New-York tribune., 1894-10-11


made. There is nothing machine however.
about the heroes and heroines Of the Duchess
Their storm tossed souls are buneted hlther ana
thther by powerful gusts of elemental passions;
their hot burning tears flow so frequently and 90
fast as to create an appreciabe feeling OF dampness
In the crises OF the story; their skill In balancing
themselves for days the edge OF moral abyss.
while glorious despair and lovely misery sweep
through their beings. has no parallel In contempt
rary fiction their nervous systems endure prolonged
emotional excitement which would prostratc or
dlnary heroes and heroines, but from which they
emerge radiant, rcspendent, saved, sanctified Such
Mt least is the experience OF Peters Wife, VINO
calls her lover Phil and who is called by him Cissy
through many sweetly agonizing scenes whle refer
himself obligtngly stays in the library and reads
This social drama works itself painfully out TO the
familiar accompaniment OF garden parties. Dances
tennis matches and kettledrums. through which
beautiful women and gallant men move in bewii-
derng procession that will appeal irresistbly TO the
Imagination OF the sentimental reader, 10 who'l
these the only gmrses she can ever nope 10
hav, OF real English society" The subtitle OF
Anna Katharine Green's last story. Miss Hurd: An
Enigma" has a deep and varied psychological
significance. For after the mystery IS cleared up,
1t st remains good deal of an enigma why
Murdoch's wife. who masquerades through the
story in numerous picturesque disguises, perslsei
in running away from him. He is represented as
very decent sort of fellow and In the depths OF her
enigmatical nature she had an affection for him
that was strong enough the end to take her post
haste the continent in order TO save his life
Notwithstanding the fact that she had been indus
triousy running away from him all through the
book. 1t may also be an enigma to the matter-of-
fact reader why Murdoch did not stop pursuing her,
after she had escaped from him several times
Perhaps however II Is much to expect that peo-
pie who are engaged in developing mysteries OF the
proportions OF this should act nationally The
story would lose much of its mysterious charm
and might possibly come TO an abrupt ending II
they to exercise ordinary common sense In
their relations with each other.
Turning to the volumes of short stories one
finds that a style OF unusual delicacy and feXbili-
ty characerzes the Louisiana tales and sketches
by Kate Chopin, which are happily grouped under
the title Bayou Folk" They are written with A
sympathetic tenderness OF feeling and with re-
finement of manner that are thoroughly enjoyable.
Some of the sketches very bricf-a few salient
lines emphasize n negro creole trait. or 10
depict an episode that. however slight. is never
trivial. The stories worked out with elabora-
ton yet they leave much to the imagination of the
reader and suggest sense OF effort The tragic
strain in the impusive creole character Is offset
in "A No Account Creole by pen portrait OF the
dainty Euphrase which is noteworthy for its sim |
plicity and sweetness. To convey wildly the |
author has done a Of the charming persona |
ty of this girl who left trail OF love behind her.,
is. indeed. small achievement. An almost equal |
success has been attained in giving life and color |
10 the background. the dapidated plantation. |
against which the figures in the little drama move. |
Indeed the natural scene has in IT many bits OF |
color that effective they are brilliant. |
But the gift OF picturesqueness is always subordi-
mated the human interest of the tale and Is cxer
cised scarcely at all in of the stories where.
as In "A Wizard from Gettysburg the dramatic |
movement is rapid. Here the pathos Is genuine,
the feeling deep-despite the thought that one has
wandered out Of the sunlight Of fact and into the
shadows of romance land New-Oreans Is also the .
scene OF the long ttle-story in Ruth McEnery
Stuart's volume, "Carlottas Intended, and
Other Stories" The people. however. whose for
tunes Mrs Stuart follows OF much
fibre than the bayou folk Of Kate Chopin. To at
tempt to anayze the lives and characters Of a fam
ly Of Italians-"DagOes" the author frankly calls
hem-who keep a corner fruit store in their rela-
,ions with a one-leggcd Irish cobbler. implies
courageous desire to leave the beaten path and
search for novel material although the sceptical
reader may doubt whether. all things considered.
the excursion proved altogether profitable II
seems. least. If the story did not exhaust the
literary possibilities that reside in the Maha- Some
)f the other stories In the volume show n closer
study of, and consequently come much nearer 10.
real life. This is especially true Of Bud cunts
Mail" which reveals from the point OF View OF
he postmistress, who is much given 90 entertaining
nOnologue and 10 spicy neighborhood gossip. much
If the warp and woof that go to make up the
somewhat thin fabric OF civilization in a Southern
'ilage The story. Ike several OF It's fellows
lows with hun and high spirits 1t Is thorough
= feminine in its texture, but Is saved only by the
iarrowest margin In instances from
fleets that highly coored to be inartistic.
let the human nature in this well as In the
'ther stories is essentially true and not without
10Th interest and value.
The seven stories IN Mrs. Catherwoods new book.
The Chase Of Saint Castin. and Other Stories Of
he French in the New World" Illustrate afresh
he difficulty OF attaining artistic results by the
prosaic treatment OF romantic themes.
his Is question OF literary temperament and
raining and amount Of laborious study in the
oocation OF facts. use. however extensive. OF
ames and places that associated with the
nance Of American history. take the place Of
he indeiinable qualities OF atmosphere. color and
harm which form the adequate and the only ade-
uate, vehicle for the presentation OF subjects Of
his class. Mrs. CatherwoOd. however. has her au-
ience. and they will find these stories fully up to
he mark of her previous
Finally. acquaintance with the people, the
manners and the customs OF a small North OF |
England community may be made through n vol
me of sketches by Mrs. NJ. f Francis entitled
In a North Country Village" Lite, Brown &
o) The studies are minut. and realistic. and
I've animated picture OF the rather narrow and ;
ninspiring life of Thorneigh.