The times., 1898-10-09
"Daxid Harum."

david Harum."
David Harum," by Edward Noyes
Westcott, is a book which has been
rather conspicuously brought to the no
tice of the public by its publishers, who
professed to have found in it a new type
of fiction. David Harum is, ii was said
in the advance notices. type of the coun-
try capitalist of Central New York who
has never before appeared in literature.
The fact that the book and the life of its
author came to an end almost at the same
moment lends an additional interest to its
pages The novel was Mr. Westcott' s
first important work of fiction, and he
dictated the concluding chapters upon his
deathbed. This circumstance causes the
reviewer to feel, even before opening the
volume, that he would like TO touch it
gently.
But there is really no occasion for
showing especial consideration to "Da-
vid Harum." The work is strong enough
to stand on its own feet There is but
one character in the story though the
minor personages who form the back
ground for this one figure are well drawn
The actor who occupies the center of the
stage from beginning TO end is David
Harum, the crusty, eccentric, but kindly
old country banker. A dainty touch in
the construction may be seen in the first
few chapters. After Introducing David
to the reader and bringing out a few of
his more commonplace traits and tenden-
cies, the author goes off on an apparent
tangent and takes up one John I4enox
and his love story, until the reader. a
little piqued and wearied of a very or
dinary romance, begins TO wish that there
were a little less John Lenox and little
more David Harum in the book When
this effect has been produced, Mr.. Lenox
is swung into line as Harums cashier
and the mind returns with renewed zest
to the investigation of the character of
David
David Harum can hardly be called
type He is not idealzed enough for
that. He differs from the New Eng
land and Middle Western business man,
whom various writer's have presented to
u.s. in very subtle but quite distinct
way. He impresses one as a portrait
His dry, quaint sayings are not too fun
ny 10 have been produced by such a
man, but they have a drollery of their
own. David tarum is not a great wit.
but he is, on the whole. a likeable even
lovable old fellow. One of his stories,
told at a dinner party. concerns a GER
tain elder who wished to shoot the de-
stroyer of his chickens:
THE elder aid David. event down and bolph.
pound o powder an had il done up in brown
paper bundle, an put il with MS own stun in
the bottom of his democrat wagon; but il come
on to rain some while he ridin back an
the stuff got more or less wet, an so when he got
home he spread it out on a dishhpan, an put il
under the kitchen stove to dry an thinkin' that
1t ant dryins fast enough, ! spose, made out
10 assist natures as the sayn is, by stirrin' ont
up with the kitchen poker Wa'al. ! lest know
how il happened. an the elder cert'inly didn't
fer after they'd got him untangled I'm under
what was left of the woodshed an kitchin stove
an tied him up in cotton battn', an set his leg,
an put out the house, an few things like that
by he come round little, an the fist thing
he says 'wa'al. wa'al wa'aln What is il
par says Mis- Maybee bendin' down over him.
That peowder, he says, in almost no voice, that
peowderi | was Jest stirrin' ont little. an it
went off. went Oft he says, 'seemin'-ly, ina
minute"
They all laughed except one feller. He was an
Englishman-l fergit his name. When got
through he looked kind O. puzzled, and says:
(Mr. Harum initiated his style as well as he
could But rally Mr. Harum, you know that's
the way powdah always goes of, don't you
know an then said David, they laughed
hardern ever, an the Englishman got redder'n
a beet
This. with the conclusion of David
Harum, story of his marriage and the
loss of his child, gives fairly good idea
of the dialect work of the book The old
banker says in the latter connection:
''The's good many dif'rent sorts and kinds o.
sorrow, that's in some ways kind O. kin TO each
other. but l guess losin' a child's a specie by
itself OF course, | passed the achin smartin
point years ago, but it's somethin' you can't fer
git-that Is. you can't help feelin' about il. be-
cause it amt only what the child WIS To you but
what you keep thinkin he'd "a ben CROWN
more an more 10 be to you. When ! lost my
little boy ] didn't only lose him as he was but |
ben lOSln' him over an all these wears
What he'd "a ben when he so old: and what
when he'd got TO be big boy; and what he'd "a
ben when he went mebbe TO collidge; an what
he'd "a ben afterward, an up TO now. OF course |
the times when 4 man stuffs his face down inter |
the pillers nights, passes after while, but while
thes some sorrows that the happenin' o. things |
helps We TO fergit, guess the's some things that
the happenin' o. things keeps We rememberin', an
osin child's one on EN-
Perhaps the best chapter in the book |
is that in which David Harum tells of |
his own early years, and the one red-let- |
ter day of his boyhood-the day when |
the fine gentleman of the village, a |
light-hearted, kind-hearted young fell |
low-took him to the circus. That story |
and the result of the incident are par
ticularly dramatic and telling and if |
printed as a short story might have |
been even more effective than here. |
Those chapters alone are excuse
enough for the books existence. |
Another chapter with a rich humor of |
is own is that which describes the dea-
cons horse trade, earlier in the book.
For people who are fond of dialect or
who enjoy studies of the common man
# America, this book will be something
If a find. 1t is realistic painting, with
Iii the faults and the virtues of a pho
ograph CNew York: d. Appleton &
Jo)