New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-29

nrobab iIity OF a teacup surviving the acc'uen'' -
military campaign has proved TO u.s. d. ''au 40, Ito,
rIous obstacle to complete ENJOY H'e"' .,.,
Miss Jewett had made her teacup a watkins ~
or a candle stck-anything. In snort ''a' ,.u
might carry from Virginia to MASSACHUSETTS wiz,
,oosopab,e certainty OF not breaking. Inc u'"''
attic effectiveness OF the story would have 'os' NO."
ing by the substitution. and the increu''o 80
would have laid down the graceful sto'y WIN o.
easier conscience. As for the other stories VIC a
nothing but praise to bestow. aithoueh "" LEI
disagree with Miss Jewett in regarding '"c ~
story as the best OF her recent efforts rro'" Jul
nont NJ View II Is unworthy OF her skill IN respec
to construction and with a theme esse"'ia''' -
Miss Wikinss New England Nun susses'e 49,
PARSONS unnattering to the present au'"o..
ever in flames Little Day ana Inc ii'
Holiday" and notably In "All My san .ap'am'
Miss Jewett il on her own ground ana mas he'e,
appeared to better advantage as an ih'eip'e'e' "
that unconscious humor and pathos "hicn ''' CO.
n few other historians OF rural New Ehs'"i ~
taught us to associate with the simple lives OF 'he'e
quaint people.
Miss Jewett's courtly Virginian Colonei mas me-
in common with Major Tom Slocon'o, VI ~,
who figures so prominently in the title story .. III
r. Hopknson Smiths "A Gentleman Nagaooho an.
Some Others" II he is like anybody ou. n,,'
then he resembles Mr.. Fords Geherai =" "ii
with the difference that, whereas the "e"e, :,
ce,ves others the Major chiefly deceves himself
]
"a pentleman yagabond," delightful. genial merry
creature with a genius for picturesque menuac''',
who IMPOSES on his friends amid such pea'9 "
CONTAGIOUS laughter that you almost lors'e nam
his faults "For him." says his biograpne'. Lie
was one prolonged drift" and readers who love
good laugh cannot be too grateful that porto"
| n, this existence was allowed TO float through VT.
Smiths pages Equally droll Is the story ehu'Ieo
"BGader" In which Is related the adventures u
marty of Americans travelling through NORMANDY
under the guidance OF special courier ""e'".
this warn Is to be ranked as the hlghes, sort vi NJ
| or,.uro docs not matter very much: It Is frankly
farcical in conception, and immensely amusing. IL
is lust such a story as man might tel a' MS
club or over a dinner table, and It's merits are
precisely those Of the irst-rate ahecdote' III.
Smith we fancy, Is more at home win uaies Vi
this sort than with any others although tha' ne -
quite able to be tragic pathetic Is clearly shY"h
by two stories included In the present voume VIM"
hear respectively the titles Of the Lazy OIL Luz
cerne' and John Sanders. Laborer the FORMER
turns on the fortunes OF an isorted marriage anu
the tragedy OF the gaming table: the latter on the
devotion OF a simple for a poor yellow oos'
Dog stories are apt TO be sentimental. but 10 MI
Smiths credit be 1t said he has given this hv'ths
| pitfall wide berth. Conceived In vein Oh iaiA
roman ticsm is the story entitled "A knight OF 'he
| Legion Of Honor" in which among other things II
| Is told how the beautiful Countess de hescha
Smoenski went to sleep on the shoulder OF an UNI
known gentleman in a railway carriage
Those whose taste runs In the direction Of dialect
will turn eagerly the volume OF stories winch MI
John Fox tr puts forth under the title "A cum
berland Vendetta and Other Stories The uncouth
soeech which Is localized among the miners OF the
Cumberland Mountains Is distinguished from others
apparently by the addition Of the letter n 70 all
words beginning with vowel and particularly 10
the. neuter pronoun Whether the ingenious reader
Is supposed to pronounce this dialect In the Cock
ney manner. with an Irish or scotch twans' or
in the dra wi OF West, Is one OF those puZ'
cling questions which each reader must answer foT
himself and will probably answer in different ways
unless indeed he has been fortunate enough 10
! know a Cumberland miner to hear Mr. Fox
read However apart from the tr.fiing difficulty OF
pronunc.ation the Cumberland dialect presents no
particular difficulties and is read about as easily as
| a corresnonding amount of pied" type. In saying
this we are conscious Of uttering most serious HI
erary hereses for the "dialectist Is COCK OF the
walk in these days and the reader who does not
| do him homage must go to the wall Yet now many
times have we wished that the clever young writer's
who are squanderng their brains in vain effort TO
add local color to their compositions by misspeli-
ing their mother-tongue would take Lowells advice
| and make their dialect a flavor and not faint.
Either they should do this else they should give
| I'D the practice OF printing their books and have
| them run of on the photograph. IL Mr.. Fox had
| done this we do not doubt that the three-page
sketch entitled ION He-for-Sartain Creek" which
| Ia cornosed throughout In the Cumberland dialect
| woud impress us as quantity humorous. As 1t
| stands it Is a trial to the sight, and makes
| volume OF the Early English Text Society monu-
ment OF simplicity. -
For the rest Mr.. Fox is young writer OF marken
promise with a genuine feeling for dramatic STU
atoms and a fine sensitiveness to the grandeur
and mystery of mountain scenery. Indeed TOT our
own part, we prefer his mountains 10 MS peoP'e'
witt the possible exception OF Easter HICKS 'he
girl who rides around on a bull and jrresstioiy re-
minds Mr. Clayton Of Europa. Easter. in common
with all unconventional girls OF her class WHO i've
in fiction and have singular beauty and quick
fire. in their eyes. falls in love with the oase
young gentleman from the city he. atter near
Ing OF her passion for him in some accidehtai mah-
ner makes a frantic effort to tear himself away
| from, the tolls OF the unconventional Circe, and
after he has debated with himself whether ne
should tell her he already engaged to marry
some one else heroically gives his hand 10 the
buxom charmer OF the mountains. IL also ire
ouently happens in tales OF this kind that when the
marriage has finally taken place the young wife.
| according to the best traditions loosens her hair
and falls asleep Just the moon rises over the
distant hills and falls softly upon her cheek. All
these conventional earmarks OF the unconventional
| tale are to be found in Mr. Foxs story, "A Noun
| tain Europa" even to the detail OF the teardrop
| which fingers in the sleeping girls eyes, and Is
regularly understood by the experienced reader TO
forbode no good. However, said. Mr.. Fox
has ability OF a positive sort. and as he Is young
may yet learn how bring the merits OF MS story
| I'D TO the level OF his descriptions OF mountain
scenery
| Mr. Percy Whites book Corruption" is super
| fetal and cynical-both fatal defects, which imme-
diately degrade what Is OF the greatest TRACE
! dies OF human life to plane OF disgusting lu-
| briefly There is nothing worthy the name OF pas
sion in the makeup OF the characters or TINS ro-
| nance OF London manufacture The worst OF IL IS
that the writer's of books like this would actually
| have us sympathize with the emotions Of their
| creations Mr.. White probably expected no less
| when he pictured the hero OF Corruption. Paul
| Carew the brilliant young parliamentarian stand
| ing the deck OF the Channel steamer looking
| back TO the English shore and sentimentalizing