Some Western Folk. By Mabel Quiller Conch. (Horace Marshall.)—The coincidence
may be an accidental one, but the volume of stories and sketches by Mabel Quiller Couch collected under the title, Some Western Folk, bears a curious resemblance en form and typography, as well as in literary character, to Mr. Hardy's somewhat ironically entitled " Life's Little Ironies." These tales, which for their bright, unaffected ability, and still more for their purity of style, are not incomparable to the sombre cameos of Mr. Hardy, are of not quite so gloomy and pessimistic a cast. But, on the whole, we feel more and more that if they are true to life, and unaffected by the existing literature of Wessex, a Royal Commission might be profitably employed in inquiring into the social life and morals of that region. Several of Mabel Quiller Conch's stories are rather slight, particularly the more cheerful ones, which is a pity, as there is too much of the vaguely pathetic element. "A Workhouse Romance " is a pretty provincial study. But The Disciple of an Old Creed" is rather an unsatisfying attempt in a distinctly Hardyesque vein. "In Charlock Time " and "The Righting of Lavinia," on the other hand, are two grimly effective tragedies. The latter, it may be observed, is one of three tales involving the death, by a sort of quasi-murder, of innocent children ! On the whole, Some Western Folk is a clever and well- written book, but we could wish a little more solid literary " meat ' to the proportion of somewhat distasteful flavouring. Or if this is impossible, we are sorry once again for the " Western folk," and note with regret (for the local colouring of the sketches is not particularly characteristic) the number of " wisht " women and " buffieheaded" men who figure in them.
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