The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-26
BOOKSTORE CHAT.


MIR. Stockton's Newest osium
of Travelers-Recent Fiction.
Plainly, II Mr.. Frank X. Stockton mad
not been most nimble humorist OF ever
new surprise he would have been writer
of things wildly adventurous, perhaps of
the late Mr.. Stevenson's kind. As IL Is
In his more sizabie writings he often con-
fuses us and we have 9 dreadful suspicion,
the while We turn his pages, nat the tirst
thing we know we viii have to take
him seriously and revei in romance of the
kind that thrills. We are rarely compelled
to 1t, though often made to feel that it
IL about as well TO be killed as scared to
| death.
For instance, the other day a man who
had got out of bed on the wrong side that
morning took train and q copy Of "Mrs.
Cliffs Yacht" to Boston. He followed
the charming widow with ever increasing
delight through chapter after chapter.
lie enjoyed immensely her funny embar-
rassment with more money than she
could spend without having IL grow
ahead OF her alarmingly and he laug he'd
outright when Burke told how he had
blown himself of by chartering q shin
ana sailing ii for 100 miles along the 4stn
parallel Of latitude and then backing il
back TO port again, hanging to the same
line-s performance that he dattered him
self was more novel and would really
excite more attention than going on a
sailors drunk---which il truly was and
did. The building of the dining room
on The next FLOCK, where the work could
be carried on without annoyance to Mrs.
Clif, and the moving IL up to the house
when completed, the proposition 10 board
needed servants az the hotel while the
house was being enlarged were all calcu- |
lated to make the mau who got out of bed |
on the wron side feel progressively better |
and by the time he had read about the
beginning OF the cruise Of the Synod he
had reached Boston and tattered him.
self be was the happiest feeling man in
that town.
1t was some days after this experience
that the man again picked up "Mrs.
cliffs Yacht" and mis- surprise and con-
'ternatiou at the conviction following
The dawn of the discovery that it was a
blood and thunder story that no was
'eading may be imagined. bnt hardly
described. just where the transition
'ame the amazed reader was uuprepsred
o say. lie found himself still reading
rood story but 1t was not the same story.
lie couldn't quite feel that IL was ex-
city right somehow, but IL he had
'nown Mf. Stockton better he would
ave known that that delightful suthor
las before given evidence of an itching
o write book that will make your hair
iss and your blood curdle, such evidence
oboing up most unaccountabIy not to
nv inopportunely. IT really is not right to
lunge such capital good company as
lrs. Cliff and Burke and Willy Group and
Le Synod into CORY pirate ysrn, and
ithout any warning and Mr.. Stcc kton ,
bound to be unfair to his pirate story,
DO, lest ID overwheIm the whole fancy
18th it's terror. So there's no satisfaction
ther way.
"Mrs. Cliffs Yacht'' Is Mr.. stockton,s
test. II tells of what the widow tried !.
do with the treasure discovered in the
Adventures of Captain Horn" 1t Is
lblished by Charles Scribner's Sons
no give ~ a befitting style with a sig. p
hcant cover design. 1t is illustrated. q
pr sale by Preston and Rounds; cloth o
mo. Price Sl.5O. II