The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1899-11-04
THE PASSING SHOW
VILLA GATHER
Oh the East is East, and the West Is West.

I'm the East is East, and the West is West.
and never the twain may meet"
Rudyard Kipling.
The September "A,lau,ic" contains a
story OF more than passing interest, "rbe
mao At the Edge of Things" by Mrs,
Ella W. Peattie. 1t is Certainly the
pest western story that have CHANGED
10 read. BY that ! do not mean that il
mas more of the Wet in it than a good
many other western stories, but I have
not happened to see elsewhere 80 exouis.
lite literary effort concerning itself
with the problems Of life. in the middle
west, and | am not forgetting some re-
markedly brilliant by young Wolco'.
balest'er. IL is not by any means the
hrst good western story III t Mrs. Peat.
tie has written, but it stands out 90
prominently above all her previous work
that one might say it begins a new era
with her. In the first place, it ia good
reading mercy as story, it has incident
enough to attract the most Indifferent
eye, and that, Of cour-e is the prime co.
sentlal in a short story. 10 construct.
ing story, as 10 building an air sh;pt
the first problem is to get something
thGt will lift it's own weight. But the
abiding delightin "Iha Man at the Edps
OF Thing is the mastery manner in
which the incidents are used, the light
and shade, the perspective and bold fore.
shortening which give the story lis uI-
usual vividness aud direc ness. Ordi-
nar'ly the most unattr active feature
about western stories is their monoton.
GUS chcerlessness, q feature 60 indigen.
Gus to The atmosphere Of a prairie coun-
try that perhaps only people that have
lived there can understand it's int vitab!e
ness. rhie, Mrs. Peattie has deftly
avoided by placing the fret part Of her
story in the east. The story begins
amid the college festivities Of "DiIling
Browns Commencemen day, and
jumps then to "Dilling's' old home in q
quiet village in New York state, where
there are comfortable maiden rel .tives
who look after him, and nice girls who
play tennis and dispense lemonade; aud
all the quiet. easy friendships that
spring from long acquaintance and
norma! conditions OF living. The close
ness and intimacy Of their quiet village
life, the friendly, shelter.ng atmosphere
created by the old no ne, the old box
wood walks. the old china and old mem
cries, the devoted old women who serve
him, is insisted upon just enough to
bring about the vigorous contrast the
author wanted. a. d in the latter part OF
the story the arid airs, the scorchinR
v inds and hot horizons are haunted by
vague suggestions Of that sweet, ccol,
green spot on the Atlantic coast and the
odor OF box wood and mignonette. For
"Oilling Brown" was not content with
the narrow horizons Of happiness, and
he went to seek his fortune in the free
grass country Of California. The whole
Of the ranch life 10 treated with viriIity
and vigor and color. Brown took up
bis abode at the edge Of things with
many hundred sheep and q few herds
mel and Chinese COOK, living in an
adobe house formerly Inhabited by a
uckless theepman and his sister who
had been overta':en by disaster and fled
The country. leaving their shack fur
,ished and standing empty in the painted
desert. All about the room in which
'Dilling Brown" slept there were re-
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