The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-06-26
NEW HISTORICAL ROMANCEs.


For all the structures Of Prof Brsnder
Matthews, the historical romance con
tinues 10 prevail The tide may be at
fuii flood but the crest OF its wave does
not break aud there is no sign that the
ebb has set in Prof Mathews holds
aud With some reason undoubtedly. that
an author capnot write intellgenuy OF
any time but his own ana thar the only
sort on historical romance that can claim
TO present accurately the period of ats
being is The one wherein the time in CON
temporary with the author and which
accordingly only becomes an historical
romance when the reader picks a up
twenty-five or thirty years hence at the
very least, SO Oliver Twistt and Mich
Olas Nickleby' for example may be taken
as faithful representations OF the atmos-
phere OF their period because their period
was also the period OF their author and
he probably knew all about the atmos-
phere from living H. Whereas, the Tale
Of Two cities must be set down as un-
reliable since il was impossible for It's
author 10 have known intimately enough
the atmosphere OF the time in which the
story Is set And tue father back the
historical romancer presumes 20 go the
more inevitable II must be that his pic
ture Will be unreliable. All of which
sounds. reasonable enough but doesn't
affect the tastes OF fiction readers who
have usually IN all times, had a liking
for tales OF a by gone age and besides IL is
TO be noted that the authors are much
less likely TO suffer from criticism Of their
picture scenery and local color when
these are beyond the ken of the living
reader than when they undertake the
present life and character and street
scenes with which the reader may have
just as much knowledge az the authors
ln "fhe Crisis. Mr.. Churchill jumps a
couple OF generations from the time OF
Richard Carvol and gives us a picture OF
life and doings chiefly In the near south
west In the days immediate Go the civtl
war ard through that mighty convulsiou
The romance has ia do with the fortunes
Of Miss Virginia Carvcl descendant of
Richard CarNel and young noriherner
stephen Brice. AS heroine and hero OF
fiction and for the love interest In a story
the selection of "A robei girl and a Union
lad Is not new hut is rarely lacking ia
possibilities for Interesting the fiction low
ing reader. In 'rhe Crisis number
Of famous historical personages are in
troducod, including. OF course Abraham
Lincoln Grant and sherman are por-
tfayed In their conspicious ante-bellum
civil life and again as leaders OF the Fed
eral armies OF Sherman especially we
get particularly vivid pictures since the
hero is represented as stan officer on
the march st0 the sea. The sketching OF
Lincoln Is also ella borate. Indeed Lincoln,
is by all odds one Of the leading char
acters'' of "The Crisis as, OF course, he
could not be we'll otherwise i'm a work
aiming to represent the vital personalities
I'm the great convulsion Of the American
nation For the average reader. however,
Mr.. Churchills fiction characters are
made as real as the real people he intro
duces into THE Crisis" Naturally the
material for the incident and adventure
is easily found and "rhe Crisis is fun
of H. And even the most devoted Car
Yelite will probably vote the new book
better that is more completely readable
than Richard Carvel." The art Of The
Crisis is quite as good as the former
novel while the movement is swfter and
the pages more intense. II reads with
delightful facility Perhaps the author
did not Law himself out on II so strenu-
ously as ne did with "Carvel' or revise
Shis pages quite SO painfully. Hence 'rhe
Crisis" has a snap and freshness 10 II
that more than atones for possible fall
ing off I'm elegant finish from the book
that made fits author famous and created
a tremendous demand for something more
just as soon as possible Howard Chand-
ler Christys illustration In the new book
are simply superb published by The
Macmillan Company. For sale by Pres
ton Rounds. Price H.50).
WHEN THE GATES LIFT Up THEIR
HEADS. by Payne Erskine:
In this fine American romance the au-
thor follows close upon the Civil war
novels 10 picture life at typical South
ern point in the early seventies. The
struggle of the reconstruction work has
calmed down from the time OF THE
Fools Errand'' period. but Northern men
I'm a Southern town are still regarded none
too cordially and the free "niggers" are
limited materially in their sphere OF ac-
tlvities. To Southern plantation house
comes a family from the North with a
view 10 taking boarders. Here also re-
turns the son OF the former owner OF the
house. who, of course, falls I'm love with
the Northern girl, who is IN possession;
The romance OF Portia Ridgeway and
John Marshall proceeds in the strenuous
atmosphere of the North Caroline vii
lage, which is beginning q. progress with
the aid of a railroad and Northern capi-
tai not TO mention injections OF Northern
politics TO none OF which II takes too
kindly. Niggers are thick and sassy and
collisions between them and the southern
tar heels are frequent and bloody There
is ample dramatic material in the book 70
make IL exciting. while the contrast with
the peaceful atmosphere of the Ridgeway
household is strong There is secret
about John Alarshall's birth which is
possible only 10 the ante-bellum South.
But for all that the romance ends hap-
they are about IT,
published by Little. Brown & Co: For
sale by Preston & Rounds. Price $3.50.
THE WILDERNESS ROAD by Joseph
A. Altsheler:
John Lee was a scout who was unjustly
disgraced I'm the Continental army, and
retired To the wilderness of the Kentucky
frontier to seek Oblivion. lie accompan-
led the fated expedition OF ST. Clair
against the Indians who had raided,
murdered and pillaged on the "Darb and
Bloody Ground, until the government
responded TO the appeals OF the frontiers
men. or what would nowadays be called
punitive expedition. The story of ST.
Clairs tragic defeat is the central his
torial incident which Mr. Altsheler uses
for this stirring story. The author, al
ready a faVorte with a widening circle
Of lovers of adventurous fiction, has pro-
vided a fine love story I'm the midst Of the
nercest sort OF contrasting surroundings
In this romance of THE Wilderness
Road" The villain Is a cousin Of John
Lees and both are suitors for the hand OF
Rose Carew daughter OF a capitalist,