The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-07

best bit of writing in the whole book
The sequel is easily seen. When the guests
have assembled for supper that night. the
host rises. tells the story, dropping natu-
rally into the woman's soft dialect. anc
concludes it with the simple words, La
dies and gentlemen, this Is the woman,
and | am the man, whose story | have
told you. Permit me to introduce to you
the wife of my youth
Her Virginia Nanny has simple
plot, turning on an incident which is like
iy to become rather common in our nation
| al life. II the color line is inexorably
drawn in the future. A young girl, daugh-
ter Of an octoroon mother and a white
father. is separated from her parents in !
steamboat accident, and adopted by veal
\ thy people. She subsequently meets her
mother. who recognizes her, but does not
reveal the secret. The daughter is on the
| point OF marriage with a white man OF
distinguished New England ancestry, and
| the mother believes that by the conceal
ment she is saving her daughters happi-
ness. There is hint, however, in the
last page, that the lover suspects the truth
| and is willing to abide by it.
"A Matter of Principle" the scene OF
which is laid in small Western
town, deals with the prejudice which oc-
casionally is shown toward the pure ne
gro by the quadroon and octoroon, and the
denouemc1t is decidedly humorous The
other stories deal with plantation types,
Uncle Wellingtons Wives" being an ad-
mirable bit Of pure comedy. The strongest
story in the book, however, with the pos
sible exception oil the first is "A Web OF
Circumstance" which forcibly illustrates
certain perversions of justice which are
more or less common in dealing with the
negro. The central figure is a negro black
smith who is accused OF stealing a whip.
He is tried on the same day as n young
clerk who had committed forgery through
love of gambling. The latter prisoner, being
well connected, got off with six months
Imprisonment and 500 and costs The
negro was given five years in the peniten-
tiary at hard labor. footnote explains
that there are no degrees OF larceny in
North Carolina, and the penalty for any
offence lies in the discretion OF the Judge,
TO the limit of twenty years. The story
is simply told, without any unnecessary
rhetoric, and is as powerful in its way as
that OF Jean Vatican.
There are two faults which might be
found with the book as a whole, consid- |
cred as realism. and as literature pure
and simple. Some OF tn incidents re-
corded are given a tone which might lead |
one TO suppose them to be typical whereas !
they are rather exceptional. Again, there |
Is a semi apologize, subty sarcastic at /
mosphere about some of the sketches |
which gives rather an unpleasant i'm
preston. The writer seems here to he try
ing to get into the attitude of Page, Smith.
and other delineato-3 of the negro There
is no reason why he should apologize for
the men and women with whom he deals !
in his first two stories. The unselfish de-
yotion OF Mrs. Harper and the chivalrous
action OF Ryder are admirable in any light.
This nalf-apologetic. self-conscious tone
is hard 10 define. but it is not agreeable.
and Mr.. Chestnut is at his best when he
forgets that there Is any color line and be-
comes interested in his characters purely
as human beings wrapped about with the
meshes of an unhappy, but not all hopeless,
fate. 1t is to be hoped that he will in his
next book picture the higher qualities OF
he educated negro. as well as the unwor
Thy ambitions and petty distinctions which
are common to humanity. Boston:
Miffiin & Co. s1.50.)