New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-09-17
Literary yNese,s and Criticism


gradually making himself master of the
range: Indians. outlaws and. Of course
love--it ali sounds conventional enough,
and vet Mt Grey makes il all new and
fresh and interesting. His story is not
Just one more Wild West romance; II
hiss note OF It's own: his hardy heroes
Of the last frontier are individuals. not
rv-oss apparentiv observed at first hand.
And the atmosphere of the desert per-
vades the story from first to last. An
excellent book to take one for the time
being out of his everyday environment,
a book worth writing and publishing,
and deserving a popular success. Mr.
Grey knows how TO work up climax
with sober strength. his description of
the breaking in of Wild stallion de-
serves special mention for its convfne-
ing. vivid simplicity.
In American fiction New England IS
the rough diamond TO whose cutting
polishing and setting our artists nave
given the best of their talent and SIKH.
If the material he used at ali. the Work
must be done supremely well. This IS
not the case with THE Lady of Shenlp-
sit" whose types are but conventional
material handled with closest adherence
TO the convention, without indlVlduaity
Of view. It is Photographic realism, not
delicate genre painting, to change the
simjle. In Justice to the author, 1t must
he said. however. that his central IN
terest is different one-tne 1ntroduc-
ton from the greater metropolitan into
this narrow. provincial Inilieu Of the
nrotlen7 Of won7an-s right to happiness.
The heroine gives up a little too easily,
one Is inclined to think. Matrinony is
NOT Il 6iscinline of life to her. She wants
her happiness ready made. The hus-
hand is so unpleasant creature that
the reader agrees with her in distant.
indifferentIv aCquiescent way, for some
how or other, she fails to command our
sympathy. neither is II won by the other
man or by the other woman. who in the
lo1,r Of her ira gedy. becomes the dea ex
n,achina still. one reads on with the
measure of interest we give to the tragf-
comedy IF life when We are not directly
| concerned.
Fxpistion end love are the t7o major
tories Of Miss Walters new story,
"Flsnasted Quarries.' Her characters
are brought together from efar-a child
singer from New Ycrk's cheap musical
halls. 4 priest from France. youth Of
native American ancestry-and the
rriest forms the link between them that.
after many years drops out. because it
is no longer necessary. It Is he who
teaches the Young man 10 eHpiete his
crime. to pay the price exacted by So
cietv and the law. II is he. also. VINO
brings light among the vorkmen or
Flamsted Ouarries. in Maine. on the
homestead of thu young mans fore
bears It Is u modern story, even fre1l-
zied finance coming within its scope. but
il has a certain aloofness. q preoccupa-
tion with the value of the emotions
which makes II wholesome reading for
women
Mr. Church is not concerned with the
negro problem in Deep In the P11ey
Woods" which is q picture Of the con-
ditions of life and work Of the negro
hands on a turpentine plant in Georgia.
Their state differs but little from that
of pre-slavery days, according to the
author. They are treated as children.
and. when necessary, with the f1rmness
that unruly children require. In the
particular instance OF the present story,
the new manager is confronted with an
element of ''blue gums from Alabama.
a vicious set of negroes with criminal
tendencies and q taste for drink, their
presence making the situation the more
dangerous because they are entirely I'M
der the control OF two vOudoo priests.
The plot is built up Of rivalry. both over
a woman and the managersi1ip, which
has been taken out of the hands of a
white man who does not scruple to set
the more desperate Of the negroes
against the new man in command. In
an unassuming way the author draws
an interesting picture of a remote region
of the country and it's only industry,
conveying some information, by the
way. though as already said, he does
not approach a problem and is unable
70 shed new light upon Voudoo.