The times., 1898-04-24
Joel Chandler Harris Latest hook.

(Boston: Houghton. Mifiin & Co.
Washington: Wm. Ballantyne & SOM
joel Chandler Harris latest hook
That genial Georgia story-telIer Joel
Chandler Harris, has gathered together
bundle of Tales OF the Home Folks in
Peace and War which he offers 10 the
public in book form. There are exactly
a dozen of these stories, all of them
Georgia tales, except one, "A Relle Of St.
Valerien.'' With the friendly uncoaven-
tionality which makes his work Iova5le,
Mr.. HarriS dedicates the book in this
way:
To my daughter LilIian-who viii know why |
have included IN Tales ot the Homo Folks the
little skit about our friends in st. Yalerien.
Although Mr.. Harris will probably new
er again 90 work so absolutely inspired
with the genius Of real human nature as
Were the three Uncle Remus" DOCKS,
mis- short stories are very good. and
would have made his name known all By
themselves. The present volume is per-
haps the best he has yet published.
The ColoneTs 'Nigger Dog " is a shade
the best of his collection in real power
and pathos, but the subjects range wide
ly from the negro character to that of
the patrician white man. from the heat
Of war to the palmy days Of Middle
Georgia in the fifties, and the aching
desolation Of peace after war.
''The Coloners Niger Dog belongs
to the second period, and is a study of
the peculiar relations which existed be-
tween master and slave under the most
favorable conditions Of a peculiar insti-
tuition. In no other civilization in the
world except that of the Southern States
| Of America could the colonel and his
negro Shadrach have lived and yet so
kindly and 50 skiilful is the touch OF the
artist who pOrtrays them that even to
the reader who has never known the
South they cannot fail to seem real The
story IS simple enough-only the story Of
an old slave, who has given all
| his strength and most Of the
years Of his life to the faith
full service Of a mistress who un-
derstood and valued him. At her death
he feels that he is no longer valued ex-
cept as property and by reason Of
| his condition of servitude the natural
| crotchetiness and oddity Of an old man
who has outlived his best friends is de-
MED its natural outlet. Finally he takes
10 the woods. and on returning to his
cabin for a surreptitious visit is told that
the colonel. his old mistress son, him
self an elderly man, has determined more
for the sake OF discipline on the planta-
ton than anything else 10 run him down
with a little beagle which he has been
training. The conversation which fol-
lows is 4 characteristic bit:
''what good dat gwine ter do?' Uncle Shade
Vow, ez ter dat" replied the cook. ''I can't
tell you. il may do HARM and il may not, but
what good it g7Eine ter do I'm never is ter tell
what de dog gwine ter dog inquired Uncle
| Shade.
The cook looked at the other woman and laugh
| cd, and then from her seat, adjusting her
| head handkerchief as she did so.
You mos too much fer me" She remarked,
| as she went toward the door. Mos long WAYS
| too much II YOU kin git off de groun an
| walk in de elements, de dog amt gwine ter do
nothin Maybe you kin do dat; / dunno. But
ef you can't dat ar dog'll track you down sho
ez you settin dar." Then she went out.
Uncle Shade ate his supper and then sat before
| the fire, smoking his pipe. After while he got
| piece Of candle ont of old cigar EoN, lit II,
| and proceeded 10 fansack a wooden chest which
| seemed TO be filed with all sorts OF odds and
| ends gimlets, hinges. horn buttons. tangled
twine, quilt pieces, and broken Crockery At the
! bottom he found what he was looking for-~a let
| ter that had been rolled in cylindrical shape.
Around il had been wrapped long strip Of
| cloth. lie unrolled the package, took the letter
out and looked al it, rolled il up again, and then
placed il carefully in his hat
well. den,' said hts wife, what you gwine
| Ter dog"
'Pn tell you.'' he said He leaned over and
/ placed one hand on her knee. ''Ef he don't
| ketch me, I amt comm back III he ketch me,
| I'll show i'm dat Indicating the letter. ''an' ei
dat amt do no good. I'm gwine ter Jump Of
| IHjun Bluff inter de river"
''Sbo nui 2" bis wife ASKED in 4 low voice.
| ''Sho nuif," he answered in voice as low.
| The woman sighed she from her chair
10 clear away the little table. In little while
| she began TO sing a hymn and by that time
| Uncle Shade, lying across the foot Of the bed
/ was fast asleep.
The scene In which the colonel, riding
| after his small and intelligent dog, tracks
| the old man down, IS one of the quantity
| pathetic figures in the -blossoming
| literature Of Southern plantations. Sim