New-York tribune., 1901-10-05

once more their inventive resource. their literary
skill.
The prosperous. good natured and absurd
worthy who gives his name to Miss Seawells
little volume, Papa Bouchard," makes an anus
ing companion for hours reading He is
unconsciousIy quaint Frenchman. He was
rather younger looking. with his clean shaven
face and wiry figure, than most men of his age,
but, thanks to Mile. Celeste, he patrOnized the
same tailors that had made for his father and
bis grandfather Their cut and style indicated
that they had been taors to Cardinal Richelieu
and others of that time. and they dressed NJ.
Bouchard in coats and trousers and waist
coats of the pliocene age of tailoring. AS for
his hats. they might have been dug out OF
Pompeii, for any modernity they had and the
result that NJ Bouchards back and legs
looked about seventy-fve. while his face
looked little more than forty" The habits of
the man are as conservative as his clothes. but
he suddenly Graves distraction-and he finds it.
The adventures into which he is plunged are
narrated In vein of rattng farce. They are
irseniously devised. too. Papa Bouchard" is
a spirited. clever piece of fooling. and the au-
thor's vivacty is happily emuated by Mr.
Glackens the illustrator, who has produced a
rumber of amusing drawings for the book
The valiant figure of General Harrison looms
p.cturesquely in THE Sign of the Prophet" and
the author makes use also of other noted war
riors and of well remembered Indian conflicts
In the West. But his main purpose is to describe
how Ross Douglass goes off to the wars, leaving
one lady love behind him and ultimately finding
another. Fate not infidelity is at the bottom
of his experience. He suffers captivity among
the red men, becomes possessed of the ring
which gives Mr. MAYORS novel its title dis
covers his own father in the person of a man
whom he has first learned to loathe and has
on the whole. some pretty stirring adventures
1t Is simply told story of the good old fash
ioned sort. in which brave lover passes through
many peris, and at the end gains perfect bliss
The local color" is put into this picture of an
interesting phase of American history with con-
siderable aptitude.
Mr. Pidgin has made better book In "Blen-
nerhassett" than he made in Quincy Adams
Sawyer. his first publication. He has il Is
true gone far to defeat his own object the re-
habilitation of Aaron Burr. by emphasizing un-
duly the noble traits he attributes that gentle
man, and by blackening the memory of Hamil-
ton with altogether too heavy brush. But the
first few pages having shown the reader the
value of Mr.. Pidgin's "historical' views he will
dismiss them from serious consideration and go
on with the perusal of 'Blennerhassett" for the
sake of the romantic tissue which the author
has woven out of those views. 1t may not make
for historical ediication but it makes for di-
version. Mr.. Pidgin has improved so much In
the mere technique of story telling that he holds
attention even though he cannot inspire belief
in his portraits of Hamilton and Burr.
Having achieved popularity in one field. Mr.
Bachelor turns confidently to another and ex-
changes the simple realism of "Eben Holden
for method more romantic. He retains, how
ever. al least of the elements which brought
his work into favor. The hero In homespun
who is kept well in view throughout "Dri and T.
is another Eben. heart OF gold in a rough shell