Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-05

As sister, mother, Niic.
For you but simplest wooing-
For you but death and lite
THE STORY OF OLD FORT LoUDON.
BY Charles Egbert Craddock. author OF
IN the Tennessee Mountains, ETC.
etc, with Illustrations by Ernest -
Peixotto. New York and London; lhs
Macmillan Company. 1899. Pages 4J9'
We remember the public surprise when
Il was discovered that Charles f.. Grad
dock was woman. and as we had some
personal knowledge OF Miss Murfree, we
felt q special satisfaction that another
acceptable name was added TO the list OF
I our southern authors. She writes history
/ and truth after a wholesome fashloh'
/ Her style IS peculiar. and hardly accoI u
/ ing to the best canons OF rhetoric ior II
/ too often borders on the turge-cent, II
not tho bombastic Still, "she gets there
and makes herself ineligible ana
handles her own vocabulary so easily
that It appears natural to her. stu, II
IS hoped that practice and judcious SELF
criticism Will lead to what may be gene
rally recognized as an Improvement.
This work or hers deals with the peril
GUS and murderous times OF l7Co In East
Tennessee, and graphically describes the
adventures and fate or party or four
emierants thither, consisting OF Alexan-
der Mcleod, his wife Odalie. and little
daughter Fifne. and his brother llar-
nish No reader can fail 70 be deeply
interested I'm Fihne and her cat, the
bravery Of Odalie, and the devotion OF
Uarnish to his brother. With all they
did and suffered true history Is inter-
woven.
Miss Murfree also keeps keen and
loving eye upon nature--not only upon
the fields, forests, flowers. ana mountains
OF earth. but the glories Of the sky, win
its stars and clouds, so gorgeously de-
corated by the splendois OK ire ete"'
orbs OF day and night
The times through which her story
takes us were troubous, terrible, ana
murderous on both sides. OH tho olood
that has REDEEMED the soil IN the settle
ment. civilization. and progress or these
limited States; blood spilled by lndians'
Africans. Spaniards, Frenchmen, English
men. and Americans, from leo. TO li5A, IN
1872 and I'm Mexico, and, last but not
least. I'm the great rratricidai STRIFE OF
1s6l-'G5. And our progressive clV.lzets
are still shedding their own Diood anu
that Of the mongrel islanders or the Al
lantio and the Pacific. far and near. Is
General Grants spirit still praying Tor
peace?
FOR THE HONOR OF A CHILD BY
Beulah Downey Banks. Continental
Publishing Company. New York. 1899.
cloth. Pages, 2l9. Price. 75 cents
The child referred TO above was the son
of Margaret Laurence, a poor orphan,
and Don Ricardo Lamadrid, wealthy
man Of Spanish extraction, whom she had
married upon prudential considerations.
This son was a boy OF precocious intelli-
gence and fine character. He said MS
father called his Don Santiago Laurence
Iamadrid but his mother said that III
the United States he was just PLAIN jim
Lawrence Lamadrid. He and his mother
were devoted to each other and she took
great pains in training him. His father
too. loved him and was proud Of him, but
cruel and severe 20 his mother.
MARGARET and Marmion Fairfax had
grown up together. and become more
deeply interested in each other than either
knew. until they were separated. They
were both very FESTIVE under their
poverty. about which they sometimes
freely conversed. SO, without positively
declaring 10 her his love, he went or TO
Mexico to seek fortune and left her
trying TO make her living by teaching
music.
After several years, in which he had
somewhat improved his finances, he re-
turned home and found Margaret living
not far from his mothers. in wealth and
luxury. Before he mot her he became
Acquainted with Jim and learned from
him the cruelty and neglect Of Don Ri
cardo towards his mother. At length
Marmion meets Margaret, and they ayOw
10 each other the long pent-up love in
the heart OF each. But Don Ricardo sees
them together and his ire Is kindeu. lie
determines 10 rob her OF her child. but IS
prevented by the computations OF the
villain whom he had hired 20 do tGe nefa-
rious lob. His cruelty 10 his wife Is in
creased. and at length. In his rage, he
shoots her and takes TO flight. She sends
for Marmlon. who calls in his mother 10
aid IN tending upon her, whilst she is
slowly dying. Her sweet voice died away
I'm silence. and she sank from MarmiOn's
arms back on the bed" But she had al
ready committed her darling child 10 her
other true darling, who, at the grave OF
his own happiness. accepted the unwel-
come trust. pathetic story.
FLEXIBLE MORALS. BY Ruth Louise
Sheldon. New York: II. /. Kimball, 1898.
PIP 2S5. Cloth.
We learn from the prelude that the
above IS a "pen-name," and that the
author has appeared before. in a strain
not so bold. Her title is significant
enough Before we saw that she used the
expression white lies" we had thought
of Miss Oples work on that subject ana
Miss Edgeworth's "Helen." The heroine
IS made TO tell her own story. she was
wilful and dsobedent. and brought her
troubles upon herself. Her tongue ana pen
are as flexible as her morals, when are
both fast and loose. Her book Is viva
ciOus, nippant, inconsistent, ana contra
dictory. The last fieXion OF her morals Is
a good one. She, an unhappy ana reckless
widow, returns from Monte CARO- 10 her
American home, and becomes the HAPPY
and contented wife OF one VINO had loVed
her before her first unfortunate marriage
a runaway match against her conscience
and her fathers wishes.
SHE OF THE WEST. BY Bailey Willard
continental Publishing Company. New
York: 1894 PIP. ga. Cloth. Price, 81.
Rider Haggard has given US highly
Imaginative work, entitled she whose
scene is laid on the eastern coast OF
Southern Africa. But Mr.. Millard presents
US sixteen short stories or Shs OF thc
West"-towards the western coast OF
North America. In which women play 'he
prominent parts. in mining districts or
ranches. sc. In some or them' hoWeVtt'
men only. or mostly figure, ana lhe ute
might have better been shes ana hv'
., ,ha west" Some Of the stories are
very tragic all are readable ana ,nelr
stvle IS good for such a class or Writing.