The times., 1897-12-19
Another snracinesca story

Another raf'ineSca story.
In the first lines OF '-Corlaone' the + rsaier
finds a prorise anda a stimuiant' for ne dts
covers t!.at Marion Crawford has returned
10 the deIiphtfui Saracinescas. This charm
Ing family which has won 80 nany en'ha-
siasllc admirers for its 1rea for;' indeed
permanency in literature which ZONE 1-her
of Ids creations could command, unless we
except sir. Isaacs, is not merely epis.di
bu, ~ conspicuous an element in tie nav
story that il may be counted at once
fourth in the delightful series which EN-
braces sequentially "Saracinesoa, SAINT
nario,' and Don oFsinO-" 1t i air II "
inferred, and rightly, that he Is back
again on the Heath % which in a ry
sense he is native the land of flowers AID
blue skies-Italy, Whose life, beauty, heart
and soul are at his finser-tips.
The hrigand-riddea slopes Of Aetna.
in Sicily isthe localeofthe adventures with
which the story bristieS, almost inelodr inaI-
icaliy. IT is a story OF action Through
it all is the crimson vein of the Malta,
the SiCiliaE Secre. society af which we
first became intimately cGgnizant several
years sro through its workings in New
OTle That Mr. Crawfurdtiasi ianiiliarized
himself with the country and towns 81
Sicily, its people and peculiarities. and is
famous hngandace is ounSpicuouSiy rateGt
I'm spite of his astonishing producuveness,
which would seem tu belle this possibility.
Moreover. he throws uton this strange Oh
ganiZatiun new light. most gfapilcall!
expressed in the words OF his heroine, Wit
toria. Tic Malta i not hand, size says.
.spor ANYTHING of the sort. tits the resist
ance which the whole Sitsilian people op-
poses - all kinds of government and an-
tharIty, Itis-now shall say2-a sentiment,
a feeliup, Il sort OF wild love ofour country,
that lisa secret and wllido an ythpg- With
US every body knows what IL is, and evil
comesto ey eryone whuoppoSes it generally
death" This sentiment is the cGaracteriza-
tion Of his story. The dramatic expansion
Of the idea is what gives ''Corleone" 81
Fascination and power.
Curleone Is an Impoverished Sicilian
family Tie two sons OF the pagliuca
branch. accompanied by their mother AMI
sister, Vittoria, come TO Rome to sell their
estatc San Giacinto, the giant Saraeines
ca. buys it, and Don orsino goes with him
To restore IL. on their way they arc
attacked by Sicilian hrigands and Don
orsino. returning fire, kills Ferdinando.
q brother Pa gliuca, who had not consented
to the sale This fatality seems TO blast
Don orsino's hope OF marrying Fittoria.
with whom he is in love. Love for
Sicilian girl who has become famoIs in
Rome as an opera singer attracts the
other brcthers cf Pagliuca to Sicily, ami
q series Of sttrTingly dramatic situations
and climaXes ensue, OF which ip would
be unkind Il give more than a hint. The
story Ir its entirety is too splendidly told
to risk the possible injustice of revamping
One scene especially fine is that follow
ing the Wild pursuit of Francesca Pag.
nuca by his brother. Tebaldo, both Of
whom have been rivals for the singer
The description of the ride itself is one
of the graphic gems OF the novel Fran
ceSau seeks shelter In a chapel, where, by
chance, Ippolito Saracinesca, a priest.
is playing at the organ. Teh3ldo overiakes
his brother and Kills him, almost at the
foot OF the altar. Then turning and see
ing lppolito, he confesSes 10 him and fle IS.
The priests lips are sealed with the
sacramenial secrecy of the confessional,
and, as every evidence Of circumstance
points 10 him, he is arrested as the mur-
derer. The situation is magnificeu5ly de-
scTihed.
1fincident and dramatic action are dorni-
man, liz ''CorIeone," there is observant q
subsidiary flow OF Characterization, which
is In its own va V as secure and artistic as
anything Mr.. Craw ford has done. The three
Pagliuca brothers are opponents of The
typical SiciiIan. The priest, Ippolito, is
another character traced in few and unin-
sisting, but nevertheless clear, firm lines.
Even Mr.. era wford' own creative pen can.
not add familiarity to Don orsino, Corona,
San GiacintC and his wife. The perma-
nent characters which the author has given
60 fiction in this story are Tebaldo, Pa sli-
uca. San Giacinto, Carolina. the mother OF
the Pagliuca youths; the singer, AiiaEdra,
and the brigard, Moscio.
There is . sa Wing that a thing is as weak
as its weakest part. 1t is not fair to apply
it C. Ifter. Rather let him be Judged by
his best work. Crawford has written with
varying excellence "A Rose of Yester-
day and Adam Johnstone's Son" are
least crelitablc TO his reputation as an
able novelist, a reputation springing from
and sustained with en..tasis by his sarac-
inesca stories. The haSpy ending of Cor
leone" suggests that the series may be
carried into Il fifth novel, andas Mr.. Craw
ford has never disappointed his readers when
the delightful Italian family has been his
Inspiration. we cannot quarrel With him if
heinduiges what &, in most 0 + his admirers
minds, "a hope. New York: Macmillan
Company. Washington All Booksellea IS
vols S2.y