The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-18

/ love story. as unStudled as a TnOuOId pios-
som. and involved no extraordinary psyche
logical problems. Moran" was an adyen-
ture tale pure and simple. But in "A
Mans Woman Mr. Norris has attacked
most daringly subject involving tremen-
dous difficulties, and the judgment OF the
public upon his success will depend very
largely on individual temperaments, per-
sonal experience, and acuteness or per-
ception. There is likely TO be wide dii-
ference between the opinions OF men and
those OF women in regard to the book TINS
IS due TO the fact that the plot involves
incidents which a man will naturally re-
gard in one way and woman in another.
The book ought to create some discussion
in literary clubs.
The plot is simple almost elemental in
its baroness; and as the interest OF the
story depends rather on the development
of character and motive than on the narra-
tive it may not be amss TO give here
brief sketch of a part of It, The hero
Ward Bennett, is at the outset commander
of expedition in search of the Pole. He
and his lieutenant, Dick Ferriss, are the
backbone of the party. Bennett. however,
is the moving spirit of the whole thing; a
man of gigantic frame and strength, and
tremendous brute force OF will. As he OPP
poses this stubborn personality TO the
silent, immobile forces of the Arctic world
he somehow reminds one of a polar bear,
shaggy, relentless. cruel, ready to crush
all that lies in his way Yet the man is
not really cruel. except when the resistless
current of his will is turned in some one
direction. AT heart he has the simplicity
of the savage without the subtlety OF that
child of nature. and this is apt TO he true
OF the civilized man in whom civilization
is only veneer.
| Finally w no pynp1itiou seems on
the point OF failure when Bennett and his
friend lie momentarily expecting death.
they discover that both hove the same
woman and Bennett is told that his love
is returned. Ferriss is moved to this false
hood by desire to solace the last mo-
ments of his friend. The party is rescued.
however and both men live TO return to
the city which is their home.
Lloyd Starlight, the heroine. is a woman
rich in her own right, who has founded a
home for trained nurses. and lives and
works there. on the same terms as other
inmates and subject to the orders OF the
head nurse We meet her first as she bat
ties single-han for the life Of a little
girl. Just as she Is assured that the child
| will live the news of the rescue of the
| Arctic expedition comes TO her, and the
reader is made acquainted with the fact
that she really loves Bennett, although
FERRIS did not as he pretended. know
of this love. Just here is a debatable
point Lloyd Searight is a woman OF
totally different type from the ordinary
heroine of fiction. She is strong. beauti-
/ full, self-reliant woman. full OF lofty ideals
and high purposes. the sort CT woman upon
| whom others of her sex are apt TO lean;
woman who in any circumstances and
/ under the most trying conditions. can be
| trusted 10 keep her word; woman who.
| with all her strength. is thoroughly en-
| dowed with a motherliness which prevents
her from ever becoming masculine. There
| is a question whether just this type of
woman would, naturally, be attracted
toward a man Of Benefits type. In real
! life the strong woman is apt TO take such
a man for friend and comrade. not for
| lover. Her love is kept for the man who
understands her, who is sensitive enough
to know her thoughts almost before she
knows them herself, and who may have
weaknesses which appeal to her strength.
Lloyd Searight has only two parallels in
American literature. and both are crea-
tions of Elizabeth Stuart Phelps. These
| two are Or Fay and Avis" Miss
| Phelps work does not compare with Mr..
! Norris in power and finish, but in the
portraits of these two women she has been
| absolutely truthful. Avis is tricked into
| uldTTlEBe tnTOuEH pity, bI Gay
| 1t through the chivalry of her lover. In
neither case has Miss Phelps made the err
ror OF supposing that her heroine would be
attracted by mere strength by the possi-
bility OF being conquered and ruled. Mr..
Norris has made his heroine a worshiDer
of force. On the general principle that
| men and women are apt to admire most
what they do not possess themselves the
chances would be considerably against
these two falling in love with each other.
However, the novelist has selected for
his hero and heroine characters of such
| unusual types that they may be exceptions
to the ordinary rule. The whole plot.
moreover. depends on the battle Of these
two strong wills. This first happens when
Bennett with his elemental dircctness.
attempts to come to an understanding with
Lloyd. He tells her that he knows of her
| love for him and she denies ever having
admitted II. He treats her denial as a
piece of coquetry and fails TO see how this
accusation of falsehood insults her. The
matter ends in temporary estrangement
The next conflict between them-the real
emotional crisis Of the book-comes when
Bennett discovers that the woman he
loves is in charge of a case of malignant
typhoid fever. which has already over
come two nurses. He goes to the house,
finds her alone, at breakfast. and de-
mands that she give up the case. Her
conscience and her professional honor both
forbid this. She tells him that the pa
tient is Ferriss, his best friend and one
who has been to her almost a brother. He
has but moment to make the terrible |
choice between her life and Ferriss', and
he makes the decision instantaneously, as
his habit is. He refuses to listen to her
arguments or her pleadings. or to allow |
her TO leave the room. The result is that |
Ferriss dies. This chapter is one of the |
most remarkable. not only in the present |
work. but among Mr. Norris writings thus !
far The subject is one which presents |
great difficulties. and 1t must be said that |
he has handled the whole in mastery |
way.
The reader is carried by an impetuOus |
rush of the narrative from this chapter to |
the close of the book. The relation between |
the two personalities. the masculine and !
the feminine, both magnifcently strong in !
their own way, Is one which few modern |
authors could have pictured Mr.. Norris /
has done it The character OF Lloyd. while |
exceptional is in some respects typical. /
and in its portrayal the author has shown |
n subtle and quick intuition and depth |
of insight which is rare among novelists. |
Many men have drawn the primitive wOm-
an of strong personality; many others have
pictured the hayward, charming, tender. /
lovable woman OF civilized life: but the |
heroine who with all the rehnemenis and |
complexities of civilization, yet possesses
the sincerity, strength and depth of feeling
of primitive womanhood. is rare in fiction.
The woman with purpose has too often
been labeled strong minded and carl
catured. Lloyd Searight is this woman,
drawn without a hint of caricature. sym