New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-08-13

ments." Henry VIII In TINS romance Is a
breathing man, Anne Bullen a fascinating
woman, and with Cromwell with Wolsey, with
the Earl of Northumberland, the author has
been equally successful. The sick king now
jovial and friendly, now brooding and sinister,
Is shown in the intimacy Of his life with that
radiant Queen of the May" who could herself
move from the height of innocent cayety to the
depths of vindictve intrigue. Between these
| two stands Northumberland loving Anne yet
still loyal to his king and suffering not only
from his ambiguous relations with the pair,
| but from his false position in the religious aEi-
tation of the time. 1t IS one Of Mr.. MaihAE's
salient merits that while the actors in his drd5na
are all enmeshed in confusing difficulties ana
deccptions all compelled to fence continually
over the points at issue, the integrity OF each
| character is unimpaired, its essehtla note ~
unobscured Anne Bullcn for all her acting
toward the king and toward Northumberland
is still Anne, her natural impulses always shin
inc through every tortuous situation Northum-
berland bufleted to distraction 10y dozen OPP
nosirc events is somehow the master of them
ALL even when he is languishing in the Tower.
He Keeps the readers sympathy through all the
changes Of fate. Cromwell, now cringing ana
now insolcnt is drawn with perfect consistency,
and Henry. even In the worst phases OF his
animdsm and cruelty, remains the king with
out tact ana power a romance like this Ringing
as II does upon the kings Oriental love ahaiS'
might easily have dcgencratcd into sensational
ism and commences. Mr. Mathew, ty instinct
apparently. treats every incident at Just the
right angle and gives us as the result diGnl-
fed and most agreeable work Of art The book
is happily illustrated with three of Holbeins
portraits
There was printed the other day picture Of
Mr. Guy Roothby debating a novel 10 a phono-
graph "Dr Nikola's Experiment" might easily
| have been the novel 1t is totally innocent OF
ANYTHING that could be described as literary
style But Mr. Boothby has other claims upon
his reader Hr can keep that individual inter
estcd from the first page to the last Dr.
Nikola n favorite figure with this author, IS
this time displayed in the modest task OF trans
forming a man III the ninetios back to youth
| fulncss and robust health. He succeeds IN his
/ task until the patients mind is reached. That
! hc cannot restore; In fact by the time h. gets
| through with his experiment IN" subject OF II
/ Is a bowling mailman. The poor doctor Is sadly
disappointed In order to show that he has tho
amlable qualities not very evident in the earlier
/ stories woven around his extraordinary person
aliy the author poses his hero sentimentaiy
| on the battlcmcnts Of his castle when the book
/ comes To "A close. "A lonely gentleman, sore at
! heart because the daughter Of his patient has
not been rewarded with sight of her father
completely restored to mental and bodily health.
| AZ ne murinurs his farewclls to Consuelo the
! rcluycnatcd old man ~ lying dead at the bot
/ tom Of the moat Claspcd III the arms "t Ger
tain ChInamau who has had murd"rous designs
uIun pr Nikoa himself but has only met ms
own death ia the enterprise. ConSu"lo LOOKS
back upon the scene of more than one tragedy
! eI, q, htr lover l. Win hrr ana
go the story may be said 20 end happily enough
| dcspit, its fantastic horrors.
| Mr. Warnan introduces his sketch OF Western
! railroad life as - dccoy duck stuffed with
ovst.rsr the duck being fiction, the oysters
! facts Both his fiction and his facts are rX-
cccdIurlv interesting and 80 well blended that
| the reader does not easily trace the dividing
| line The book Is not "A novel. but Is quite as
| entertaining as one 50 fun is II of picturesque
and trarical episodes and Of shrcwd strokes or
| characterization. The philosopher. tn" labor
leader the old engineer the light hearted Patsy
| are pcrsonagcs that remain very Inu'h awe TOT
! the reader after the last page is turned MT
WaIman's performance IS not reTna kable out
II Is excellent writing and excellent reading, and
| suggests that the author may some day give US
strong work more imaginative than descriptive.
| Mr. Halls stories largely stories of tho
| West and its pcopic-of the brave young army
| officer the ranch, pretty daughter, the reck-
| less horsethief, the Indian girl All these nave
| an air Of reality which does not belong To ms
| tales Of lovers, burglars and clever gamlhs' set
| within Eastern and urban scenes. The work
has NOT the note Of originality and Is Of ex-
cessivcly light weight; but 1t bears no sign oi
being intended for anything else than lazy sum-