The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-13

neary everything well regulated mind
despises, and yet retaining our con-
fidence and respect. But some things
he is not He is never unclean or cruel
or ungrateful; he is never a sneak or a
coward AS hero he is more interesting
than Hugh Wynne There is nothing in
! Hugh Wynne' to equal the delightful
comedy of some of the scenes which are
all the more effective for the lurid
scenes of the revolution which form
the background of the book Indeed,
| Francois Is a more cleverly construct
ed and better told story than what is
or used sometimes TO be--called THE
great American novel"
"An Idyl of the Wabash, and Other
! Stories by Anna Nichols. The Bowen
| Merrill Co.. Indianapolis and Kansas
City.
Made out O. truck ats jes' a-goin'
to waste, cause smart folks thinks it's
altogether too Outrageous common"
The little motto from James Whit
comb Riley, with which Miss Nicholas
strikes the keynote of her book, is an
| epitome of the material out of which
she has forged these ten short stories
OF Indiana life. What Miss Brown has
done for southern New England, and
Mrs. Earle for Louisiana and the Geor-
gfa mountains, that Miss Nicholas has
attempted to do for the dwellers on the
prairies and in the towns and settle-
ments of Indiana, and the result is a
collection of prairie tales, written with
considerable appreciation of humor and
pathos, and of the lights and shadows
that cross seemingly the most color
less of lives.
AS a whole, the stories are lacking in
unity of structure, but there is admir-
able directness and simplicity of man
ner, with occasional dramatic climaxes
which promise much for the future of
the author
In "A Farmhouse Drama" Miss
Nicholas has plot of striking origin
ality. The report of John Marshalls
death having driven his wife incurably
insane, he obtains a divorce from her
and marries her sister. Very unexpect-
edly Rose RECEIVERS her reason. Delicate
in bodily health her mind is in such a
state that to retain her mental balance
she must be guarded from every shock
She has never known of the divorce
and insists on returning to the home
and the husband from whom she has
so long been parted. Once at home,
she quickly wins her way back into the
affections of her former husband, while
the rightful wife, torn with jealous
aside. The denouement must be left to
the readers curiosity to unravel.
1.-THE Man who Worked for Coils
ter" BY Mary Tracy Earle. Cope
land & Day, Boston.
Under this engaging title, Miss Earle
has gathered fifteen short stories which
had already appeared in the Century,
McClure's Magazine, the Outlook, Har-
per's Monthly, Scribner's and other
magazines, attracting attention and
winning for their author we'll deserved
recognition as one of the most talented
Of our short story writer's. Most of
the tales are of the south, and deal
with Creoles, mountaineers, northern
ers strayed south, negroes and south
ern white folk. They are delightful
little vignettes, touched off with an art
at once deft and delicate and sincere
vignettes that will linger in the MEM
DRY when more elaborate and preten-
tious stories have faded from the
mind. They vary considerably in ex-
cellence, but the best of them, such
as The Man who Worked for Collis-
ter; THE Great State of Johnsing'';
1.-The Law and the Long Bone; and
Mr. Willie's WeddingzVeil." are among
the best short stories of the day.