The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-12-09
Books and
Authors.

THE HOUSE BEHIND THE CEDARS.
by Charles W. Chestnut author of The
Wifi. of His Youth, and THE Conjure
Woman Boston: Houghton. Mitflin &
Co. Bound in cloth, l. mo-. 29l pages
Price $50.
Some time ago the atlantic Monthly
in its contributors column, discussed the
question whether j successful novel deal
ing with the co,er-lne III this country
could he written. BY this was meant not
a novel of negro life, but one with Il plot
Ringing on The relations between the man
of color who is almost white and his
white neisIoDors. The conclusion of the
writer seemed TO be that such a novel
coiiid not succeed.
Charles W. Chestnut, encouraged by
the success OF his two previous books,
The Wife of His Youth, and The
Coniure Woman. has tried his skill on n
novel dealing with this difficult theme.
He Boldly takes the case Of a beautiful
girl and a gifted young man, on the Dor
der line between the races. who seek to
escape by stepping over the coloT-line
from the slavery of caste which persists
long after involuntary servitude has be
come a matter of history. The trials, not
To say tragedy almost inevitable, can
easily be surmised. but the authors treat
delicate. artistic, and gives his novel
unique place III American literature.
No matter how skiifully the author has
performed his part the subject is one
that is not reiishCd by southern people and
The House Behind the Cedars' will not
attain great popularity in the southern
States 1t adds interest to the story.
however. 10 know that the writer himself
Belongs to the class from which he draws
his material.
WOUNDS IN THE RAIN. BY stephen
Crane, author of THE Red Badge OF
Courage Active Service etc. New
York: Frederick a. Stokes Company,
For sale by The Bell Book and Sta
tionery Company, Richmond, Va. Bound
in cloth, 12mo.. gilt top, ;'il pages.
Price S1.225.
wounds in the Rain is the somewhat
peculiar title given TO stephen Cranes
posttumous book, collection of stories
dealing with the Spanish American War
OF special interest as the last work Oh
that gifted writer, these eleven stores
have a distinct individual value as pre-
serving the spirit and color OF the war
in Cuba. The stories are all from the
point of view oe newspaper correspond
cnt and several Of them have to 90 not
with the great battles, but with the SEN
sations and actions Of correspondent
during the battle. They are not magnlh-
cent battle pieces, but lndlNlduai eA-
periences.
The style has that peculiar charm
which made s.The Red Badge of Courage
SO successful. The local color IS there.
but the arts; is so s!lillful that the read
er simply sees the result and loses sight
of the many mastery strokes which have
made the picture
The "St. James Gazette, London, says
of it
1.-The stories are shorter, there is not
the same irresistible sequence of things
nor the pauseless. violent sweep of
thought and deed which made The Red
Badge wonderful. Yet, just us in that
book, there are some sentences which
only AIR. Crane would. or perhaps could,
have written. Take this from The Clan
of No-Name' Eight men fire vo!ley at
a Spanish block-house. Then they laugh
ed and yelled insulting language, for they
knew that. as far as the Spaniards were
concerned, the surprise was as much as
having diamond bracelet turn to soap.
In some other of his books Mr.. Crane
wrote once of a soldiers knee turning
to bread. Take another instance: on
the way he passed many things; bleed
ing men carried by comrades: others
making their way Srlmly, With encflm-
soned arms; then the settlement of the
hospital squad; men on the ground every
where. many in the path; one young cap
tain dying. with great gasps, his body
pale blue and s;listen:ng, like the inside
of a rabbits skin
But there is the same humor, the same
power of making the behavior of his
fighting soldiers subjective Goings of his
own. and the same picturesque language
and pithy slang as Mr.. Crane set down in
so mastery fashion in his first war
story
sTRrNGToWN. on THE PIKE. BY John
Iri Lloyd Dodd. Meade & Co, New.
York. publishers.
The scene of this story is laid in North
#ern Kentucky, in and around one of. the.
typical small towns of that section. The
story is woven around the superstition OF
an old slave, a descendant of one Of the
negroes drought from the Gold Coast OF
africa, who reaGs from the ashes the fu-
ture life of the hero ard heroine of the
story Although their life does take the
course foretoid by him. yet it Is TO be
ILL