The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-12-28

4 WARD OF THE GOLDEN GATE. By
Bret Hdrtc. His hand has not lost its ready skill
of rapidly sketching the odd characters of early
California days. nor is the old charm of style al
together lacking, but even the sympathetic
reader cannot fail to note with regret that Bret
Harte no longer writes as he once wrote. There
are frequent flashes of the old brliancy, but not
the steady glow that once was his. This may be
due less TO real loss of power than to forced work.
but whatever the cause, the fault is there in "A
Ward of the Golden Gate" And yet no admirer
of Harte can afford to miss reading this story.
The ward is the daughter of a bad but wealthy
woman, who leaves her fortune in curiously-
arranged trust, so that the girl may never know
who her mother was. Only a brief glimpse Of
the mother is obtained, but this shows the author
at his best and the reader parts company with her
with regret. The Southern colonel is another
character which has much of Bret Harte's old
inimitable cleverness in it, and the heroine her
self, Yerba Bueua, is brilliantly drawn. The
story falls off in interest toward the close and the
characters behave in an apparently inconsc-
quent and unnecessary manner. "A Ward of
the Golden Gate" is published by Houghton,
Miffiin & Co., Boston, and may be found ON sale
in Washington at Brentano's.
ONE OF CLEOPATRAS NIGHTS. BIZ
Theophile Gdutier. This volume, the latest issue
in Worthlngton's handy and prettily illustrated
Rose Library, contains, besides the tale which
gives it its name, "Clarimonde," "Arria Mar
ella,""King Candaules, ""Omphale." and "The
Mummy's Foot" They were translated some
years ago by Lafcadio Hearn and published IN
more expensive form than the present edition.
Perhaps in nothing he wrote did the wonderful
poetic genius of Gautier abandon itself to such
seemingly unrestrained but always artistic and
fascinating luxuriance of imagery and fantasy
as In these short stories. They palpitate with
the wild love of the Orient, they have the fervid
glow of its cloudess days, they darkle with the
humid gloom, the mysticism of its nights and its
religions. The translation by Lafcadio Hearn is
satisfactory, but is not equal in literary finish to
the English translations of other works of Gau-
tier. "One of Cleopatra's Nights" is for sale at
Miller's, Fifteenth street.
KING TOM AND THE RUNAWAYS. By
Louis PendlctOn. This capital book for boys is
gotten up in beautiful style by d. Appleton &
Co., strongly bound and literally illustrated. 1t
is story of the old plantation days in the South,
and pleasantly illustrates the strong friendships
which often sprang up between the sons of the
planters and the young negroes who were their
comrades and playfellows Therunaways of the
tale are Jim and Venus who loved each other,
but whom the cruel institution" was about to
separate. They run away to the great swamp
and make their home on secluded island. Af-
terward Tom, the son OF Jms master, and his
cousin Albert get lost in the great swamp, pass
ing through a series of thrilling adventures. at
IuSI bney are rescued Dy jim, tne runaway, and
of course then all is well. The book is on sale at
Brentano's.
HEIl[BURG'S CHRISTIANS STORIES.
Translated bv Mrs. j. W. Dduis. These pleasant
tales are not merely good for holiday reading
but for all the year round. They are full of that
honest purpose and wholesome tone which dis
tinguish all the writings of this popular German
author, who has found a competent and sympa-
thetie translator for most of her works in Mrs.
Davis. These "Christmas Stories" are published
by the Worthingtons in their neatly illustrated
International Library, and are for sale in this
city at Robert f. Mller's Fifteenth street.
THE STRANGE FRIEND OF TITO GIL.
BIZ Pedro a dc AlGrcOn. An interesting story
by the most popular Spanish novelist. The plot
is cleverly conceived, and is based upon the his
torical events connected with the abdcation of
Philip and Louis of Spain. Tito's rapid rise
from poverty to afiuence through the aid of his
strange friend is graphically related. The story
has been admirably translated from the Spanish
by Mrs. Frances j. A. Darr, and is published in
attractive form by A. Lowell s. Co., New York
Brentano has it on sale in this city.