New-York tribune., 1902-05-17

Mr.. Nason's novel. ITO the End OF the Trail"
is Of unusual character. 1t treats OF a man and
his wife a goat range in the West and of
the tragic outcome of the mans desire TO grow
rich with greater rapdty than his situation
allows. Ingalls, Is not a bad fellow, but there is
weakness in him. and, with his sangune tenn
perament, he easily falls prey to the mining
fever. The pleadings of his wife in vain,
and though his friend Chase man Of great
force of character with powerful influence in
the country, does a good deal 10 avert catas-
trophe. the drama is played out TO a bitter end.
Merely as a story, ITO the End of the Trail
would hold the readers attention. But it is
made doubly interesting through the piquancy
Of the half dozen characters concerned in the
plot. The volatile ingalls, and the self-contained
Chase; gentle Mrs. Ingalls, and "the big Swede,"
the evil woman who plays important part in
the undoing of her happiness; Tough Nut" the
profanest of Irishmen who provides comic re-
lief that is really comic, yet never incongruous
ALL these personages, and the others drawn
from the decidedly mixed resources Of an all
but lawless region in the Far West. put
upon the printed page with the vitality OF life
itself Mr.. Mason has dramatic force, he has
humor. and he has a way OF his own His book
is interesting from beginning TO end.
In some Of Paul Laurence Dunbar's earlier
work there were traces OF artifciality He was
rowed his attitude of mind somewhat from
the authors he had read. His latest book, how
ever, The Sport OF the Gods deserves praise
for the author In writing it has been entirely
himself He has told about his race and the
white from his point of view. He has
given pictures of certain phases Of the life OF
the colored people in this city that a white
person could never know except from the out
side. He has shown what he thinks OF white
people, and has presented interesting aspects
of problems which confront cOored people. Be-
sides this. he has given the other side OF the
picture to which we have become accustomed
the picture of perfect sympathy between the
old colored servant and his employer He has
touched on the injustice with which the negro
is treated in the South, and has made some
rather subtle and humorous attacks on that tire
some conventionality, "the fine old Southern
gentleman" All this makes THE Sport OF the
Gods" much more interesting. and, indeed.
more valuable story than it would be had It's
author been white. Considered merely from
literary point of view, along with many excel
lent qualities it has glaring crudities. The plot
is nelodramatic. But the book IS not TO be dis
regarded, inasmuch IT sets forth the other
side of the negro character than that usually
found in novels.
Miss Josephine Daskam's short stories have
for time, in the pages of the magazines
been winning her just popularity. kindly
audience is ready, sure, for the
ing little book of tales which she now pub
lishes The Madness of Philip" The elements
of her attractveness include a point Of view
which has the effect Of freshness, a sense OF
humcr and Just enough cynicism TO season her
work. She belongs to that school of writer's
who describe children for the amusement of
older people; the school of which the foremost
member is Mr.. Kenneth Grahame. In two OF
Miss Daskam's stories "A Study In Piracy
and THE Heart of a Child" Mr. Grahame's in
fuence is clearly evident: and these tales are
the least fortunate in the book. There are
pretty fancies, certainly. in THE Heart of a
Child" but Miss Daskams talent is not for
sentiment nor is her style pure enough for
this vein She is better as a humorist with a
dash of malice. The mistaken kindness of
grown-ups the absurdity OF certain kinder
garten methods, the futllity of some philan-
thropIc systems the themes that best
inspire her Bad children. meet for spank
ing are those whose minds she best under
stands Her style, however. is evidently in the
making she has not yet freed herself from
annoying anectations and limitations
In "Stephen Holton" We have a book in which
there are no perpleXing subtetes to vex the
mind OF the reader 1t is a work wherein the
author has reverted TO the simpler methods of
a simpler generation. His characters are labelled
on the one hand good the other very bad
The reader is bothered with no development OF
character and there is no connected plot TO
worry him into attention. The novel is sun
nosed 10 he a case of special pleading In the
cause of tenoperance but exactly what the
pleading is or why Stephen Holton should be