Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-26

Many have written of him, either as
a picturesque or as an obnoxious saw
age. Helen Hunt Jackson in her
Ramona" idealized him and made
him the subject of palpitating ro-
nance. More recently Mary Austin
has dealt with him sympathetically,
and has brought to her subject an In
innate understanding. But Mrs. Kin
kaid writes of the educated Indian
the Indian who has political aspira-
tions, professional training, who reads
good books, plays classical music and
carves out-so far as he may-his own
destiny. The subject as she treats it
is unique for she writes Of the ac-
complished Indian quite as a matter
of course, and refuses to entertain
surprise at his achievements or to per-
NIT the reader to do so. Perhaps her
method is more comparable to Charles
Chestnut's treatment of the negro in
fiction than to the method of any one
else.
The heroine is Lenore Beaumont, or
"Pakali," as her father calls Ler She
is the daughter of a man of import
ance among the Chickasaw nation,
and ne and his family live in luxury
In Lenore mingled the characteristics
of her Indian father and her white
mother-the stoical pride of the In
dian and the delicate pride of the
white girl, the subtlety of the first
and the adroitness of the second, the
peculiar intelligence Of each. These
combined and sometimes warred in
her. She had been loved since her
girlhood by a kinsman, "Hattakowa,"
or Joe Dixon, a man OF an intense,
arrogant but honorable nature. and
their lives might have proceeded with
placidity but for the appearance In
"Pakali's" home of a white man, Ar
mold Stuart, whom business OF
crypticaI character brought to the ter
ritory. Stuart is almost instantly IN
fatuated with Lenore Beaumont, and
she. in spite of her efforts not to love
him. finds herself unable to endure
life without him. short separation
makes it plain to both that marriage
is inevitable. They are married IN
the presence of the full indian kin
ship-a mighty company comprising
all degrees of civilization, semi-bar-
barism and innocuous savagery.
They have been, however, but snort
time together when the severe illness
of the mother of each takes Lenore
hack to Mona Binna, her Indian home,
and Stuart to Paris. Stuart, unfor-
tunately, bears some resemblance TO
Tito Melema, and he loves the path OF
least resistance. fatal lnsouciaIcs
makes It impossible for him to adhere
TO duty when duty takes serious
guise. Paris is a fair town, they say,
and In the social life there Stuart for
got his girl wife in her indian nome,
and left her to meet woman's great
trial alone. He did not come When lie
was called because of her dangerous
Illness, and she summons pride enough
TO forbid him ever to enter her lie
again.
Lenore's child grows up in ignorance
of the existence of his father, and
Hattakowa and his grandfather tram
him in all the ways that an indian OF
high birth and an American should oe
trained. Then one day more business
brings Stuart once more TO the TERRI
torv-and to his doom. For after ne
has demonstrated his inherent pusil-
lanimity in various ways Dixon slays
him. The murderer, who seems much
more fatally the creature OF Destiny
than the man he has slain, is tried, con-
victed, and then, as concession TO
the Indians, is turned over TO natlVe
Justice. He is allowed TO go at laIse
I,non his own recognizance, and deVotes
the last few weeks of his life to the
service of his people at washington.
AT the hour appointed, however, ne re-
turns and meets his execution with
pride and intrepidity.
Lenores life is then devoted to the
welfare of her people, and in her son
one surmises that there is a potential l
Indian statesman. This, briefly, is the
tale. but no more than a hint Is given
of the serious value of the book.
Mrs. Kinkaid lived for some time in
tho Indian territory and she Vouches
for the authenticity of the atmosphere.
She has not idealized the Indians; on
the contrary, she has been alive to the
culties of their position. The style is
characterized by that keen realism
which indicates the trained newspaper
mind. Mrs. Kinkaid has observed and
renorted, and to her keen delineation of
conditions and characters she has added
psychological interest OF no mean
quality. The architecture of the story
is excellent. The indian contemporary
civilization, never better depicted,
makes an excellent foundation for the
support of this touching romance with
lits elements of wildness, of passion, OF
pathos and of humor. The reproach OF
insubstantiality which must be orought
against the greater part or the nctloi,
written today does not apply here, ana
when more experience in the writing or
action has removed certain rigtdity
of style there is no question that Mrs
| Kinkaid will come to be regarded as
writer of reliability and charm-one
who may be placed in the same class
with Ellen Glasgow.
The book has a striking cover ana is
finely illustrated with colored plates ,oy
picLering. (F. A. Stokes company
Wednesday Morning Club
Reciprocity day, with all the wealth
of meaning that is implied by that term
of Fellowship and good will, was en-
toyed yesterday by the members OF the
Wednesday Morning club and several
hundred gusets who were bidden 70