New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-09
SPRING NOVELS.
Il Good Biblical Story and Some
Tales of Modern Life.

Maurice (sreir enla&el. LIMO. Dp ". 5sS. A'ooNs
Mead g. Co.
THE FAr-TRAP. BY Dolr wyllarde l2mo. pp.
2s9. John Lane
PEACE AND THE VICES. BY Anna =. Rogers
Emo. pp. 30 Charles ScT1bners Sons,
THE FRONTIERs1IEN BY Charles Egbert Grad
dock l2rnO. pp. S64. HoGghton Mlilln {" ~
THE COMMITTEES. The story Of Little H s5rT
snd &C S@rqeP ny aO g CO
The Yoke" is a love story Of the period Of
the exodus which owes fits most striking
passages TO the Biblical narrative. The sense
~ horror in the recital OF the plaques IS well
imagined. and the relation OF the unhappy lovers
10 these mystical events Is managed with gen
zine cleverness. The heroine is Hebrew ponu-
woman. a beautiful girl. Of lofty nature set IKE
the rest of her race. to the making OF bricks
FOR the oppressor The hero is an Egyptian OF
rank q sculptor an idealist capable of recog-
nizing high qualities even IN the despised Save
Of the Pharaoh. The conjunction IS che which
certainly makes for romance. and romantic in
deed are the perils and sorrows which they lace
The story is told with a simplicity which gives
Il an admirable air OF actuality-it is as If the
author herself were 700 absorbed in the fate OF
her characters 70 pause for any self-consclous
reflection Condensation would have improved
her work, especially in the matter OF converse
ton which is occasionally 700 dtnuse, ano'
smacking OF modernity. hurts the Illusion Her
least successful representation is that OF Moses
though she does manage to imply something OF
the dignity and power that must clothe ule
stately figure OF the lawgiver. There Is
passing glimpse Of him at prayer in the Won
derful rock tomb Of his benelactress, the Egyp-
tian princess. that outlives the turning Of the
page Equally vivid is the description or the
plague OF the blood-smitten Nile:
From the bottom Of the Nile a turbd convection
was taking place as u the river st as iT
dull red tinge. The action had been rapid ALREADY
on1v here and there clarifying the Opaque color
ing. The boat rode half its depth IN req the la'e
bottom were red, the sun shone broadly into the
mirroring red, sliding reekng red a iavena i+
foam broke its bubbles against the drlIlils Id,-
and a tepd. invisible vapo-, like moist oFea'h'
Schools Of ash. struggling and leaping, filled the
epace Immediately above the water ana cuAoeIe o
dies bounded into the air. braying snorting Tend-
ing another ard chuTning ne F,eF a I'M ater
drfffed into the upper tide-monsters OF the muck
,,evSts snotted snakes curious beached creatures
that had never the day. great orlIts OF ~.
animate Iife came up dead dying terribly. Along
either bank water buffalo and walIo"lhg sH Me-
clsTnbered ponderously snorting at every step.
nesseF ~e fhe brow Of one tall boat with dis
tended sails figure was seen 10 spLs.Ls l.S,I of
river men fought for first landing at the access3le
places the banks Memphis shf Ils $3.50 ~ mat
deafened heaven with their savage believing
Mr.. Crocletts new novel opens with ominous
words. "A great noise" he says. mao peeI
proceeding all the morning from the schoolhouse
Of Iowran." That is an Introduction not III
calculated to scare away even the most good
natured reader Of fiction. The 'schoolhouse'
novel long since became an unmitigated bore
T7t,t Justice demands that Mr.. Crockett be given
a chance, and having given II TO him, having
read the first two or three chapters Of strong
Mac" We have found ourselves willing TO go on
This IS not after all, too much OF a schoolhouse
story Once the stereotyped scene is disposed or
once he has brought his old schoolmaster into
conflict with certain refractory pupils and has
brought the hero and the heroine upon the
scene under the usual circumstances. the author
proceeds TO tel very good story OF love and
hatred among peasants and squires OF Galloway
in the earlier years Of the last century The
heroine is the schoolnaster's daughter, Adora
Oracle and she is provided with troubles enough
in all conscience. To begin with, her old father
IS q secret tippler. Then. to make matters
worse. three young fellows lay their hearts at
her feet The hero OF the book is naturally that
member OF the trio who has least 10 offer her in
addition TO his love and manly beauty. Both
OF the other suitors are on a higher social plane,
one OF them thorough paced scoundrel and the
other q gentleman who Is. nevertheless. not
quite as generous IN his conduct he might be
until his hand is forced Strong Mac prom
Uses 70 have everything his own way. but pres
entity one OF his rivals Is murdered. while the
other is carried of by the press gang, and these
incidents, instead OF smoothing his path for him.
work against his welfare in the grimmest posi-
BILE fashion The bulk Of the story. in fact, is
made up OF pretty tragic stuff. 1t is rather
crude tragedy. When Mr. Crockett has one of
his characters deprived of his tongue by the
knife Of a kind OF human wild beast he IS merely
lurid. But Strong Mac" remains a beguiling
story. 1t has one unexpected and peculiarly
welcome merritt contains very little OF that
dialect which we have grown 20 fear in Mr..
Crockett's books.
THE Rat-Trap" is one OF those stories which
always leave us wondering why in the world
they should have been written. The scene is |
laid IN key Island" which we are asked to ac-
cept as having. IN Its place in the Mozambique
Channel. great potentialities for disturbing the
sleep OF those who preside over the destinies
Of the British Empire. To this island come
Captain Alaric levin and his wife the former
an officer Of the 2sth Lancers, who has been
appointed private secretary and aide-de-camp
20 the Administrator at the moment in author
fly. The Administrator is one Evelyn Gregory
represented as a strong man." who is always
sent out by the government when there's trou-
bles to squash" and is always censured when
he has squashed the trouble. The other char
acters enumerated IN the list prehxed to the
story include divers officials and military men.
with a sprinkling OF women folk Captain
levin makes love 20 the wife OF OF his
friends who shows his displessure by thrashing
her on her bare shoulders with a wet towel
until she sinks helpless at his feet. Meanwhile
Major Churton is being revenged through a
nice train Of events in another quarter. The