analysis is not presented by the author in so many words, but is deduced
by the reader from his observation of the character. Such studies
constitute one of the highest art forms of the short story, for the
characters must live on the printed page. The short stories of Henry
James and of Miss Wilkins could almost be classed _in toto_ under this
head; Miss Wilkins' characters are usually types, while those of James
are more often individual, though rather unusual. Other good examples
are Hawthorne's "Edward Randolph's Portrait;" Irving's "The Devil and
Tom Walker," and "Wolfert Weber;" Stevenson's "Markheim" and "The Brown
Box;" and Davis' "Van Bibber," as depicted in the several stories of
"Van Bibber and Others."

Notice that in both subdivisions nearly every title embodies a reference
to the character described, showing that the author intentionally set
out to sketch a character.

V. THE DIALECT STORY might be considered as a subdivision of the
preceding class, since it is in effect a _Character Study_; but its
recent popularity seems to warrant its being treated separately. Its
chief distinction is that it is written in the broken English used by
the uneducated classes of our own country, and by foreigners. Its plot
is either very slight or hopelessly hackneyed, and it is redeemed from
sheer commonplace only by its picturesque language. It is usually told
in the first person by some English-murdering ignoramus. It is simple,
and sometimes has a homely pathos. It may present character as either
active or inactive, though usually the former. Its excuse for existence
is that it gives truthful expression, in their own language, to the
thoughts of certain classes of society; but as written by the amateur
the dialect is a fearful and wonderful combination of incorrect English
that was never heard from the mouth of any living man. Joel Chandler
Harris' "Nights with Uncle Remus" contains genuine dialect; other
varieties correctly handled may be found in almost any of the stories
of George Washington Cable, Ian Maclaren, and Miss Wilkins.

The _Dialect Story_ as literature and as a field for the novice is
considered at length in Chapter VI.

VI. THE PARABLE OF THE TIMES is a short story which aims to present a
vivid picture of our own times, either to criticise some existing evil,
or to entertain by telling us something of how "the other half" of the
world lives. It is in a sense a further development of _The Tale_ (Cl