, 1877-03-24

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Tho sntt,l Of II. Zota tonnot lc callel poctl-
chi one. lie belongs to tho realistic school, and
his new work. "L'Alsoinmoir," pretcnds to be
d photograph Of the manners o: the Partisan
population Of the faubuurcs. Tho story, rs D.
story, is very simple, but feel c:nbarrAssul TO
tell # In It's s,nplictr-lt Is oreroltlng. must,
however, naku un effort aud trJ to make IT.
prcscntablc. 4 young woman IN tho country Ii
lebauei,cd and taken to Paris by inah
named Lautier. GcryaIso tsNch Is tho llaInc Of
the hcro!no) has twa children. bat Lauticr ID
not fond Of work, alrl the ssnall nsaa9e falls
Into state Ut misery. The dratna Opens wien
Laattcr puts In 4 trunk all that (ieryasc nn1
himself st!ll possess, Cocs away With the trunk,
and nbanIons {lcfvatac With her two little 0ncs.
tlcrvatso Is wuinan of courage, q
good launt1rcss; she can work, and docs
work hravcly. Tier spirit becomes subject
Of admiration for zinqucur u man who soldiers
zinc platcsl named Coupca''; hc oftcrs to n,arry
htc is deaf to his proposition for long ting.
but finally she saya 'rcs," out OF goo l-na.uro
moro than loyr. This couple OF oayr!ers. boil,
tuccecds IN getting q laundry Of her own, and
| they both hare savings; they arc happy, thcf
arc prosperous. So lar there Is nothing rcpnl~
sIve IN tho story; ana there arn some touching,
actount vi the wedding VI tho zltlgucur cOupcau
ani OF ticrvalsc Is us amusing us p!ccc at tho
lalais ROYAL. There nrc so'nc d!sg.lstil,g parts
a'se which .erse q 4 prepa'at!son 4, tor ths sec
an With whom Lautier. her first lover, ran away,
| In 1aundFy.boat on tho river: this two w0lneh
light like cnnniba1s, and Ncrvasu l|U2s her rival
with her battoir, amidst tho applause of all tho
nut Whist snail | say OF the second part Of tho
rorkI After short pcriuNl III happiness tho
Coupcau nseaagt ts dootnca to rcrca OF mis-
fxi. .x+,.tr
very eyes Of his witc; she takes care VI HIN and
saves him, hut hn comics out 1tfYcrcHt tnaH
from his long and terstntc illness. either OH ac.
count Of tho cilect Of tito cerebral shock or Of
dfsgust he haa acquired for hls dangerous work,
and tho positive fear with which II inspires him.
llc becomes lniolcnt, iatr, and naly he drinks
Tha woman struggles hard With dcstiny;, sho
est; she works iku slave, sn.i cllccttasly, too.
iicr huAband Is To her MI object Of pity at Arht.
lie drinks wine before he drinks brandy,
and e l,as "lo yn aahle:" ,an.ot ~ as
Of the gradual Acbasemtnt Of the unfortunate
tlrtukcE. We acc him sink slowIs, llku drown
Ing MAD; tho progress Of hls brutality. the e1.
hls tcplslyu sc,ls,1al!sn,, nrc described with q
curin,ls power. But tho caso of the drunkarl
j., after all, very cs't,,non ono rs h1atory taal
written beforehand H. ne n1.osy o. az
@ Inci't Of tic hcroist. licEvstsc. From an artis,
tir pout Of view There ean bc hrt IN The 1nosl
loathsonse suhiectl .his part o. "L'Ass9n.; %
courage at ilrst, 50 naturally gool and l,oncst,
bccuulrs In thu c'Ml tho victim Of fatal circuea
stancrs,-,hr lazlness OF her husband, who
prcys upon her and drinks all her savings, the
wrctvlrd company ahe I. Obliged to see, tho
| lad Instincts which form her only atlnos-
phere. She gcts dlsgustcd with eyerythtnG,-,
with llrr husband, wllo ID most contemrttbe ol
| u fxk1t ~ kn~ fsl3at, ~rr
posed Of the worst people: she Is tired Of
work, tired Of Paris, tired ot her low, dirty sur
ruundLnss, tired Of lite. She falls finally into
sort Of apathy. Her own husband brings bast
hatAtually In tho drinking .hups II the quarter
autler is we'll dressed, he has soft 1nantiers, hc
DOES not swear; h. . shscwl and cold yiilasn
Eho makes us living at she esssnsIS ....Io o. ,I., h
self As home IN tho Coupcau family. Ito Is use
ful; lio offers to pay for bis boarl; l.e eats u
the table where ho Enn meet hG children, ant
afYects = sentimensality which ia not Ia III
unrayel tue laAt horror OF thtA work. Geryatse
degraded In her Own eyes, Ia now like bod
without soul. She lives, Us Il we're, fron
astshbars, al undertaken. and wtshes he co4l.
9 tako her TO her grave and giyc her Ecet. Hcl
: husband becomes cscry day mots revolving ~
n,oss brutal; he l!ros but for ~ lFtnk a'la 10
thu Joyous comrades who 60 wtl. hIni from oi'
dssumRloir TO another (a11inmoir Is ono OF IN
slang names OF tue brandy-shop} Lautlcr sue
eccda, alwasa un.lcr prctcnse of being useful, I
getting one Of tho Toons Of tho family for h!tt
self: io pays hls board and hls rent, Of Eathe
says that he will pay, but he ncYer does. 1t
100 late: he /. al hot11s now in Gcfyai1e's ow
house; Inc scst ean 10 guessed. Gcsyatso
doomed; her fate 10 sealed. She returns to h9
Nsst lover, - an animal returns ~ thc Fnd
and violent master who ean feed hsl
IS we'll - beat him. Vice aud misery, which a
together, soon bcvome the ebsoluto tyrants I
THU wrctehel household. With such example
= II 10 not to be wondered u tho daughter tufI