New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-18
CURRENT FICTION.

BY II. c. Bunner. lomo; PIP 21l. (Keppler d
6chwarzmann.
re rett, Emo Emo PIP PIP 41o Ccassei Publishing Com
pany.)
AT s TaE E ms OF pp THE RS%as w " "a
THE TRAVELLING COMPANIONS. BY F. Anstey.
With twenty six Illustrations hy j. Bernard par'-
ridge. Alto PIP 1872. (LOngmans, Green ~ 'oJ
ARMY TALES. BY John Strange Winter limo
lowell, COryell co..
DIANA The History of Great Mistake. by MIS-;
oljphant 12mo. United states Book Company
Nv Runners little book is a merry tale OF the type
Of "Rudder Crange"-a story in which the characters
do all manner Of ridiculous things in the most matter
OF fact way. lie has related the adventures Oh ue
Young Browns so ceverly that not un'il '"e rea'ei
turns the last page does he really awaken 10 'ne '""
seriousness of the fantastic mprobablity Of most Oh
these happenings. The book is full OF humo' anu 10
charmdngly illustrated by, Mr.. c. j. Taylor
.out of the Jaws of Death" is wild and starting
melange Of nhillsm, murder. theft and Edhappins'
INC heroine is beautiful being who has lived 10 the
Age of twentyon. in the London slums. assoclauhg
with criminals and VINO then becomes within year
"a most accomplished and refined young lauS. ~ Is
she who defeats all the plots against the Nlh'hS'
hero and acts as guardian angel Indeed. 70 all her
friends and acquaintance. The BOOK mas no ar"euo
value but 1t is-we entertaining.
AT the End Of the Rainbow lies Ooioraoo ts~"
Wherein dwell O husband and wife who commune
various undesirable qualities Of brutal sehshness,
vlgarity and ignorance To them, seeKne tne iaoieo
not of gold comes young English girl, whose sweet
temper and moral strength serve TO regenerate Win
that remarkable celebrity only seen In novels. the
natures and manners Of her employers. The author
has story telling ability but her style is painfully
crude.
"A Story in Scenes" is the subtitle which Mr.
Anstey has given to his new book. 1t presents
series Of dialogues wherein the vacation adventures
on the Continent of couple of middle class English
men are lightly traced The weak cad with aesthetic
pretensions and the snug young commercial man with
q taste for music-hall songs reveal themselves In
many grotesQue and comical situations. each having
q large capacity for playing the fool y story In
dialogue is generally dull-ths is amusing enough
though It must be said of the American girl who
dominates the plot that she is poor buresdue that
she goes far TO spoil very shrewd portrayal OF
human weakness and vanity But where Is the
Engllshman who can draw an American
Let us say frankly that John Strange Winters army
vtories are with exception very poor stuff There
Is much that IS pretty and touching in the little sketch
of the baby adopted by Bottles" and that bit of feml
nine tenderness has chance OF survival but the rest
of this authors productions not calculated to please
any taste above that Of very young schoolgirls and
soft headed subalterns.
Mrs Olphant has never done anything much better ir
the way OF romance than the story which bears the
dgnifcant title OF "Diana.' In TRUTH the heroine
moves through It's pages with pure and lofty mien
ss that Of the queen OF the midnight sky-ala> that her
course Is not as serene and untroubled Exceedingly
effective is the subtle contrast with Diana of the two
elAsh little mice OF who live her bounty and
bite the hand that feeds then woman's hero is
rarely truly masculine, and the Pandolnni who al
lows himself from a mistaken sense Of chivary to be
false to the woman he loves and to the woman he
doesn't love is but a poor specimen of mankind.