New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-22
THE SCOT AND THE STAY.
TALES BY MIR. CROCKETT. DosfolEVskf
AND OTHERS

TALES BY MIR. CROCKETT. DosToiEVsKf
AND OTHERS.
c1EG KELLY: ARAB OF THE CITY; HIS SPECS, PROS
REsS AND APVENT,o,hESS c Sy q ~
Dostoievsky by Lena M!lman. With an an in RaS.
duction " George Moore. 16mo, pp lS'. Hoo-
erts Brothers.
A POINT OF CONSCIENCE. BY The DucnesS'
limo, Do. 81. ]. Il. Lippincott Company
A VIRGINIA COUSIN AND BAR HARBOR
TALES BY Mrs. Burton Harrison. iomo' pp'
eO2 Lamson. Wolfe & Co.
Mr.. Crocketts old admirers VIII recognize II"
"Cleg Kelly" a reverslon to the early manner III
which this writer his literary spurs IL VIII Dc
surprising IL the return does not meet with general
approval. For while 1t is true that Mr.. Crocke'.
has many rivals and some superiors in the kind OF
historic fiction illustrated by 1.-The Raiders ne ~
peculiarly conspicuous for such viVac'ous anu
truthful portrayal OF contemporary Scotch lie ana
character as he. offers in his latest book. He mas
Barre's huency and quiet humor Maclarens seho-
ment without his sentimentalism, and over ana
above these things he possesses gilt Tor wnat may
be called disqualification" for picturc-makng quite
his own No contemporary writer makes the reader
see his characters and scenes better than Goes Mr.
Crockett The effect OF Illusion Is created without
apparent effort with no visible arnce OF style. II
we except the introduction here and there OF some
picturesque Scotch word whose vague suggestive
ness seems less obscurty than an ADDED grace
or the occasional employ ment Of an audacious fig
ure novel 1t Is appropriate his CHAR
acters express themselves vigorously. and some
times with startling abruptness, as when "Cieg ex-
claims In the very first sentence OF the book IT'S
all a dumb lie-Gods dead!" The language Is al
ways, moreover. In character
The plot OF "Cleg Kelly" as in most of Mr. Crock
etts books is loosely constructed and episodc' re-
minding the reader Of series OF stories tnan
OF a compact novel. Instead OF being defect this
method Is used-at least in the present instance
with most happy results. 1t has the appearance OF
being the only one, moreover, suited to the theme
which the author set out to develop-the
evolution OF an impetuous. mischievous. thor
oughy original boy into the mature man and happy
husband The space OF time being so considerable.
II s doubtful II a better device than the episodic
method could have been found. The author Is al
lowed the greatest freedom in the treatment OF his
material. and he has been able. without breaking
with the main thread OF his story. to indulge his
fancy In a number Of side issues. which have a
bearing on the development OF "Clegs" character.
though not organic parts OF the novel. There are
exceptions to every rule. and Mr. Crockett has de-
monstrated In "Cleg Kelly that digressons are not
inconsistent with effective portraiture. "Cleg
stands out clear and dennite-a figure to be remem-
bered and loved. He is thoroughly human COM
pact as natural. healthy boys are wont to be. OF
faults and virtues In about equal parts. Thus 1t
Is his fault that he lights the fire on the Crsigsde
but II is to his credit that grief for what he did In
a moment OF impulsive resentment Is brought home
10 him by the discovery that the flames thrsa tened
to wreck birds nest. "Gud lfe." cried Cles. who
kept Kindness to birds and beasts the softest spot
Of his heart-"Guid life. I never thocht the birds
wad be biggin already
Miss Milman has done creditable piece OF work
IN rendering Dosto!evskys Poor Folk into Eng
sh She has managed to steer pruden.ly between
lteralness and paraphrase. with the result that
she conveys just impression OF the Russian nov
elists style. As for the story which Dostoievsky
ha- unfolded In a series OF letters exchanged be-
tween varvara Aiexeivna and Makar Alexeievitch
1t Is characterized by the sombre simplicity which
IL peculiar 20 much Russian fiction. There is no
apparent striving for effect The narrative de-
velops slowly naturally. inevitably Such work Is
not done with generalization: It Is not elaborated
by the laborious collection OF human documents
but springs spontaneously from a hear. which has
itself lived and suffered. The Russians realists
because they are born So and the author OF Poor
Folk is one OF the greatest and most natural OF
modern realists This story which Miss Milman
has translated with so much sympathy Is one OF
the best products OF his genius. 1t made his repu-
tatlon In Russia. and him the friendship OF
was brought by the poet Nikrassofr in manuscript
II Is the story OF a frutless love between q poor
old clerk Makar and his neighbor across the way
the simple. lovable Varvara. and 1t celebrates a
communion CT sentiment, a devotion. which borders
closer on friendship than passion 1t Is a
tragedy OF resignation. for Makar knows that he
cannot hope to marry Varvara George Moore has
introduced Miss Milman's translation by an essay
which serves its purpose OF giving the reader the
proper point OF view from which to read the story
that follows
"A Point OF Conscience IS neither bstter MIR
worse than any one Of the dozen or more novels
which the public owes 10 the prolific pen Of tho
lady who signs herself THE Duchess The far,,or
properties are all present; supremey handsome
athletic men: villains with souls black as Erebus
lily-like languishing young women fiery ma ssonata
girls with dark eyes, stately dowagers with SLENDER
patrlclan, heavily hinged fingers: witty married
women with swift. beautiful movements. maror
houses. outdoor sports and moonlight ad llbium
From the point OF view OF THE Duchess no love
scene Is complete without dash Of moonlight and
II POSSIBLE gravel walk. 1t may be added that
her characters. In moments of exalted passion .ro
prone 10 quote poetry. Il not TO express themselves
with hne disregard for the pebeian rules OF correct
English "A Point Of Conscience" is the story NJ
a highly complicated love episode The in,sr.s,
centres In the heros reasons for interceptng n Iet
ter In which the villain proposes marriage 10 the
heroine He interferes In order to save the strl-
who really loves the vlain-from running her Young
life. and In order to leave her free to marry h,,
the hero). Certain asonzing complications follow
the discovery Of verschoyles act but the wound is
healed In the last chapter when the heroine
realizes that the hero was very noble fellow "a
force her to marry him. The villain marr,es the
outrageous French governess.
or the three short stories which Mrs Burton Hsr
rison has grouped together under the title OF "A
Virginia Cousin and Bar Harbor Tales the first
now appeais IT. print for the first time and belonps
to that cosmopolitan type Of fiction which is Identi
fed with Mrs. Harrison's work. The characters
have social standing are wealthy cultivated I'm
TO a certain point. and have unlimited leisure rhs
class to which they belong has a historian In Mrs