New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-15
FTC'TION.
a ROMANCE OF PERIL IN MOROCCO

LISMILIAH Ply a !. Dawson. octave PIP Of
shrrhs Macmillan Company.
slrIANKA. FOREST PICTURE AND OTHER
STORIES. BY Henryk SenkiewleZ Auih0rlzseu
Unabridged Translation from the Pohsh oS
jeremiah Curtin. Octave, pp. 5s. Boston LII
ile Brown Co.
NIX DOLBY IN PEACE AND WAR Anony-
nous. Duodecmo, ID ~ Boston Small NA"'
The reader stumbles over the nomenclature
q, "Risnaillah" and over the Oriental exclama-
tons. PRAYERS and dialogues which stray orten
into The narrative The tale is all about the
adventures % a young fellow who is thrown
into the hands Of Riffian pirates by the rascal
who mas charge Of his estates and wants to
marry his sweetheart. There are captivities
and negotiations for ransoms; there Is one par
,cularly thrilling attempt at escape. and there
a. other dramatic episodes And on every
rage the local color Of Morocco taking shape
largely in the words and names 10 which we
have alluded threatens 10 dampen the interest.
But in the long run the ford sylla0les take
care ~ themselves SO does the story II moves
on with tolerable swiftness to the happy emo;
it1s spirited and IL is novel. II Is not all mere
adventure. either The characters are oddities,
some OF them. and they are mostly well drawn.
Richard Antonio BcnsaQuin. the villain OF the
tale is an uncommonly interesting creature;
The few glimpses We get OF his mother are also
worth having. and the old Jew in whose house
TIE hero is detained is quite a captivating per
sonagc "Bismillah.' in fact is likely book.
To the collected edition OF the works Of Sien-
kewicz Mir Curtin. the translator adds another
volume Of short stories. II is welcome. II the
popular Polish novelist has one fault more thah
another il is his disposition 10 dot the is ana
-wallow n prolixity" His novels. for all their
power are unduly long and weary the reader
with superabundance Of detail The present
volume reveals Sienkewicz working on smaller
eanyases and making his pictures more artistic
through painting them with a freer brush he
Is sul sadly explicit. but we can forgive MN
for the sake Of the exotic flavor which belongs
TO his work and for the sake OF his drama, MS
pathos. his human interest. We observe that
the collection embraces productions based less
On Imagination than the authors ooserVa-
Cons Of familiar things during his travels III
America In California and Texas. These Will
be acceptable IN this country The striking tale
Of "The Lighthouse Keeper Of AspnwaI' IS
Mr. Curtin informs Us. founded on fact
Mr. Dooey" prates like Iuppet OF the
imagination. But IT is suggested in the preface
70 the volume em5odying his sayings that be
may have q prototype IN life IN Chicago be
M as It may. he is a diverting lrishman "hose
Hogue Is little difficult TO follow, but VINO
ocAies the reader from time TO time with soine
aroll comment on public affairs. The comment
b, Of course, worthless as comment, but IL Is
passable fooling; and while the republication III
book form Of such journalistic ephemera Is III
NE main to be deprecated we suppose thele
are readers In Chicago who will want the per
ranent edition And readers IN the East VIII
have 70 be very solemn folk indeed II. vnen
oe hookx falls n their way, they refuse 70
eaAs