The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-03

stands mere desperate prig; that Zephire
Durel is a stacy villain-THe GrandtS-
shines was finely vilainless, remember
and that the love story is really the only
bait calculated TO allure one through a
stately and static book.
Incidentally, it is true, there is more of
the old Cable quality towering along the
wayside than there has beer in Mr.. Cables
work for ten years
A Mysterious New Orleans.
This attended to, it will be more inter-
esting to inspect Lorers of Louisiana as
the latest evidence bearing on a question
which must have vexed multitude of
Cableians from the North who have made
pilgrimage since, say, the Malta affair
viz: Where is the New Orlens of George
W. Gable, and did it ever exist outside his
fancyf
To do our inspecting intelligently, we
must begin with something approaching
an impertinence.
Mr.. Gable has not lived in New Orleans
in very long time. The first thing-t they
tell Won about him down there is that ever
since he became famous he has been per
soma non grata. They allege feeling that
his works are to blame for an impression
which certainly does obtain among the
ignorant in other parts of the nation
that "Creole" in Louisiana implies, as it
does IN some of the West Indies, an ad-
mixture of negro blood.
Mr.. Cable and the Creoles.
Now a certain magnificent unreasona-
bleness is still one of the charms of the
elder Creoles, much as It is of the Gran
dissimes and Fusiliers and the rest of
them; but It is hard to believe they are so
stupidity undiscerning in this matter. You
find them quite as capable as anybody of
Distinguishing between Mr. Cables once
favorite plot hinge-the heroine suspected
of mixed blod who turns out to be simon
pure white-and any general aspersion.
Your reporter, in New Orleans, thought it
hkelier that Mr.. Cables liberalism as to
Louisiana's negro problem-voieed for
HIM originally by Prevented and now by
Castleton-had got on high strung Creole
nerves. Or perhaps it is merely the lapse
Of time and the prophet without honor in
his own parish.
But whatever it is, the fact is incon-
testable: all that remains distinctivelv
Orleanian of New Orleans is at least
coldly Indifferent to the city's one son of
high distinction in creative writing. Mr..
Cable was there few weeks in the win
ter OF l9l415, gathering material for new
novels, and his presence made less stir
than the arrival of rich Chicago packer.
All this suggests that he and his city have
grown rather widely apart-if they ever
we're quite at one. Your reporter is not
verdant enough to pretend in winters
soJourn-that same winters, as it happens
to have learned New Orleans as she
must have been known to Mr. Cable at one
time; but he is confident in challenging
Lovers Of Louisiana as even a remotely
accurate reflection of modern New Or
leans in the doubiy FURNISHED mirror of a
romancer who is also devoted native son.
For instance, it may still happen, un-
likely as it seems, that q Creole man
about town Of the theatric worthless kind
does, under the depression of costly
guess at cotton futures and the influence
Of champagne, challenge his foe to deadly
arbitration. II so, it is not town Cos
sip, nor would the very proper failure of
the challenger to take the matter seriously
cause him to be ostraciEed by representa-
tive people. Instead, any friend of the
fire eater who got wind of the challenge
would either urge him not to be an ass or
take steps to have him examined as to
bis sanity-and if the police got wind of
it he would promptly be put under bond
Surprising, however, that none of these
natural consequences resulted, should the
vainglorious Zephire thereupon hunt his
mortal foe about the streets with pistol