The times., 1897-09-12
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undared waters. He still adheres TO his old
cruising parts, but somehow the waves don t
rock as of yore. There is a dead calm on.
Last week a new Howells book was pub
lished. 1t is called IAN open-Eyed Con
spracy." 1t came into the world with no
more eclat than if ii had been a literary
founding. There was no anticipation
created by its announcement, and when il
arrived at the bookmen's there was none
of the olG-time curiosity, in fact, deter
minati0n, TO have the Howells book, as
OF yore. Can it be that Howells was Il
fad -one of those cruel, fatal literary bal
looms that blow up on popular wind and
Ignolainiously burst? Or, in this case,
doesn't the balloon seem to have sprung
a leak. and to he slowly but perceptibly
collapsing and descending? 1t is a sad
consideration, this ofthe punctured Howells.
The "Open-Eyed Conspiracy is "a Sara
t0ga idyl.n Thecharacters are seven. These
are the persons speaking, as the pIaybills
say, but there is large back ground
of persons appearing. The conspiracy is
evolved in the mind OF Basil March, ard
his wifc is the .co-cunspirator. They are
a pair from the numberless who haunt
summer resorts. hut they have learned the
myth of world of gaiety that doesn't ex
list, and the something that never happens.
The victims of the conspiracy are Miss
Gage and a Mr.. and Mrs. Deering, all from
a Northern provincial town. They came to
Saratoga In quest of the world OF gaiety,
and remained in anticipation Of the some
thing gthatlnight happen. March appreciated
how they were the victims the common
delGsj0n. He conspired TO crafty them.
He saw that the something that they ex-
pected TO happen was about this: Ar
rival inroductions, social business, nu-
merous young men, one young manin par
tioular, engagement of Miss Gage, Mrs
DeerlnS's return in a state ofcompIete sat
isfaction, not being up to the emotion of
triumph. All this happened, but not in
pursuance OF the undirected currents of
chance. 1t was all the result OF March's
open-eyed conspiracy.
Thus Ear the story has fair degree of
valre. M. Howells understands human
kind, and he can dissect human character,
even if they be too commonplace TO give
the resultant interest. He has set cut
clearly state of social depression which
does exist at the summer resorts, and his
disclosure of the conmonplaceness of il
diA II Atl NlNIus Dub lHeSt same
is;ioS permeate his story. 1t is skim milk
Bot he even goes TO the despioable trick
of watering his milk toward the last.
Having effected a match between Miss
Gage and the Young man in the case, and
drawn her father out of his st. La wrenCe
moOrings and on to the scene, he proceeds
80 give us a situation. The father utterly
refuses tC accept the Young man. Now,
one says, this is Mr.. HoweIs opportunity
Her. he will show his cleverness aud show
Us how an obdurate. cross-grained pro-
-iEcial daddy can he won from his posi-
tion. But he don't. He lodges the
opportunity He backs down in the
must unsatisfactory fashion The last
pages are written il the dust OF the fleeing
consPiratcr. The three-father, daughter
..il voHng man-are left III the corner of
the piazza together, and he announces the
resnlt ir the next paragraph. The attain
ment CT this result was the one opportunity
of his book. and Mr.. Howens obliterated
it between two paragraphs.
or course, the father gave in. Mr..
Howells is stickler for naturaIisru and