The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-08-30
CONSTANCE DE- bROLEE'''

There Is so much of promise in Con
stance d'Brolie' uhe Abbey Press. New
York;. a novel of Southern plantation life
by Mrs. Florence White Ruger of Waco,
Tex. that the book commands the sympa-
thetic liking Of readers in despite of certain
faults due. in large measure. TO inexpe-
rience in craftsmanship.
Irs. Ruger has proved in this story that
she possesses the native ability to write a
very human novel. The great gift is hers
OF making her characters live before the
readers eyes. and OF winning for them a
tender regard based upon this merit of
vitality and kinship to real people. She Is
also appreciatively familiar with the South
and with Southern types. and her descrip-
tive touch Is excellent in its unstudled sim
plicity.
The faults to be noted in Constance
d'Brolie' are faults so easy Of correction
that It will be objectionable il Mrs. Ruger's
next venture in fiction Is not free of them.
In seeking for n dramatic basis for her
story. this writer has made the mistake OF
selecting the race problem existent in the
South. and she has neither the masculine
forcefulness nor the insight necessary to
the successful handling of such a theme. 1t
Is this mistaken choice, It seems to me.
which has also led the author at times into
a use of heated and turgid phraSeoloSy and
indulgence in an attempted p~rofundity that
deplorably weaken her work. An Austen
tlU0 from pGIltlCal topics anu Il CIlOISS' AZ
stead. of some gentle emotional plot. with a
steadfast determination upon simplicity in
the telling of a story. will give Mrs. Kruger
4 genuine opportunity for distinction as 4
novelist of locality.
We are introduced TO some veritable
lesh-ard-blood characters in Constance
d'Brolie." The lesser heroine, Vera Love
lace, Is a Southern girl of great naturalness
and fidelity to type. The Pattons. mother
and son, the former a stately Southern
"Grande dame" of the class familiar in
ante-bellum days: the latter a perplexing
vet consistent combination of Indifference
and Intensity. are true to the life of which
they are a part. Doctor dBrolie. the vii
lain of the story. proves an interesting
creation of polish and cynical g~allantry un-
til his creator permits him to become over
" melodramatic in his villainy. The story's
heroine. Constance Symmetrical, afterwards
the wife of Doctor d'Brolie, a Canadian
girl. taken to visit the Patton plantation
in Louisiana by Vera. the adopted daughter
of the house. Is a strong and lovable char
acter. That she occasionally wearies the
reader by indulging in tiresome discussions
Of the race problem must be charged to the
authors unfortunate choice of that problem
as a prominent factor in the story''s max
ing.
Mrs. Ruger IS so happy in her treatment
of Southern types. in her employment of the
negro dialect on proper occasions, In her
perception OF the humorous possibilities OF
these folk. and OF the picture effect Of
characteristic Southern scenes, that she
may well be encouraged to essay a second
novel Of Southern life. The Southerner of
the older generation, and his invariable ac-
compartment. the negro of the plantations
and of the plantation great house." are
alike figures so interesting. and so rapidly
passing from the stage of real life, that
writer's of fiction possessing the intimate
understanding necessary to their treatment
carnot do better than make faithful use of