Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 97, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 April 1915 — The Stories cf Famous Novels [ARTICLE]

The Stories cf Famous Novels

By Albert Payson Terhune

Copyright, 11)13, by The Press Publishing Co. (The New York Evening World.) TARTARIN OF TARASCON By Alphonse Daudet Tartarin was the hero of the town of Tarascon in Southern France. There wqg nothing he could not do—had not done —would not do. He was the greatest hunter on earth, the most fearless man that ever lived, the paladin who had held Shanghai against an army of Tartars, had fought pirates, had shot big game all over the world, had conquered the most terrible wild beasts. As a matter of hard, cold fact, Tartarin had never shot a living thing, had never been five miles away from his birthplace, had never had a single adventure of any sort in all of his forty-five years. Yet be had boasted so much and so long that he had grown to believe his own boasts. And the townsfolks, who had known his whole career from childhood, also believed. The coming of a menagerie to Tarascon started a rumor that Tartarin was about to go to Africa to hunt the Atlas Mountain' lions. And, by helping along the report, he at last found himself, solely against his will, committed to the trip. There were two natures ever warring for mastery in Tartarin. While the adventurous Ijalf of him shouted: “Cover yourself with glory!” the saner half retorted: “Cover ycu-’celf with warm iinnnc.s. ’ But go he must, or forever lose his halo as a local hero. And go he did, carrying along a marvellous hunting equipment and escorted to the station by the whole cheering town. Tartarin took ship from Marseilles for the nearest African port, which was Algiers. There, to his amaze, he found a French city —not a lionhaunted desert. Supposing the desert must lie just outside the city walls, he crept forth one night on a lion hunt. A dark figure rose, roaring just in front of him. Tartarin fired. A prowling donkey fell to earth mortally hurt. And the fearless African hunter had the pleasure of paying the beast’s owner a fancy price for the night’s sport. Next, hearing there were no longer any lions left in Algeria,’he bought a camel and started southward on a hunting expedition. With him went a most gracious and interesting traveling companion, who had introduced himself as Prince Gregory of Montenegro. Camel-riding made poor fat Tartarin horribly seasick. So he was forced to walk the whole distance and lead the camel. At the first opportunity the "Prince” stole all of Tartarin’s money he could Oky hands on and decamwped. Tartarin, despairing of finding any big game, was about to turn back in search of his stolen funds, when one day he beheld an enormous lion coming straight toward him. He fired two explosive bullets into the brute, blowing it almost to atoms. - Then, too late, he learned that his victim was a tame “trick” lion, blind, old and mangy. The slain beast’s owners had hunter arrested. Tartarin had no money left, so he had to sell all his wonderful equipment of weapons and his camping outfit to satisfy their claims. He tried to sell the camel, too. But no one wanted it. So, sending the lion s tattered skin back to Tarascon as a trophy, Tartarin started on foot to the seacoast, the camel ambling along at his side. He scraped together enough money for his passage to France. As he boarded the ship the faithful camel (which Tartarin had come to loathe) jumped into the sea after him and was hoisted on deck. At Marseilles Tartarin boarded a train for Tarascon. To his disgust he found the horrible camel was peacefully trotting along the track in pursuit of the slow little train. By this time the fact had dawned upon Tartarin that he had made a most prodigious fool of himself. He was certain the story of his misfortunes had preceded him and that he would be the laughing stock of all his native town. Also that the camel would add to the mirth. But, on leaving the train, he was amazed past all measure to fimk the Tarascon station full of townsfolk, who had turned out to greet him. That one lion skin sent home by him had done the business, and had stamped him forever in the eyes of the Tarasconese as a fearless slayer of wild beasts. At sight of the camel a second enthusiastic cheer went up. Tartarin, bowing modestly in recognition of the plaudits, waved his hand in triumph toward the creature and announced: “That is my camel. A noble beast! He saw me kill all those lions!” ALPHONSE DAUDET was borh tt Nimes, in 1840, and after being edu cated in Lyons, became an usher at Alais, but when only seventeen, 1 set out for Paris with his brother and both obtained appointments as clerk or private secretary in the office of the Due De Moray. Daudet’s first work, a poem, was followed by theatrical pieces (written partly in collaboration. Some of his best work appeared In the journals. The charming extravaganza of TARTARIN DE TARASCON was carried farther in TARTARIN SUR LES ALPES and PORT TARASCON. Daudet suffered from a distressing malady and published some few autobiographical papers collected as TRENTE ANS DE PARIS and SOUVEjggS OF A MAN OF LETTERS. j

Frank Hardy was in Rensselaer over night and this morning left for his home in Oklahoma City. He came.to Remington with the remains of his mother, whose funeral occurred Friday afternoon. Frank has been traveling for some time for a drygoods house out of Oklahoma City. Mrs. Hardy’s mother, Mrs. Maria Hopkins, has been spending the winter with them and left only about a week ago for Superior, Neb., to visit her son,'J. A. Hopkins and family.