New-York tribune., 1891-05-16
NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES.

iamo. pp. 3ie G. P. Putnam's Sons.
NOT TO THE SWIFT BY Lewis l Il Watson Watson, GcTTs Tn
BRAS D'ACIER. From the French Of Alfred de
Breest, by A Estociet. l2mo. pp' ao2 Cassen
THE ENCHANTED. By John Bell Bouton. 12mo.
PIP. 2e3. Cassell Publishing Co.
BOOK o'NINE TALES. by Arlo Bates. 1emo.
PIP. S32 Boston Roberts Brothers.
TINKLErOP'S CRIME, AND OTHER STORIES gy
George R. Sims. 1amo. pp 3l6. Charles L.
Webster.
THE FRIEND OF DEATH From the Spanish AM pnFy 5y
fishing Co.
@The sardonyx seal' is called also homancc
of Normandy" and certainly II has enough ro''ia.o"
about it, though comparatively little OF N0rhanus'
All the action is among the foreign vsitors uo a
Normandy watering place, and the actors arc hy o.
Americans and Englishmen IL opens ausP'oouSy
with bold attempt at double murder oy ono -
those fine crusted old-fashoned VhianS ""o
perpetually lowering about to remove persoIs e"Nu
ing between them and rich innerltaheeS' A"oe, -
aeferenoe 10 modern ideas perhaps, there IS YOUNG
,oav ftca with cairvoyant powers who Is SO sensuVe
that she is always getting hypnotized by somepouS'
and who becomes the object OF hypnouc oue pc'"oe
a GOOD doctor and bad student, bOth Oh whom arc Al
love with her One Of the heroncs IS an american
Girl whose taste in is peculiar foi she never "e
n+b,nc but red Yet she is tnid and mortaiy AFRAID
90 COWS The interest Of the story, notwithstanding
tbe abundance of sensational incidents somehow never
runs high, perhaps because the people cohcerheu e
too skctchy and unreal
There Is good deal OF clever work In "Not 10 the
Swift but the extravaganza OF the leading mouvo
interferes with its effectiveness II Is story vi uo
Rebellion era and the author has enriched history py
an elaborate conception Of Jesuit conspiracy 10 preah
nm the Union. According TO bis imagnauOh INC
Jesuits were the real agents in bringing ABOUT .he
sacession of the Southern States and they were also
concerned directly Indirectly In the assasslauoh
of President Lincoln. The heroine Is an impossDie
Young Southern girl, living in New-York, VINO beghs
her career latter graduating from French convent
nv outwitting Commodore VANDERBILT" and all tle
other leading spectators in Wall Street. and making
fortune Of million off her own bat" as cricketer
would say. She does this by the simple process OK
asking the monetary magnates TO tea ana uinner
and then questioning them and the manner IN WHICH
they give her the straight tip" suggests doubt as 10
whether they really their reputation for shewd
ness Having succeeded here, the damsel quito
naturally proceeds TO take charge Of the destinies
of the country which she does by founding secret
southern society," 1t is all very funny and the JesultS
are wonderful, though they effect nothing. The
heroine comes to grief when she encounters secretary
Stanton who ruthessy consisns her to the Olc Capo
Prison where she langushes long There Is lncldent
and IN snare and plot enough two ordinary novels,
and the story is we'll written. All that is against IL
is its complete absurdty, and some people may not
consider that drawback.
II Bras D'Acier" is kind Of French Mayne REID
story located in California in 40. 1t Is about a
marvellous "Gambusino" who finds gold mines and then
gives them away who leads prospecting partes' per-
ferns deeds OF herosm: has a fight or an adventure
about every five pages; and travels over country
which never could be recognized by any one who had
lived In the actual California. The author, VI. Aireo
de Brehat probably saw the Golden STATE put
like Dumas and Others among his countrymen evolved
n picture Of the region from his Imagination. TheIe
is little art in this novel, but great deal OF more or
less brilliant fancy, and for those who Like ~e simple
tale of adventure unalloyed by any psychological
analysis or impertnent realism" this should be salts
factory.
What the author of Enchanted was striving after
when he wrote the book It Is difficult to conceive 1t
Is not novel, but it cannot be classified otherwise FOR
IL Is certainly fiction. The idea is Of two Ne Workers
who by psychical study acquire the ability to conlurc
nm smulacrae of past scenes, real or imaginary and
who travel about doing this. The concepuon Is not
particularly brilliant, and the execution Is for the
most part unspeakably dull. No Interest whatever
attaches to the production ana resaroed as an eAper
ment the work Is fiat failure.
Mr. Arlo Bates's Book O'Nine Tales" is charming
and sparkling collection of capital little stores sand
wiched between so-called "Interludes" which are IN
themselves extremely humorous and good. The tales
are marked by freshness and originality, and they are
told with spirit Several of them are of character
to asonis the reader and of these perhaps the mar
yeous experiences of John Vantnc deserve the first
place All tastes and moods however, will find salts
faction in the volume, which ranges from grave to
gay, If not from lively to severe.
There are some really good burlesques in Mr.. George
r. Imss collection of short stories good that one
wishes there were of the kind. The serious tales
moreover are excellent in their way and all the better
for being rather breezy and unconventional But 1.-The
Alligator Babies" and "A Romance Of the Peerage IN
burked" lead all the others in genuine fun, and the
6rstnamed might be made into comic opera of the
GPinafores pattern very easily. " Bismarck in Lon
dom begins WE'LL but falls into heavness. "The Elm
press Emily Ann has the fault. "The FOurstars
Family quite much satire buresQue. The best
story @Come to Me-" is genuinely pathetic and shows
the versatility Of the author strkingy.
The strange but fascinating Spanish story Of tito
Gil the Friend Of Death,' which noticed not long
ago in another edition, has been added to CasselPs
"Unknown" Library, it very well deserved 10 be.
The translation by Mrs. Serrano IS lively and faithful
and the peculiar weirdness of the original has been
well preserved