New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-02
SUMMER READING.
NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES.

iamo, PIP. 335 Harper C. Brothers
A ROMANCE OF. THE Moq 1I.S; BY " Mona Card
THE SPECTATOR. Ry Clinton Ross. 12mo' pp'
1875. G. p. Putnam's Sons.
MY OFFICIAL WIFE. BY Colonel Richard H ls1py
Savage. 12mo. PIP. 231. The Home Publishing
IDUNA. AND OTHER STORIES. by Geores a: lid
bard. 12mo. PIP. 296. Harper Brothers
once more Mr. Black has gone back to his favorite
Highlands and in Donald Ross OF 1ieimra' has gwen
US a very pleasant story, In which DIS really iu'i
knowledge of the country and the people produces eA
celent effects and strong lifelike studies OF CHARACTER
His Hghlanders are full Of individuality and quaint
ness and these characteristics arc brought out ski
fully by the movement of the story A philanthroplc
and energetic young English girl has Highland estate
left her. and having read much about the wrongs OF
the croters and the abuses connected WIN deer or0s'
In the Highlands she sets out to take possession Vi
her inheritance with strong determination to improve
the condition and redress the grievances OF her ten
ants In this she is hihdered, first by her father MI
Purdie otherwise known as The Red Dwarf" who Is
a hard and vindctive man, aud who has carefully cu
tivated the hatred of the tenantry Her second dl'
Guilty is the passionate loyalty Of these latter for young
Donald Ross of Hemra, the sole living representative
of the old Highland chief who formerly owned inc es-
tate and owing to whose bankruptcy 1t was SOLD TO the
tunlty for careful and picturesque studies of the gh
land character. and Mr.. Black fully avaed himself Oh
them. lie has also clovery introduced some OF inc
strange WEIRD halfpOetiCal Highland superstitions'
putting them in the mouth of fine specimen OF the 10
cal seafarng man. Donald Ross himself who INeS Oh
little island the sole remnant OF his heritage Is oe
cidedy interesting person. though perhaps rather more
composed and sefrestrancd than a young High
land chieftan should be theoretically VI oo'
there is love story, and very natuIai ana ch' o
one with the proper crosses and perils 10 MAINTAIN "0
interest Some readers will not regret the authors
abStenon from the chroniclng OF those sports VI
which he is so ardent admirer. 1t is true that
salmon fishing is mentioned and also grouse-shoo"s
but there are descriptions. on the other Manu. INC
pictures of life on the coast and upon its waters arc
vivid fresh and delightful. and on the whole we arc
inclined to consider that there IS better anu Hlorc
genuine work in this tale than in many OF MI bidchS
which are much mon ambitious in design ana claOo
rate in execution
Mrs Mona Card Is wont to write novels with
purpose and it may he presumed that size iiended
something OF the Kind in Romance OF the MoofS'
The only moral 10 be drawn from this curiousiS mar
ustic fiat and duh story, however, is one the ethca
qualities Of which are open to serious DOUBT Ihere
Is a Young farmerlad, who after making hot love TO
= pretv village girl finds that he has unutterable
warnings and groupings after higher life Of some eX
ccedingy vague description. Meeting an aS'n'c
widow who is sketcling, queer sort OF mrlalloh
follows between them, the result OF which Is that inc
youth transfers his callow affections TO tho go3dOok
ing stranger. She, however, recognizing the marks
of genius in him, tells him that he NUT not marry
anybody counsel OF perfection which the discarded
village beauty very naturally finds unpeasing. Then
the three are brought together and the widow mirac-
ulousy persuades the maiden that she ought 70 make
the great renuncatiOn-the arguments uSed beng SUCH
as would by no satisfy the average schooiDoy
not to speak of Macaulays schooboy who, IL Is neeu
less to say, had Omnscionce for his foble The para
doxical novel ends abruptly leaving the young man,
the widow and the maiden uniting in gratlIations
over the fact that all three have agreed not to 90 any
thing at least until the youth has gone TO London and
Impressed his supposltitous genius upon the people Of
the capital. 1t Is not drol story for there IA posi-
lively no humOr about it, and apparently no sense OF
humor In the author AS for the hero, he threatens
TO be an ncommonly reprehensibe cross between pr5
and cad and in spite of his incoming over shelley one
does not believe in the reality Of his genius at all
Mr. Clinton Ross can hardly have intended 1.-THE
Spectator" for novel 1t is in fact short story,
and by no means bad one. 1t deals with single
episode, namely the downfall Of successful Wall
Street man, and the main interest attaches to what
happens Immediately thereafter when, his brain
reeing under the strain Of the catastrophe he wanders
away almost unconsciOusly, and with purely instnc-
five feeling takes the train for the distant town where
he had passed his youth All this study Of morbid
cerebral conditions is very well and carefully done,
and the episode SUCH deserves praise, though the
main outlines of the story present nothing particularly
fresh or original and though probably the whole incl
dent would have been more effective If made part Of
fuller and more dramatic work.
Colonel Richard Henry Savage has crtainly written
vivid and stirring story under tho curiOus title My
Official Wife" 1t is narrative of wonderful advent
ures detailing an American colonel in Holy Russia
and forced upon him by the combined influence of his
native chivalry and the destinations of bewitcnng
Unknown" who turns out to be a very dangerous
person indeed and who nearly succeeds in sending tile
gallant colonel TO Siberia or place The story
is ingeniOusly COnrived and told with "a great deal
of lavlshness and 60" 1t is difficult, each new
complication arises 10 say how the bewildcred colonel
could have eXtrCaed himself from the tolls, though
the reader Is apt to entertain lurking suspicion that
he did not try very hard to do so. One of the char
acters introduced is the dreaded chief Of the Third
ton and no has much do with the outcome Of the
escapade If this Is Colonel SavaGes first essay in
fiction he ought TO try his hand again. for he has
struck vein sure TO be popular, and he has shown
decided literary capacity.
How would girl behave. how would such girl
face life. vii revcr heard of death That is the
problem Nj undertakes 10 trea. In " IdunaT ;
but while &c aade an odd and pretty tale out Of
IT, IL cannot be said that he has gone at all seriously
into the question. The supposed is hardly pos
slble to begin with A bright girl would surely dis
cover the secret for herself The other stories In the
volume are of a ordinary kind. but all Of them
are bright, interesting aud well written, Papoose !"
being perhaps the most satisfactory, and The Woman
| In the Case least 50.
AUTHOR or TWO HUNDRED PLAYS.