Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-10-13
DYING AWAY.
ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN.
Ame,ic RIves's Now Work Compared with
The Quick or the Dead.
fNow York SUM-


Plenty Of readers, We have no doubt,
xyere deoply moved by the occasionally
wagering but finally triumphant loyalty OF
AmeIie Kivess famous widow TO the men,
ory of her departed spouse. We nave OIL
wevs considered The Quick or the
bond" n strong defence of woman against
the charge of fcklcncss, and the episOue
~ the cIrar.stump has always seemed ID
ia 10 amount to refutation OF Hamlet 5
Ill-natured allegation concerning the scA'
and Of the numerous other aliegh' ioiis'
similar in tenor. but gen,,raIy pOnI,eI IA
expression. in which our literature. large
IL man-made. abounds. Until now we
had supposed that the main purpose or
the author was 10 champion her slandereu
sex. We had supposed that she felt that u
hook like Tho Quick or the Deal was
especially needed to bring out the ttuc
facts regarding the cOnstancy OF woman
and also the true facts regarding inc sell
fish and coarsely emotional nature OF man
But in her new novel According 10 S''
Johnp U.ovell's), she provides man VINO
is tortured by precisely tho same delicate
scruples that bcset the woman ia the pre-
yjous case. whilo two women III the new
story ore moved by instincts distinctly OF
the Garth earthly. The man is forty year
old. and the sentiments with whlch
the far author invests him, notwlth-
standing their previous use IN he quick
~ tho Dead" ere complete surprise.
lis name il TsrrAnce. and be Is an artist
il Paris. The first part OF the s,ory IS
Sled with series Of depressing lnci-
dents. and ia untortihcl by either the
caloric or the obsolete words when az as
tiuru.sh the authors earlier work. The
upshot of il is that Jean Carter, n Virginia
girl, falls in lOvo with FaTance, who IS q
devoted husbanlGnf an upright man: that
shn coufesses the fact to Mrs. Farrance,
who approves of It. and that Mrs. iarrance
dies shortly afterward. The peculiar I'M
erinatlon OF the author il first dis
played in its strength after the marriage
of Farrance aud Jean, which takes place
a. the end Of proper interval. On nis
wedding night ferIauce dreams tLat
his dead WIFE comes and stands beside the
bel and SAYS: do voI know that II Is
showing to-nightl" He - powerlesss 70
answer, and she cOrtin-c3: " II II tnre9
inches deep where | have O. lie. Come
AMI stay with me for hide while unit! l
nm warm" lie follows her. And when
they como 70 the graveyard the grave was
opcn and the coffin. for he could see ITS
white satin gistcniug In the wan light;
and suddenly she fell on her knees
beside the narrow opening, wringing her
hands and crying: ON, had forgotten
| had forgotten lherc IS not room IOr l"D'
Go back. TO back. have brought you
out into the storm for nothing Then he
sew her creep into the grave and lie down
in the coffin and the falling snow soon
Ind her from bis sight. while he stood
there as in chains, pOwerless 10 STIR nald
or foot or to cry OUT, lie awoke with n
horrible star. and saw the walls OF the II
tie room glowing in the dim freight, the
outline Of tho curly head Oh the pillow be-
SIDE hin. the CLEAN OF the wedding ring
On the hand which be still held Not "a
plcaSant picture. and not vision calcu-
lated - make cheerful husband. Ihe
new wife comes very soon 10 suspect tnat
she rs q burden 70 Farrauce. 0nd after
reading IN St. John tho verse which says :
Greater love hath 10 man than TINS
that p man lay down his lfe Tor lls
friendgr she prlcks her arm with NOR
rhine syringe and puts an end 10 her
self. The case of Farrancc does, indeed.
differ in one respect from that OF the
lerOine of The Quick or the Dead.
lie goes a step further and marries; but
from the moment OF his engagement KISS
he is doubling. se,f-reproachlrg man,
and the visions which he sees arc every
bit "a dsconraging as the emotional ex-
perlences which prevented the wedding IN
the other story. So now both man and
woman have been re!nst0ted by AIRS. Chan
der, and the way IS open To her - l'ss
lugubrious style of literary occupation.
She has discarded the book OF synonymes
and escaped from tho bondage Of anti
Quated words. MNy the inclination and
the power be hers to put the snow-storIns
and the graves Likewise behind her.