par le monde fill up the
picture and furnish the characters Society Is We'll
and delcatcly represented. and De Renz the opulcnt
and brilliant young Jew, recalls some OF Dsraeh
creations. lie might be defined as kind OF tempered
and modernzed Sdonia. Lady Heriot Is charming
wise and gracious and tender old lady, The sketches
of London drawing rooms and Of country-house lie
are marked by a gentle humor tending slightly to
satire which lends particular pqnancy to them Mrs
Heriot, the ambitious woman who descends 10 some
thing like crime in order to further her ambition as
social leader is powerfully drawn. There are many
types, and all are well differentiated and realized
For really fine and level work. for distinct literary
quality for Wit and huuior together, The lIcrots"
deserves to rank of the best novels that has
been written for long time.
Karl Emil FRANCIS has written nothing stronger
or finer than THE Chief JUSTICE good translation
Of which has been issued here. The story is one OF
Austrian Jurisprudence but the interest centres
In the mental suiferngs and experiences OF Chief
Justice who finds himself called upon to Judge his
own unacknowledged daughter for the crime Of III
fanticde. 1t is Of hereditary transmission OF
penalties; of Natures vengeance, as 1t might be
deemed; and the author has made of this sur
prisingly effective though grim and dark 'tudyr