New-York tribune., 1894-10-11
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CURRENT FICTION.

ON CLOUD MOUNTAIN. BY FREDERICK Inlckstu1
Clark. Harper g. Brothers.
AN ALTAR OF EARTH. By Thymo Monk G.
p. Putnam's Sons.
THE STORY OF A MODERN WOMAN, BY Ella
Hepworth Dixon. The Casse Publishing Co.
MATTHEW AUSTIN. BY W. E. Norris J. b.
Lippinoott Co.
PETERS WIFE. By the Duchess. J. B. Lippin-
colt Co
MISS HURD. An Enigma: BY Anna Katherine
Green. o. =. Putnams Sons.
BAYOU FOLK. By Kate Chopin. HoushtOn'
Mfiin g. co.
H;n NTENpED Mo5srv ASD sq OTHER aIS
Brothers.
Stories OF the French in the New World. By
Mary Hartwell Catherwood. Houghton' Miiliin
IN A NORTH COUNTRY VILLAGE. By NJ. r.
Francis. Little, Brown & Co.
The remark attributed to Oscar Wilde that Hall
Caine always writes at the top of his voice has in
1t some truth well wit. Mr.. Crockett, whose
romance of The Raiders led us to expect better
things Of him, lays himself open to the same charge
in Mad Sir Uchred of the Hills Cacman d
Coz The central figure of this Galloway legend Of
the time OF Charles IL. when the Kings men. under
the inspiration OF the cruel and remorse!ess lau-
derdale. harrying the Wings. has brought
upon himself the of God and madness, by rea-
Krkchrst. and wanders for years like wild beast
of the hills before the devil is exercised. The at
tempt, however, to impart tragic or even pa
thetc aspect to this extraordinary character is far
from successful. More than there is lapse.
as In the episode of Gbble Macalliser. into the
broadest burlesque. The effect is TO destroy the
readers faith already severely shaken by the gro
tesque opening of the tale. in the authors sincerity
There will be few readers of the story we venture
TO say who will wish that the gloomy Sir
ychtr had To hiG irS
back his hand TO where his great basket-hilted
sword hung. when he overheard the nanities which
his silly wife and his ser brother were exchang-
ing on the Itaanate Terrace. If he had done so
the tale would probably have come TO an abrupt
ending on page 10 instead of on page ls5 But even
then there would have been real loss TO Ntera-
ture.
Clark Russell has OF the feeling that was
sttributed-by Mr. James. believe-to Mr. Ste
venson that in the field of romance girls are so
many hindrances in boys game. Each of Mr.
Russelrs gallant sailor lads has Poll in some
port to whom his art is true; and in his last tale
of the sea, 1.-The Romance of Transport the
heroine in quite the fashion of the day. dOns rous-
ers, cutvates a manly swagger, and takes upon
herself the whole business of the drama-or melo-
drama. Her motive is a thoroughly praiseworthy
one however much one may doubt the prudence or
reasonableness of her course. 1t is to accompany
to Van Dieman's Land her lover, who is being
transported after having been convicted of scut-
Ting his ship 1t need scarcely be said that the
courageous young woman has many exciting ad-
ventures before she succeeds in securing the evil
dence 10 prove her sweethearts innocence. None
Of them has happened ever will happen in
all proba bility. But how ingeniously Mr.. Russell
persuades his readers that they might.
Mrs Mary Hallock Foote's new mining camp
story, Occur d dAlene" has at least one admirably
drawn por;rait-that OF the heroine. Faith Bing-
ham. whose breezy and unconventional entrance
upon the stage catches ones attention Immediately
cirl'S phara iS vol no
matte incidents attending the strike when she dis
plays the usual qualities which appear TO be in |
herent in pretty and lovely girls in the West Of
such writer's as Bret Harte and Mrs. Foote The
type is however. charming, and the romance OF
the Far West would be arid without 1t. that no
one Of discretion will raise troublesome questions |
as to its fidelity to real life Mrs. Foote appears |
to be less OF herself when she is dealing with
the young Englshman. Darcie. and the result is |
that the outlines Of the character study are some
what blurred The story is tod with spirit and |
grace. and ends in the good old-fashoned way. the
trials of the young lovers serving only 10 prove |
their metal and their loyalty 10 each other. II the
scene Of Frederick r Clarks novel, 'On Cloud |
Mountain" had been laid in the Sima instead Of
the Colorado hills, II could not have presented a
sharper contrast than II does to Mrs Foote's tale
Of the Coeur dAene. Casting aside the reserve
which a more serious view of his art would have
imposed. Mr. Clark has painted his cowboys and
other ranch people with a heavy brush and with
primary colors. betrayng more than once passion
for the extravagant, vehement manner Of carl
caturist. 1t is possible that these people may rep
resent studies in real life but their originals must
have been searched for far and wide. No single
community, even in a region where Individuality is
as strongly developed as 1t is in the West. could
have endured much variegated eccentricity Of
language and Of manners as Mr.. Clark has por-
trayed. The effect is at times bewderlng to the
reader who magnes himself still within the
bounds Of civilization and not a spectator Of
roaring farce one Is at loss. for instance TO
know where place the woman who. in the course
OF a few pages, expresses her amazement by declar-
ing successfully that she is "consquizzled, Cam
squozzled' and "ragfuddled." OF Abiather. another
member Of this curious family. 1t is perhaps sun-
Client TO say that "he had mild, uniform face,
with lavender-coored pimpes. and in the candle
light his skin took on swesty gl.ster" The love
story OF Emmy and Julius is apparently of second
ary Importance to the eccentric character studies
upon which the author has evidently bestowed great
pains.
Taking the French their models. but utterly
lacking the exquisite taste and deicacy of touch
OF the French literary artists, some English writer's
OF fiction seem to be more and more inclined to
celebrate their emancipation from the servitude
which they have endured at the hands of the tradi
tional Young Person. by the boldest treatment OF
themes hitherto avoided An excellent illustration
Of this tendency is found in IAN Altar Of Earth"
the author OF which is Thymol Monk The leading
figure In this morbid story is young woman who
has been educated at Newnham and who studied
for the profession OF medicine until she discovered
that she had only two years to live. She smokes
cigarettes and has a Sociastic girl friend. and is
altogether of the advanced school Dodo.
Her chief mission In the story seems TO be TO in
fame the passions of the various whom she
meets this all events. is the effect Of her pres
ence When It is added that this phase OF the
girls influence is described with genuine British
and with ndelicate suggest!veness
that Is positively repulsive. II will be that the
moral tone OF the book is decidedly reprehensblc
The moral atmosphere of THE Story of a Modern |
Woman" bc' Ella Hepworth Dixon. Is much purer
than that OF Mr.. Monks book. The heroine. thrown
by the death OF her father upon her resources
in London at first goes for art, and then devotes