The San Francisco call., 1897-07-11

whose faith in humankind has been dis |
solved has been evolved man to whom
the most sacred beliefs and treasured asso- |
Citations are merely so many matters Ct
mock. He is set to work at the congenial
task OF impaling Montanelli, now cardi- !
nal at the end of his pen. He has suf- |
fered in South America; he has been COM
PEELED to servitude with Lascars and
Chinese, TO be beaten with coolies; he
has been branded and manned. Hence he
feels little compunction in applying the
ter tdlionts to the man whom he considers
10 be the origin of his misfortunes.
To none does he tell his sad story, and
only hints of his sufferin to Gemma,
his old love. She IS still of the revolu-
tionists, but he can never forgive her the
slap of thirteen years before. While in
the Argentine Rivarez had been forced 10
serve as zanv in a travelling troupe of
circus riders. One night he visits a
variety show in company with Gemma
Before them is a hunchback acting as
clown. The sight calls up bitter recol-
lectlons. To Gemma he says:
Has it ever occurred to you that that mis-
erable clown may have a soul-a living,
struggling, human soul-tied down in tina t
crooked hulk OF a body and forced TO slave for
it2 You, that are so tender r-hearted TO every
thing; you, that pity the body in It's fools
dress and bells, have you never thought ot
the wretched soul that has not even motley to
cover It's horrible rakedness? Think OF it
shIvering with cold, stifled with shame and
misery, before all these people; feeling their
jeers, that cut like a whip; their laughter,
that burns like red-hot iron on the bare flesh
Think Of il looking rOnn1. s. halnless before
them ali, for the mountain that will not fall
on it, for the rocks that have not the heart to
cover it, envying the rats that can creep INTO
some hole in the earth and hide; and remem-
Der that a soul is dumb; it has no voice 10 cry
out; it must endure and endure and endure.
Turn we now to the third and last Sec
tion of the book under review. The Gadfy
has become power among the revolution
lists and a reward has been placed upon
his head. He is captured, but with the
aid Of his friends escapes. A second cap
ture is equally inefficacious in keeping
him in CELL The third time, wounded
and i'll as he is, he is placed in cell with
a strong guard and is strapped TO the bed
Cardinal Montanelli seeks an interview
with the prisoner and cuts his bonds, but is
insulted for his pains. The padre desires
TO KNOW WuGTeln He has ever WIOuSSu
Kivarez. 10 this the prisoner rel plies only
in mocking and by recalling one particu-
larry heartIess trick played upon his
Eminence, which reminds me of vari-
ETY. show" and Montanelli, patiently
Christian as he has been throughout the
interview, gives it up. Nevertheless he
returns for a second conversation. The
authorities have been informed that an at
tempt al rising will be made the Thursday
following on Corpus Christi day and they
are anxious TO execute Rivarez immedi-
ately after trial by court-martial 10 pre-
vent his rescue. T he Gadfy again greets |
him with gibes:
1t is very kind of your Eminence to call |
here; but perhaps that was done from the
Christian standp point. Visiting prisoners-ah |
yes! forgot: "Inasmuch as ye did it unto one |
of the least of these" It's not very compli- |
mentary, but one of the least is duly grateful. |
And then, all in moment the stony |
heart of the atheist is touched and he re-
veals himself TO his father. Rarely have |
we read more touching scene than this,
where the wronged man, steeled to suffer
ing, reverts TO the time when Montaneli
was his beloved padre. To him Arthur /
between his religion and his love. But the |
priests faith stands the onslaught. He |
remains true TO the church. To his God |
he looks for direction.
Montanelli turned to the erucifx. 'God |
listen to this" His voice died away into the |
empty stiffness without response. Only the |
mocking devil awoke again in the Gadfy.
Call him louder; perchance he seepeth."
We shall not mar the beauty of the last
chapters OF this really remarkable book |
by digesting them here. Suffice it to re- !
peat that in our opinion they are worthy |
Of Hugo. In the hands OF a first-class
playwright m uch might be done with the
Gadhy, and we venture to say 1t will be a
loss to the stage if its possibilities fail OF
AS a novel II is absorbing.
One will read it from the first page to the |
last without putting it down. AS play |
it would reach the thousands who do not |
read, and who would otherwise never
make the acquaintance of frst-class
tran scription from life itself.
EMANUEL ELIAS.