St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-05-29
BOOK TALKS.

the railroads and advancing civilization
are so swiftly obiterating. We quote
him and laugh with and believe in him
when he tells us stories of that country
that he knows so well. So may we be
pardoned when we say that his foot is
not upon his native heath when he tries
to depict for our amusement the South
the unreconstructed South of that
tragic, unsettled time, lust after
the war" At least it is not the South
that any Southerner knows. The dialect
may be right, for be it known that there
are as many dialects in this new coun-
try OF ours as there are states, at most,
and the close observer with the delicate
ear can readily tell whether the speaker
was raised in the central or border or
extreme states of any of the sections of
the land, as an Italian or a'German can
those of the different parts of his own
country. In this little book, sally
Bows and Other Stories" Mr.. Harte
has shown himself as of old in
all but the first, the story that gives
the initial name to the book. "Sally
Dows." And Sally is not a typical
girl OF the section or. period of which
he writes. Whatever Southern girls
may do now since the railroads and
Northern capital have built up the new
South, they did not then use slang.
Imagine the feelings of any OF those
Sl0uchy-dressed colonies or generals,
slouchy to Northerners at least, if they
could have heard a young LADY" say to
"gentleman," aud stranger at
that: 81 reckon as long as yo' get the
persimmons yo' don't mince what kind
of pole yo' knock 'em down with" or
talk about "gettIn the grip on u.s." or
Il thought yO' roasted rather high,
connie, to pick up many worms in the
mo'ning." Can't you.fancy the horror of
those stately ladies Of that time at such
coarse remarks? No. Mr.. Harte is not
at home in the delineation of Southern
character. The other stories in the
book are in his proper vein; they are
all located in the West or are Western
characters. Houghton, Miffiin d Co.,
New York; D. d. Merrill, st. Paul.
Price, Sl.25.
dearest" by Mrs. Forester, is a
sweet, wholesome story of the friend
ship and love of two girls in entirely
different social positions III England.
Eve Hnntingtower, the pupil, and
Rachel LeBreton, the governesS. Eve
was the youngest daughter of vain
oho NOAioiJ ihObiiNls hOPVo anu
ambition was conferred in her two older
twin daughters. She had been left to
the care of disagreeable old woman,
her governess, until all that was sweet
in her disposition was being ruined,
when accident brought her and her
woes to her half brother. Ralph Hunt
ingtOwer, the half-invalid owner Of the
manor house her home. Through his
influence the old woman was got rid of,
and Rachel, the dearest" of the story,
substituted. Rachel is an unusual
character. A woman OF wide expert
enee of the disagreeables OF life, through
the poverty and seltishness OF cold and
cynical father, but gentleman In
name and manner, from whom she In
herited her pride ana firm will. as we'll
as her power to read character. From
her mother she received a power for
loving and an infinite patience. With
these as her capital and no speclal be-
lief III anything, and a firm determine
ton TO advance her own interests as
we'll as conviction OF the ultimate
| success OF her plans, she came to the
manor house as Ewes governess, and
wins the girls heart and mOuldS her
| life to happy and successful end, II, as
| we often hear, happy marriage Is the
| cllu lOt WulCH WOlilCH ulV CLOdtCus hV
| changes in the life at the manor, where
| she became dearest" to more than heI
pupil, the enmities and SANDER, as well
as the gradual development of the
higher traits or Rachefs character the
| story beautifully unfolds, and ends as
| all stories should. most happily. TAFT
| Sons d Co., New York; ID. ID. Merrill
st. Paul. Price, Sl.25.
|
1.-THE Silence of Dean Maitland" by
Maxwell Gray, was said by the late
| Phillips Brooks to be the, strongest
novel he had ever read. The appear
| ance of another book by the same au-
| thor was looked forward to by all who
| had enjoyed the former productions OF
| that brilliant pen, and now in 1.-The
| Last Sentence" we have the promised
! pleasure.
In this book the author looses none OF
| his power or KeennesS of insight or del
| icacy of touch in delineating character,
| in depicting motives or defining effects,
| aud the result Is story of far more
| than usual interest and UNUSUAL plot.
| The character of the hero, Cecil Mar
| low, is at once attractive and repellant,
strong and Woefully weak, loving and
| selfish. In reading of his moods and
| the results of his actions under the
| sway of those moods, one is not sure but
| that the author means US to understand
| that in some directions the Illness OF
mind and body. the result OF oyerwork
| and an unfortunate love affair, from
| which he is recovering when we meet
him first In Brittany, has not Impaired
his mental balance, aud so in certain
measure left him irresponsible for the
subsequent actions that Swallowed and
partially ruined his life as we'll as that
| Of the woman who woke In him the
| master passion of his life. In almost
every story some woman's heart bears
| the burden of the i'll doings of those she
loves. "In the Last Sentence" the mat
ter is varied in that there are two
women whose hearts are wrung-
two as disSimilar as it is possible to
imagine; one the beautiful heiress OF
a brave English father, who met death,
as brave men should, i'll an effort tC
help his fellow man, a high-minded
clear-souled English girl, Cynthia
Brande; the other dark-browed daugh'
ter of the soil. descendant of long
line of workdulled peasants in Brit
taIny. Renee Kesonac. So different, sc
far apart, and yet linked by the chain
of destiny to the same bitter suffering
and sorrow. The death of Renee. the
loss of her child, and the subsequent
recognition OF that child by Cecil
grown to. grand and dignified
Judge, in the prisoner at the bal
OH whom it Is his awful duty to pass
sentence of death, and the explanation
between husband and wife, in which
for the first time Cecil opens his heart
to Cynthia, that intervenes between
Renee's death and her daughters trial,
are each dramatic crises of wonderful
power. The court scene. where the
Judge falls stricken to death, is fitting
end to life that had been darkened by
deceit. TAFT Sons, New York; ID. d.
| Merrill, st. Paul. Cloth, SIPS.
1.-The Fate of Sister Jessica." by f
w. Robinson, is one of the Shandon
series. 1t is a pleasanter story than
| some of tile authors, but in his usual
style. The Sister Jessiea is not the
| central, or even an important. figure in
the story, but was nurse who died in
| the room of Mrs. EIlerslie, patient
| whom she had come to nurse. Mrs
| Elerslie saw in the dead woman way
II