New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-16


exist, but only kind of grotesque as a
kind OF monster. She rouse no healthy,
lasting sympathy; she enforce no moral
lesson nor can she touch our sense of whzS il
fine and noby tragic in literature.
The novelist who wishes to paint his hrvs
and beautiful lovers against a sanguiBary back.
ground is usually careful to remove them 70
some savage country or to put them back into
some period more trucuent than our own. Mr..
Boothby is not cautious. He goes back far
enough to get the parsonage who gives thu
title to his new romance, "Pharos the Egyp-
tian," bringing that baleful warIock from the
court of the Pharaoh who hardened his heart
against the children of Israel and would not
let them go: but the and woman whose
love story he connects with the ancient ma
gicans closing years belong TO our own day,
and for their background we are finally given
"a plague stricken world. Pharos is a delight
full old wretch with hypnotic powers, unlimited
wealth and a desire to work out destiny too
fantastic TO he here recounted in plain prose.
Mr. Cyril Forester who falls in love with the
Egyptians ward is artist. Pharos gets him
under his influence inocuates him with the
arcent Egyptian plague brings him back from
the Pyramids to Europe-and people begin 10
die like sheep! "Tis a rare plot, preposterous TO
the last degree but the lovers are happily
united in the end, and the reader who has
picked up the book to be amused does not feel
as he renqushes il that he has been defrauded.
Time was when Mrs. Everard Cotes, who was
Miss Sarah Jeanette Duncan then, could write
a fairly good book. She published "A Social
Departure" artless, formless spontaneous
book, with hardly a dull page in it, about ten
Tn,r
ton, but it had energy in it, it was full
of fun, and it worth reading lts success
turned the author into novelist, but not, we
regret TO say into one whom ii is pleasure
10 read "Hida" the latest OF her ventures, is
an incarnate bore. The frail story is attenuated
still further in order to make it fill out the
allotted space and instead of the brisk, un-
forced dialogue of which Mrs. Cotes was once
capable We have vapid would-be clever re-
marks in the manner of Mr. Henry James.
"Hilda" is a pathetic production, illustrating
vain effort TO be serious brilliant, psychological
and so on. There is not a credible character
in ii.
The authors OF THE Span o Life" begin their
work with rather more spirit and skill than
they show as the narrative proceeds. Their
inventive powers are hard put to it to keep the
various characters near enough to one another
for the purposes of the plot, and so, with
mingled weakness and audacty. they transport
them all to Canada in way or another
ignoring the fact that the force OF coincidence
IL thereby somewhat abused. Save for tins
cIeakinc of the wheels of their romance, how
ever the authors leave a bright impression
Their hero a follower Of Prince Charlie who
forsakes him because he tires of mixing himself
10 in a miserable farrago of pothouse plots
and chamber mysteries which have only served
TO turn some honest men into rogues, is gal
liant soldier and graceful courtier, with very
taking voice and a bonny taste in sentimental
songs He largely sings himself into the good
g.aces of the lady whom he ultimately marries'
There is a Stevensonian flavor to this charac-
ter as there is indeed, to the entire romance
j. might probably have been made shorter,
csI ecialy as the elaboration of the text has not
availed perceptibly to enrich il with the color
of tire time; but here is picturesqueness IN the
adventures of the hero and heroine, II not IN
their environment it is drawn in these pages,
and quite without rising to the dignity OF
vertable historical romance, The Span o
Life holds the reader and gives him pleasure
o