The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-01

|
anyone who has studied even superb
ciaily the structure of play or novel can
see that the author must make his char
acters say what they naturally would say,
not what he himself happens to think
about the subject under discussion. There
are some people, however-and good
many OF them are eiergymen or religious
critics-who persist in trying to study
out an authors creed by patching to-
gether the speeches of characters in his
books. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. So
Minor Fiction.
''Kela Bal: An Anglo Indian Idyll," is
little book by Charles Johnston, former
ly Of the Bengal civil service. 1t is thor
oughly original and very charming, and
affords new glimpse into the many col
ored. infinitely varied life of India. Withal
it is most unpretentious, and there is no
attempt to teach any kind of a lesson, or
exploit any theory about the white mans
burden
Kela Bai-which means Sister Banana"
WAS. as one Of her admirers said, so nam
ed because she was sweet and accessible.
| Her business was that very old one found
ed by Lilith and continued by Rahab; but
she was a child of nature for all that. and
no more designing than the green and gold
| parrot that hung on her veranda and was
called Tota. Owing to a difficulty with
the native SubCollector and an episode
| which grew out of it, she became a relig-
| ious devotee and was called Sister Free
dom '-Moksha Bal. After this transfer
| nation she appeared. summoned, in the
court held by the Collector, to answer to
the charges of the Babu. The court was
held out of DOORS under Il big tree. and
If hn nar
while waiting for it 10, convene is as char
acteristic a bit Of writing as there is in
the book
! There was Il shining in her face that seemed to
| come through the light brown skin, and made
| ii CLEAN like gold She felt freedom and light
| ness in all her body, and she umining
Bengali love-song TO herself, with upward tilt
| at the end 81 each line. She evidently weigh
| ed down by neither repentance nor regret. She
was as evidently not held by TIE ascetic dram Of
that great greyness into which all things mclt,
/ the sage grows one wish tie whole world. On the
4 contrary, she was throhbng through every nerve
| with her new-foiInd freedom. and still dazrd
with the brightness and strauEeness OF II all Like
q snake that has sluuehcd its old covering. she
| had come forth cleaning and newborn, yet with
certain droaminoss While, would lnger in her
eyes Tor days. She forgot. after 4 minute two.
| why She had come to the camp, and was busy
| chirruping - a grey squirrel with yellow beck
! that sat watching her with sly, bright eyes the
! lowest branch Of the nearest tree The squirrel
! chartered shrily at Kea Bal and hela Bal chat
tered back the squirrel. and then laughed, with
! that deep mellow laugh Of hers. She did not know
/ II, but the Collector at that moment watching
hor rom the dark cavern OF his tent. smiling at
I her and wishing with all his heart that hc could
dismiss them all except her and himself. and that
. they could 90 hild's nesting down the river. The
| sight of her PLAYING with the squirrel stirred
idyllic chord in hi, heart and he remembered that
he had half unconsciuuy noticed a kingfshcr's
| hurrow in the river bank. all white at the en-
] trance and therefore new; and lac suspected IN
ar pl son lgr
branches; also. there Wa Vultures awkward nest
at the top Of the highest mango; and immediately
his fancy raised the quae:ion; which Of them hal
best climb up To it! He laughed softly L. him
self. and then he sigln d.
Meanwhile kc'a Bal had boguilcd the squirrel
fIom the tree. and II vas lunugg toward her,
with little Sideways darts. sitting up To chatter
/ at every yard She called to it. and held her
hand, her big eyes gleaming. The squirrel cane
closer, until it was within foot Of her Then
she made quick spring, and caught it with both
hands, laughing aloud In pure delight But her
laughter suddenly stopped. and she cast the ball Of
grey and yellow fur away from her with little
cry Of pain. 1t had hilton her thumb instinc-
lively the watching Collector put his finger IN
his mouth.
Nothing could be simpler than the style
of this stcry-teller but the little tale is
fascinating from the first word TO the last.
and * is to be hoped that Mr.. Johnston
will give US more. sketches OF Anglo-In-
dian life. New York: Doubleday & Nc
Clure Company. 90 ceutsl
"Dartnell.' by BENJAMIN Swift. is a
weird story of a type somewhat similar
to those of Poe although the author is
English. The uncanny atmosphere of the
tale is its most striking characteristic,
the central figure. Sir Charles Dartnell,
seeming hardly human at times. This
man. ascetic. rigid. morbidly sensitive to
the slightest discord or lack of harmony,
might be called an intellectual deyotee
without any religious sentiment His wife
is a beautiful. warm-hearted woman. The
inevitable Other Man appears. and Sir
Charles. with an ingenuity which is dew
ilish in certain aspects allows his wife
to suppose that he has gone on journey
while he is in reality concealed in the
upper story of his own house and watch
ing her every movement. The episode of
the masked ball. in which. disguised in
an old uniform. the husband appears
among the dancers and claims waltz
with his wife. is the strongest situation
in the book. The material is well handled,
but the subject is too overstrained to ap-
peal TO a very wide public. 1t is, as called
on the title-page. "a bizarre incident"
Chicago: Herbert 6 Stone L Co. S1.25.)
a Danvis Pioneer" by Rowland E Rob
State in the days OF Ethan Allen. and the |
rugged leader of bush-ighters is one OF
the characters. The hero, a Connecticut |
youth, takes up land in northern Vermont. |
and is thus thrown into the midst o! the !
border wars which were continually occur |
ring in those days. The book will be es-
pecially interesting TO boys for there is !
plenty of lighting in it, and the hero has |
several hairbreadth escapes. Boston: |
Houghton, Mifiin Co. $1.25.)
The Mink" by Mrs. Warrington Caffyn. !
is one of those irritating books in which |
the wrong people seem determined to fall |
in love with each other and take three |
hundred pages 10 find il out. In addition
to this. the heroine is rather uninter-
esting young lady. and the fascination
which she seems 10 have for the Two men
in the book. (who are really very good fell
lows is inexplicable except on the ground
Of good looks The sympathy of the read
er is decidedly with another woman. who
ought TO have been the heroine and is
not (New York: Frederick A. stokes
Company.
LITERARY NOTES.