New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-04
FICTION.
LONG NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES.

u,,Irv All. THE WOODS ARE GREEN. A
trait. (The Century Company
THE TRAIL OF THE SWORD. 10y "''oe''
ID Appleton q Coz
prFORE THE GRINGO CANE. BY Gertruae A'"-
eron. q. Selwin TAFT & Sohs'
yIGNETTES OF MANHATTAN. BY Branue, MAJ
thsws. illustrated. Harper q Bro'herS'
:, ne bos heen surrlsed oscar Wilde Is the author
OF the anonymous novel, THE Green Car'I''o''
he has perpetratcd the most audaciouSiy iinPo' ''
niece Of amusing folly Of his .ife For he has sa'ir
Ted not only the men and women VINO are "'s'
Loa y, IN artistic literary and dramatic circles III
1opdon nv name but himself we'll In the person
~ Fsmr Amarinth. the founder OF the CUT Oh '"'
green carnatior. In one Of his many Hishts ana
rlnth SAYS: II was born epigramnsuc' anu lily
diving rcma-x vii! be a paradox; ana ne 100" !"
groom carnaton rs the distinctive badge OF the or
der because It has the supreme merit OF fe'ng per-
toc,l, unnatural" Amarnth INDUCES IN satire. JEST
enpra,n and paradox most Of It s.laliow ana MP
p2nt and cynical to the last degree but impu'eh'-,
clever and laughab,c IN the turn OF tne phrase anu
in the bold and unconventional irreverehce VIII"
which II Is uttered. The code OF immorality' SO "
sneak which Is supposed to be affected by the youth
who wear green carnations is well summarH@1 III
Amarnths remark to his chum LORD I'egihaio
.'To sin beautifully. you sin, Reggie, ana as l
have snned for years. is one OF the most comp'-
Gated OF the arts There are hardy SIX people III
century who can master t. Sin has It's technique
lust as painting has its technique, etc, the not"
being exactly the same that waich was heara IN
Mr. Wilde's play. Lady WIrGermeres Fan. AS
IN Illustration OF the satl-cal levly with which the
author refers to his contemporaries, his comment
upon Mrs. Humphry Ward. whose orthodoxy ne
has been discussing, may be cited; Il never rsad
her OF course Life Is far too long ana lovely LOT
that sort OF thing: but bishop once told me tna'
she was a great artist, and that If she had sense
fx-a1( I
arlnth a.so who gives currency to the report tnat
George Meredith IS 20 bring new edition OF MS
novels done into English by himself Eeards.ey'
Clemen. Scott. Nine. Grand Jerome, George Moore
Mr. S,ia Mrs Lynn Linton and others are satirizei
without mercy in the same vein. The story IS slight
merely the thread upon which Amarinth hangs MS
pclrls-Dlack pears-of Thought
The reader OF Or 3 Weir Mitchells last novel
..Nhcn AZ The Woods Arc Green" vii be "ke'y
10 feel during the early chapters a. II he were an
intruder into the intimate family lie or Mr. ana
Mrs Archibald LINDSAY. Miss Anne LINDSAY.
maiden lady and their daughter Rose ana their
three rolsterng sons This feeling may partially
disappear when n IS learned that one OF the aii-
thor's aims Is 20 write a novel In which the people
will '.,aIk refreshing nonsense the all reason
ahe folks do sometimes. but even with ms
knowledge II will be some time befor" ne can ac-
custom himself 10 tho terms OF endearnent ana 70
the urreservcd condolences. 10 say nothing or the
inconsequential gossip about all sorts o' triVlil
matters OF the people in the tale II he RECEIVERS
from, his first instructive desire to wthGra" out OF
hearing and SO 10 dlvest himself Of the unenviaoe
character Of an eaveslroppcr. ne will learn that
the Tvndsnys have gone to New Bruns"lck 10
camp out for three four weeks ore 81 the
fam IS salmon rivers ~ that province. The book
concerns itself with their experiences I'm the woods
nd on the water. and is redolent OF the odor OF
the pines and spruccs Of that favored region Much
a tall &c dia CHI rat
and a reader OF cynical turn OF mind may think
IL rather incOngruous and AZ variance with me
general scheme Of the story that in the intervals
Of their sport the salmon fishers should quote Mar
Aurcl!us and Browning \ spice OF romance u
impaired to the narrative by the presence as neigh
bors on the stream OF two young from Bos
ton and one OF these proves himself TO be
comedian OF no mean ability The life OF the poor
umbermen In the neighborhood supplies now
tragic and again pathetic element to the story
The book is marred by some careless writing
such phrases they ran down the slope and
stood a little" shall the women need their water
proofs lilly educated" would have liked TO have
been thought and every had brought what
they liked being altogether too common.
The period which Mr. Gilbert Parker has chosen
for his new romance. The Trail o, the sword two
hundred and more years ago. when Sir Richard
Nichols WAS the first English Governor OF New
York and later. when Count Frontenac Gov
stirring scenes Of his tale some OF the pctur
esque and interesting types in American historical
annals. The rivalry OF the two young men. Pierre
lie Moyne OF Iberville. representative OF the best
blood that France sending to the New Word
and OF the New England youth George Gering. who
came Of excellent stock in the Massachusetts, Bay
Colony. for the hand OF thu demure and charming
girl. Jessica 1.everet supplies the subject for the
story and carries the principal personages into
many adventures 10y land and sea. The deepest i'm
pre- ssion that is left upon the readers mind Is the
fact that the author has succeeded In the difficult
art ~ creating a genuine romantic atmosphere
This is an achievement OF considerable Importance
for IL promises even better things 10 come In this
well-nigh untouched field Mr. Parker has shown
as In the account OF the fnel meeting OF lhervile
and Gering. that he can portray critical scene with
a line suggestion OF reserved power and with an
admirable sense Of values. But by what romancers
license did he permit himself the anachronism Of
Governor Nichols receiving messenger from Count
Frontenac. when the after did not arrive In Amer
lea until several years after the English Governor
had sailed for home?
Life In Southern California. Before the Gringo
Came" that ls before the Americans had found
their way thther. must have been very intense. II
the stories eleven I'm all. In Mrs. Gertrude Atner-
tons last book reflect its phases accurately. The
cmaxes OF these tales are speedily reached.
ardent Is the Spanish blood ard then there are
cries and cursings and flashing daggers and frantic
appeals to heaven mixed with much other violent
language There is the raw material here for half
dozen melodramas that would carry delight to the
faded Bowery audiences What. for instance
could he more thrilling than the description OF the
escape Of La Perdida and her lover from the old
husband: "A lean. bent and wiry thing darted
from the shadows and upon the horses neck Ii
was the husband OF La Perdida. and his little
brown face looked like an OLD walnut. Take me
with thee" he cried. 1 will give thee old mans
blessing. and clingng like a crab to the neck OF
the gaioping mustang he drove a knife toward the
heart OF La Perdida. The blade turned upon itself
az lightning sometimes does and went through
stringy tissues, instead OF fresh young blood.
Carlos plucled the limp body from the neck of
the horse and hung II upon cactus bush. where
IL sprawled and sthencd among the spikes and the