New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-28
SUMMER READING.
NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES.

by"). i2mo, pp 4G5 Boston Lee & shepard.
THE STORY OF TWO LIVES; BY stuart sterne'
12mO, PIP. 302. Cassell Publishing Co.
WHAT'S BRED IN TIE BONE. BY Grant Allen
12mo, PIP. 23s. Boston Benz. r. Tucker.
THE SOUL OF COUNTESS ADRIAN. BY Mrs. Camp
bell Praed. 12mo, PIP. 206. United states BOOB
GROUP OF NOBLE DANES. BY Thomas Hardy
12mo, PIP. 292 Harper Brothers.
M0ORs AND CHRISTIANS. From the Spanish OF
Alarcon by Mary J. SerTano l2mo, PIP. 1885, Gas
sell Publishing Co.
MAIN TRAVELLED ROADS. by Ha7ln Garland
12mo. PIP. 900 Boston Arena Publishing Co.
ELEVEN POSSIBLE CASES. BY Various Writers.
12mo, PIP. GIL CasSell Publishing Co.
Mr. Page has apparently resolved to proceed with
due caution in essaying the untred experiment OF
long story. His first novel Is modest in its d.
mansions. "On Newfound River" Is good old
fashioned story Of Southern life in the slavery period
There is mystery, which, however, is not very mys-
terious. and charming lovestory WHICH is checkered
BIZ the proper vicisstudcs The heroine is sweet and
the hero brave The action is lively, and the descrp
ton II Is In short, excellent little tale.
and hope that IL may be followed distant date
by others, possibly more ambitious and farreaching.
Mr. Locke's novel "The Demagoguer is much above
the average Of contemporary fiction in ability and IN
terest The subtitle. which describes II "a politi-
cal novel;" need not brighten any reader, for really
there may be said be politics in 1t than Is
necessary to the carrying of the plot The latter
is concerned with the of an Ohio boy. who,
starting Handicapped by drunken father, sattcrnly
mother, and hopeless Indulgence, makes himself place
by sheer force Of has own intelligence and resolution
but in doing this lays the seeds Of his ruin By negectng
all ethical considerations 1t is impossible to be very
hard upon who clearly entered the world with the
cards stacked against him, so to speak, but heredy and
circumstances have made of him smart rogue, with
out conscience. lie acts his kind do act, Of
course. breaking faith, betrayng those who trust him.
making friends with the mammon Of unrighteousness
The story Of his life is told with great skill and graphic
force, with innumerabe little realistic touches with
lust enough detail TO reveal the and interpret
him. He rises to Congress, and looks to the Senate
and even to the Presidency Bu in his eegerness to
get on he has committed two crimes In his youth, and
they follow and finally drag him down. The descrip
ton Of the close Of his feverish career Is marked by
quiet power and the whole story Is impressive and
full of good and artistic work.
One cannot but think that Mr.. sterne's story would
have been stronger had he not cast 1t IN the form OF
young woman's diary. II is questionable whether
any man can give versimiitude TO this kind OF COM
position and while Mr.. Sterne is a sklul and veteran
writer he has not ceeded in avoiding altogether the
rcproach of stiffness and artlfciay. The "Story Of
Two Lives Is indeed comparatively full analysis Of
one and but a sketch OF the other. Ruth may be
understood to a certain extent but one does not get
close to the sculptor Malcolm, who remains almost
to the last semveicd figure The motive OF the
tale is pleasing, and it need scarcely be said that 1t
is well written But 1t lacks attractveness and the
charm Of reality.
Mr. Grant Allen is a difficult writer to follow. He
changes his manner and method so often that his
identity apt to become Obscured At times he write
with care and sobrety and power At other times
he reverts 10 the school Of atlonasm and riots
% hafJ n,,ad In f1a a
example OF his style. and really almost shocking
example. such complications his characters get
into were surely before imagined. The rule
followed seems to have been that the probabilities
should in every instance be douted much as posi-
bic There Is murder. and OF course the wrong man
is accused and put trial for It. The real murderer
turns out TO be the Judge who presides the trial
Then there Is herOinc descended from gypsy
snake-charmcr who has deposited In the blood Of her
race a violent proclivty toward impromptu snake
dances Another character is a father who hsnheHts
his twin sons in favor Of younger heir No reader
can complain OF want Of excitement in the story, but
it is kind OF excitement which approaches perilousy
uear the penny dreadful" order OF fiction.
Mrs Campbell Praed has taken for motive the
alleged occult doctrine that the soul of dying person
may. under favorng cond lions be projected into the
body of living one and thus continuance OF
conscious earthly existence. The Countess Adrian is
who, at the moment of her sudden death from heart
disease. succeeds in performing this experiment upon
the gifted yOung American actress. The two women
loved the man, and this IS the Countess Adrian's
vengeance upon her rival The latter. thus burdened
with the wicked soul of the Countess. manifests
change Of character which cOnfOunds everybody and
there is no telling what mischief would happened
had not the late Laurence Ophant under q thin dis
guisc) appeared in his astral form. and in the
Of the Masters exercised the masquerading spirit II
is bad story, the surprising denOuement being
led up to with considerable skill and the oddness of
The motive may perhaps be regarded a measure OF
the interest taken by fashionable London in the doc
trlnes and secrets of Occultism, real pretended.
In his Group Of Noble Damess Mr.. Thomas Hardy
presents highly original and entertaining series OF
local stories about who married titles and
figured in county history. There is note Of accord
running through nearly all these tales, which suggests
a Grudee against the In almost every the
woman in the story is represented in less
doubtful light and the interest turns upon the
in which the husband or lover took the surprising
circumstances The author shows much ingenuity
In changing the combinations, and the imitation Of
genuine county histories is very clever but the
d." noble DANES" thus Illustrated for the most part
entitled only heraldically to the adjective. The quail
ties have been accustomed to expect in the work
of Mr.. Hardy are however. not wanting in this coec-
ton which deserves 10 be, and will be. read with
general pleasure and satisfaction even by those who
may think the receive rather hard measure at
the authors hands al times.
Mrs. Serano has made capital translation OF a
number OF short stories by the Spanish novelist
Alarcon. They well deserve rendering into English
for is not every day that such crisp nervous graphic
writing is encountered, such freshness Of themes and
scenes AlarcOn is at realistic and romantic. as
indeed every truly gifted novelist ever has been and must
be- despite all the talk about schools and definitions. In
this volume examples given OF the most opposite
kinds Of composition yet they all fu OF interest
and power and imagination. OF such short stories We
are never likely to have a superiority.
Mr.. lIamlin Garands name is new. but his work is
finished Of its kind. lie is a reallst and he offers
Views of life such present themselves actually TO the
observer; fragmentary views, that is Ia saw having
neither beginning end. full Of perpleXlte and I'M
solved problems That Is how the world panorama passes
under our eyes and that is how Mr.. Garland paints
what he His six stories all Of the Mississippi