Literary Notes

Mr. E. V. Smalley's flrst paper on the New Orle;in8 Exposition will be printed in the May Century, with a number of pictures, mo8tly character sketches, by E. W. Kemble. Francés Clement bejflns a story of tlirilliiig dramatic interest, entitled "The Ford of 8in Xiivier," In The Current of April 4. The scène is l;iid in Southern California, nnd has a vvid local coloring. It is original in conception, swift in niovement, and admirable ín style. The originality and strenjrth which gave "The story of a Country Town" an intense fascination and interest make "The Mystery of the Locks" one of the most remarkable novela of the season. ín dealing witli dark scènes and in weaving a soul mvstery, Mr. E. W. Howe po.-esses a power tliat resembles the keen insifjht of Hiiwthorne: in portraying character be U mbR artistic, and in conetrurtinga plot he is thorouglily dramatic. The clt-arness and unaffected earnestness of his style eontribute In great measure to the full appreciation of the story which he propogfs to teil. The scène Ís laid at Davy's Bend, a river town in the West, which iffordsaii opportunity for fine and oiiginal descriptive wiitinjf. But Mr. Howe does nut belong to the school of rtüilisticwriter, and the town uid characters are inteieslinjt only for their artislic quaiiliog. Upon a rainy night, a myalerious straner takes up his a bode in a tonbaken h"u.-e, called "The Locks" on account of the variety and number of the locks to the Uoors. The romance and myterious of the new ininatc are KiKPliicallv and imincssivelv told. eral Incident of the book glve thrilling inipressions - the riae of tlie river, the episodu of the baritons, the footstep of the strenge visitor. Tug Whittle and hls meek frietnj are novel characters. and Hule Ben 8 pathetic and natural. As tbe Art Age say : "In fiction, the first place nmy be accorded to 'The Myslery of the Locks,' by E. W. Howe. This uuthor, by tlie unusuul and peculiar succes of his first look, 'The Story of a Country Town,' bas taken a foremost rank among those American writers wbose works savor of thesoil. It is probable thatthisnew book, whlch is in many respect an Improvemeot on lts predecessor, especlally as regards artistic forra, will add tuuch to liis repuUtoOB. The portrayal of local Anerlc:in cliaracterlsucs is cari led byMr. Howe to a selence."