New-York tribune., 1906-09-22
literary NetOs and Criticism.

las Ray Dousias tender and true beyond COM
pare The heroine. Joan Dare. is true TO her
name Mhen douglas asks her 10 marry him
she sends her dog. Martin Luther. ont q, che
room. and gazes spellbound upon her ,ox.- ..FI.
went whittier than She when. suddenly, .h. u,,as
her hands above her head, and so sa, 1v,,bor, +.
word" Martin Luther looks on and sighs .sT-hsv
elung and were silent. and then thev tafkes ana
clasped. and while they kissed ana vowed they
took no note OF ume The sweet things! But
troubles In store. Mawkishness must ena
somewhere. and by and by Douglas goes horn.
Joan has scarcely closed the door upon him when
q tragic voice IN the night is heard implorins
admittance- Something happens we do not
know just what, but when Mary Caroline enters
the kitchen next morning her mistress shows
her 'ashen and carven. blasted face" Poor
Joan is indeed in sad case. She stood like a
tree smitten by lightning from heaven IN a storm
that had hit nothing else. She was scorched 20
the roots; every leaf OF her blaekened. each
twig OF her dead" Mary Caroline not unnatu-
rally recoils, but we defy any one with a sense
OF humor 10 read OF Joan's sorrows without
chortling. The mystery round her deepens. but
feel little concern IN its solution. and for an
excellent reason-it IS impossible 10 enter with
any sympathy into the affairs OF such lay figures
as Joan Dare. Douglas Ray and their insrrable
Mary Caroline.
A story OF life in an artist colony the Breton
coast The Face OF Clay tells OF the wooing
OF a man by a maid and OF her ultimate sue
cess The man Is an artist ten years her senior.
who has loved the maid as a child Of fifteen.
but who. in the ten years OF her absence. has
come 20 regard himself as unworthy OF her. OF
hts art and OF association with his fellow men A
morbid moody, interpretive hero is Michael
Ossorv In his desire 10 paint the picture OF
his life" he has engaged the affections Of his
model who follows him 20 Paris, where her
body is later found floating in the Seine. Her
wonderful beauty leads a plaster cast dealer 10
make death mask OF her face. e copy OF which
Ossory keeps IN his Breton studio as a perpetual
reminder OF his fault in allowing his devotion
70 arr 20 override all considerations OF a purely
personal nature. The fact that the picture for
wl.ah the peasant girl posed as the model was
TO establish his fame and enable him 20 claim
hts little sweetheart but emphasizes his reSnorse.
The heroine who has become famous singer.
returns 10 look up her old chuTn. from whom
she has not heard IN years and the novel deals
with their odd courtship. which is complicated
by the attentions paid 20 her by a brilliant
young CalifornLs painter. The situations are
made interesting by the introduction OF the sub
tie influences Of Breton folklore and supersti-
ton. The story is told with considerable power,
but in the denouement the cause for Ossory's
]
inadequate. The moral Of the tale. II there is
one seems 10 be the danger. II not the immoral
ity OF painting from the nude.
Miss Lafayette McIAws uses Lord Byron as
the hero OF q romance founded upon the poets
admiration for Thyrza. the Maid OF Athens"
who inspired his much quoted poem. The au-
thor's Imagination IS adequate 20 filing out with
a wealth OF melodramatic incident the slender
framework OF fact. We see Byron wOoing the
lovely Thyrza with abandon and disregard
OF danger" 20 quote the language OF the book
cover reviewer. which carries him disguised
a boatman, an Ethiopian slave and Turkish
pacha into the presence OF his lady love. even
when she IS q temporary inmate Of the imperial
hare1n OF Turkey. But the story scarcely merits
consideration literature. history or interpre-
t tation OF character.
In THE Leader" Miss Mary Dillon takes some
/ personal liberty with a prominent living Ameri-
can. She borrows the character Of William
Jennings Bryan as well as some Of the leading
incidents IN his political career. with which 10
/ endow the personality Of her hero. John Dalton.
! The author defends this act OF appropriation
! on the ground that the events were in them
/ selves picturesque and lent themselves readily
! 10 the purposes OF writer OF fiction; and. hav-
/ ing become common property through the medi-
um OF the newspapers. they had become mine
i
OF writing with a political or other purpose her
sole aim being ito tell the story OF two lives as
! pleasantly as may be. and as much for the graf
1 incation OF the writer as for the edihcation OF
the reader" II is 10 be hoped that the salts
1 faction derived by the author in thus building
I up a :nade-to-order romance about her ready
made hero Is sufficient 20 counterbalance any
| lack Of edihcation which may be felt by the
reader. She has made excellent use OF the news
| pape- accounts Of the St Louis convention and
| OF othe- events which have become common
property but in the purely fictitious parts Of
her narrative she shows little originality and
her indornitable political leader proves strangely
ineffective as the wooer Of an ''aristocratic' St
Louis belle whose proud family look askance
az the pretensions OF an unsuccessful Presiden-
/ tial asprant, a plain OF the people
! Nj Lincoln writes with much humor and ap-
! probation OF the oddities OF Down East char
/ acter IN his story OF a summers experiences
/ OF two New York brokers. who seek relief from
/ the nerve--acking activities OF the Stock Ex-
/ change in q season Of the simple life" on the
/ New England coast Mr. Pratt the longshore
/ skipper who takes them in kindly charge af-
/ fords the author opportunity for some clever
bits OF characterization. but his Wall Street men
are less happy creations Two such helpless
/ and unresourceful creatures are quite uncon-
| vincing as types OF successful American hnan-
/ ciers. M Lincoln is TOO ready 10 resort 10 ex-
/ aggeration in order 10 emphasize his points. and
/ his story somewhat long drawn out for the
slender plot. loses IN effectiveness in proportion
! as II deviates from the truth
Prom one Rafnes 20 a dozen is an easy step
/ for a writer seeking exploit the hctionaI pos