The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1903-01-18
Noteworthy NoUeLS y
~ ~ of Recent Issue

Nancy Huston Banks, rsnka In certain sens,
WIN such stories as "Cranford" being a sym.
pathetic setting-forth of the simple annals Of
tne poor living in quiet country nook entire
untouched by any influences from the rush
ing life in the worlds great Highways
But "Oldheld" far surpasses in poetic charm,
ana delicate gentleness the work OF Mrs. Gas
kell, who so amused while she made uA love
those quaint old ladies who lived In Gran
ford. And Nancy Banks work soe. beyond
ana above Mrs. Gaskes In that her faithful
portrayal of the heroic characters Of Judge Iohn
Stanley and Anne Watson sound the create,
depths and show the God-like heights of human
suffering and sacrifice.
| Indeed, there is sufficient show of strength
and grace in "Oldheld" to justify one In say
ing that Nancy Huston Banks 1, the feminine
counterpart OF that other glorious Kentuekian,
James Lane Allen. All her interpretnsive
touches are as subtly sympathetic as any of
Aliens, but one can not as yet cay that the
creative power shows so strongly In the woman
as the man. Wen see when her next book comes
out.
Oldheld is little country settlement in the
pennyroyal region of Kentucky. At one point
in the story Miss Judy Bramwell calls young
Gordon's attention to the fact that this same
! Pennyroyal Region is the Oldest portion of Ken
lucky and not the Blue Grass as had been be-
heved. She asserts that the real Kentucky po-
neer was Thomas Walker, who came from Viz
gina through Cumberland Gap into the south
! eastern part of the State in Iz5oi not Danial
Boone, who first entered the northern and mid
die part OF it as late as 1869. And what may
be OF interest to those Kentucky ladies ambi-
tious to become Colonial Danes in this:
She called his further attention to the fact
that this Green River country was also the sole
region OF Virginia's military grants to her OF
hcers OF the revolution. Miss Judy cautiously
disclaimed any knowledge Of what the mother
State might have done for the soldiers of the
! line-with a soft touch OF eondescension But
she spoke with authority in saying that Vir-
GINA had never granted foot OF land--north
OF Green rver-to any officer of the War of
Independence"
Gentle Miss Judy was the sweetly uneon-
scious autocrat of the community about Old
field She believed that everybody had some
praiseworthy motive for everything, if others
were only clearsighted enough to perceive it.
A touching instance OF this was the sympathetic
tenderness she always expressed for Becky
Sharp in Vanity Fair" Her pure mind was a
hawless crystal, rejecting every ray of light
from many exquisite prisns but sending moth
ing out of actual darkness"
The book abounds in deliciouSy humorous sit
uations and the readers lips are almost con-
stantly smiling through all its length either in
loving and indugent tenderness for the Old
helders sweet ignorance Of the big worlds
ways or in amusement at their elaborate and
guileless little articles. *
The strong element OF grand Nirility in the
story is the presentation Of the conduct and
character of John Stanley While still mere
lad he had changed in the space of pistol
shot" from ight-hearted boy into sad silen;
man.
only by degrees did he come to see the truth
that his forced taking OF the life of 4 whom
he did not know, whom he never had OF
heard Of had not been simply unavoidable
necessity in self-defense, as he had tried to be-
lieve-nor accident the verdict of the
law and public opinion had decrced. seeing that
ii was accidental only far his instrument
tality was concerned; that he himself was no
the victim OF chance-but the helpless trans
mitter Of traditional bloodshed.
1T was revealed to him at the trial which
acquitted him, that the man whom he thus has
been compelled to kill had been driveway
even hounded-hy public opinion into seeking
, the life of the man who had tainted him. am
in so doing mo finding his own death, at th'
hands OF a lad who had quarrel with any
one 1t was then shown him that the slain anC
the slayer were equal sacrifices TO this mon
sttous tradition for the shedding OF blood
r And the best chapter, but one of the book il
powerful picture Of seli-conquering mora
courage and spiritual exaltation. 1t must be rea'
t to be appreciated,
, Sara Jeanette Duncan (now Mrs Everarc
Cotes) made a clever hit with her last book
/, Those Delightful Americans" it having gon
i through seven editions in six months
Most OF us have pleasant memories of this an
e thor's "a New Departure" and The Men
i Sahib."
= The following excerpt is taken from the Di
gests comments on The Memoirs of Pau
. Kruger" (the Century Publishing company
= ITO the honor OF the book and of all con
7 cerued in the making Of It. be it said, the Don
= Paul reflected in the frontispiece is disclosed
on every page of this record. Not pretty to loo
y at mark YOU nor a thing TO be set 10 music
= man more apt 10 take off his coat 10 al
afrront than his hat to coat Of arms. AS whe
D.. an English lord, on a certain occasion, was pre-
= sented to the president by some one who wa
d induced to dilate upon the visitors imposin
p pedigree and dignities, the president thought IN
% / gentleman might be interested TO know that
- VAS a cowherd and my father farmer-a stor
4 which has led many simple good people TO con
= clude that Mr.. Kruger was never either AFRO
= pant or conceited And now at the end OF tn
war when the Old Lion of the Iransyaa
goes sadly PEASANT regardant, looking for his Ian
for a country that he might call his own one
thought is recalled TO the pathetic signhcanc
:, of verbal incident in the Table OF Contents
II where the FIRST word is Homeless-spoken G
e The child and the last word is Homeless :
e snoken Of the old heart that refuses to part wit
e rs courage and its hope, because the peace is nc
= such as the burghers wished,
The final paragraph OF the review is this
y mo, decidedly not pretty, nor picturesque nc
=. poetic; by no means courty gracious OF az
u bonair Nevertheless we trace through tneS
- napes a very memorable hgure-eruae out COT
'i yinc;rq t,-pe of such a homemade hero as u
a s-f ~ as