New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-20
RECENT FICTION.
NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES OF VARIOUS
QUALITIES.

by Mary j. serTano 12mo, PIP. 25j. Harper &
BROTHERS
o6 sm OF pp a5o G 0SH GSre f3 co A'
DOCTOR HUGUET. BY Ignatus Donnely. 12mo,
PIP. 3o7. Chicago: +. J. schultze & Co
LIES HANDICAP being Stories OF Nine own I peo-
R milan q Z c Co, ''1 A'p""S --"'' p'' ''-'
THE AMERICAN GIRL IN PARIS. BY Alexander
Dumas, jr. Translated by II. Llewellyn Williams.
12mo, PIP. 2d4. Chicago: Donahuc. HennebcTy
d Co.
| Hector Malot has seldom If ever done better
work than in Roman Kaleris" 1t is the story
of little boy, whose father. fisherman, is
| drowned and who, being bound out to misery
relative, is starved until he away, and falls
into a number of adventures which, without being
marvellous in any way improbable, are de-
scribed in very natural and graphic manner.
The hero simple and manly little fellow we'll
princpled, and proof against the lower forms
of temptation. One passage In the book will in
evitably recall the experience Of Oliver Twist
with Charley Bates and tfe Artful Dodger. but
the French picl<pockets and sneak thieves GER
tainy appear less professionally crafty and astute
than THAR London peers as painted by the hand
of Dickens. There is in NJ. Malot's story q SEEM
ing recurrence to a type of fiction which has for
come years been conspicuous by its absence in
French literature, but the freshness and innocence
of which commend it even to base" readers in
search Of a new sensation. Just as the cpicure.
his palate faded by the highest efforts Of Gu
linary art flies with new relish 10 the homeliest
dishes, so the habitual reader of the psychology
zeal and sensational novel may discover in this
unsOphisticated narrative an interest longer 10
be found in more ambitious and artificial in
ventons.
Mrs. Anterior has written several bad and
To- 1ie1, al,
euro the kind of literary vogue which belongs TO
the sensational In "a Question of Time she
has not written a story which is evil in tendency.
but one which is simply silly. 1t is the history
of young man of genius who falls in love with
and finally marries a widow much more than old
enough to be his mother. The young man Of
genius is himself a perfectly impossible and in
sufTerable prig, and his friends would have been
fully justified in calling inquest into his
ity. The woman whom he forces into prepOs-
terously unfit alliance is of course, represented
very youthful and beautiful for her age. She
does not indeed act so absurdy her ridiculous
bOyish lover, but her judgment is at bottom not
less at fault The extravaganza Of the motive,
however, is matched by that of the action
throughout and the language, sentiment logic
and gesture of all the parties concerned is wild,
! unnatural and grotesque enough to suggest the
morbid imagnings Of opium dream. Authors
who write such stories in the expectation of Gre
ating enduring fame for themselves are only pre-
pairing disappointment. and if any attempt at
presenting serious question were involved, the
utter want Of sobriety in the manner of presen-
| tation would rule it out Of court.
1gnatius Donnely is one Of those authors who
Geem to care very much for sensational effects.
and in " Doctor Huguet7 he has aimed high, and
| failed because his central sensation is too I'M
| thinkabe even for generation not over particu-
lar in that respect At the outset OF this story
| Mr.. Donnclly appears 70 have torn himself with
difficulty from effort to demonstrate that
bacon wrote the works Of Ben Jonson lie is
| indeed in fall swing and halooing on the chase
when it occurs TO him that this is not precisely
what he get out TO do and he pulls up sharply
TIE gist OF the plot lies in the transference OF
souls between Southern white man Of high
education doctor Iluguet) and an lliterate negro
chcken-thief Upon such foundation it will
be seen at once any kind of miraculous super
structure may be erected. 1t may be said for the
author that he is very realistic in his treatment
and the exchange of souls once got over there is
nothing incredible in what follows The under
| lying motive is the exposure Of the suflerings TO
which the negro is subjected on no other
account than the color Of his skin, but Mr. Don
nelly does not bring forward any hopefullooSng
remedies. The machinery employed TO account
even in the most faneifu way, for the gruesome
transformation which befalls Dr. IIuguet is liable
| 10 appear offensive TO some people through its
| relatively light use Of sacred ideal IL is GER
tainly very bad art indeed, and as awkwardly
transacted business could we'll be conceived
the utter and absurd disproportiOh between the
| offence and the punishment being 80 conspicuOusly
exhibited as to impress the most careless reader
| In short Mr.. Donnelly's story is chiefly dstin-
guished by clumsinesS and crudeness, and while
there is some cmnently sound and right senti-
ment in tie book this loses its force through the
unreality of the surroundings.
! The last volume which bears the name of Rud-
yard Kiplng is in one respect disappointing
There is nothing which Mr. Kipling has written
| that may not bc read with interest more than
once, but when the same stories have appeared
! three or four times the most patient and ap-
preciative reader is apt to get somewhat tired of
the repetition. In the case of the volume which
bears the title "Life's Handicap" less than half
of the stories given appear for the first time out
| side of India. The author has evidently gathered
| these short stories land most of them are very
short, mere outline sketches, in fact from various
Indian magazines and papers, but as their bulk
did not furnish forth an average volume, tic
necessary matter las been secured by reprntilt.
The Incarnation Of Krishna Mulvaney,7 THE
Man Who Was The Counting of Dnah ShaddT
and number OF other tales and sketches now
| tolerably familiar TO most people. The new
stories are each and all good in their way and we
are glad to have them But there seems no suf-
hcient reason why they should not have been
printed by themselves, and that is the limit to
which complaint can be carried in the matter
IAN American Girl in Paris" is fearfully and
wonderfully made, and if it represents any French
notions Of American girls possessing prevalence
it Il stil more wonderful. This particular Amer
loan girl is doctor. miner. a millionaire. bold
advcnturer. dead eliot and many more things.
Naturally, she ents broad swath IN Paris. and
with the aid of an American husband from whom