The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-08

matter with Wn1ch It IS uued--matter which would be dry in the hands of any but genius--of absorbing interest.
 The picture of the social life of Pa- ris under Louis XII, of it's political con- dition and of the legal machinery of the times. is admittedly accurate, and shows profound study. But the tale itself is a chamber of horrors
 Hugo in this work fell into the fault which is characteristic of SO many Frspnh authors. He selected the nois- omg a5erratious of the human heart concluding chapter. which the author labels "Quasimodo's Marriage" reach es the extreme limit in repulsive and horrible suggestiveness. Yet Hugo seems to thing 1t merely poetical-del- ieately amatory. One will be better French historian from reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame." but scarce iy better man. However 1t is a great story by a great writer; genius shines all through 1t.
 Dom Claude Frollo, Archdeacon of Josas, gazed down from his cell in one of the great towers of Notre Dame up- on the city of Paris--gazed down se- renely upon the world, the flesh and the devil at his feet Though not more than s5, he looked 50, with the
 
 bald pate and his thin, austere face, deeply plowed with lines of thought.
 Early trained to the church his whole life iads been one of study and devo- tion. No fires of hatred or revenge, or of the love of woman. had ever kin died in that cold, well-ordered brain. But he tenuerly loved his younger brother, Jehan, the student, and supp piled that scapegrace with money and oA Of long with the giddy youth.
 Now as Dom Claude's eye roamed over the city 1t was attracted finally by 8 crowd gathered in the open space in front of the cathedral--the Parvis In the circle formed by the crowd a young gypsy girl was dancing. She was not tall, though she appeared to Her face was of exquisite beauty and her complexion had the beautiful gold on tfnts of the Roman and Andalusian women. Her small foot was Andalu- sian, too. She danced and whfrled on an old Parisian carpet carelessly thrown upon the pavement. keeping lime to the sound of her tambourine, which her two plump, beautifully shap- ed arms held above her head.
 With her golden bodice and her spotted robe, that swelled with the ra- pidity of her motion, disclosing now ana then her finely turned legs; with her black hair, her eyes of flame and her rapt expression, she seemed a su- pernatural creature. With her was a beautiful white goat with gidded horns.
 Come, DjaIi." said the girl to the goat, when her dance was ended. 'Tell me what day of the month this is :" The goat struck one on the pavement with her foot. It actually was the first day of the month. Then by nov ing her tambourine in different way, she made the little creature rap out the day of the week and the hour of the day "Sorcery!" whispered many among the crowd.
 "sDjali," continued the gypsy show me how Master Guichard Grand Remy does in the Candlemas procession. . The goat rose on her hind legs and , began bleating and walking with a comicaI gravity which set the whole circle in roar of laughter. Many oth- CT tricks did the goat do at the bid- ding of her mistress and high up in his tower Dom Claude looked down upon the scene. He was too high above to see distinctly all the beauties of the girl and could not hear all that she said. But he saw her; and something, new and to him terrible, began stirring within him.
 Many times after this. when La Es- meralda, the Bohemian" or the "Egyp- tian." as they indiRerentIy called her, was giving her harmless exhibition in the streets of the Paris of 1S42. there would be in the crowd gathered around her stern-faced man clad in the garb of a monk, who never took his fiery eyes from her and who would some- times ejacuIate in a deep voice. Sore eryi" "Sacrilege! "ProfanationP P' Whereat La Esmera1da would shudder and say with a pretty bout: "oh, that odious man again."
 One nihgt when La Esmeralda had stayed abroad late to amuse the pop ulace she was proceeding toward her home in the Cour des Miracles when suddenly she felt herself seized by a strong, rough hand. The street was pitchy dark save for a feeble ray which shone from votive lamp before the image of some saint. But by the un- certain light La Esmeralda could see that the man who had seized her was Quasimodo the hunchback bellringer of Notre Dame. and that he was ac- companied by the man in monks habit whose presence at her little street en- tertainments had so often made her blood run cold.
 'Murderl Murder" shrieked the girl. ''Halt. scoundrels. and let the wench SO. SuOuLSu q VOlCe or thunder In res sponse to her cries, and a horseman, armed cap-a-pie, his drawn sword in bis hand, came riding out of the next street. He snatched the gypsy out of the hands of the stupehed Quasimodo and laid her across his saddle.
 The formidable hunchbaek, recover D ing from his surprise, was about to spring upon the horseman to regain his prey when fifteen or sixteen archers, who followed close at the heels of their captain. came up and fell upon him. Tn spite of his almost superhuman strength Quasimodo was overcome and bound.
 In the confusion his companion dis appeared. La Esmeralda gracefully raised herself upon the officers sad dle, and. clapping both hands upon his shoulders, looked at him intently for Q few moments, as if charmed by his handsome face. Then, giving a sweet CT tone than usual to her sweet voice, she said: |" What is your name, sirY'
 Captain Phoebus de Chateaupers, at your service, my dear," replied the gallant captain.
 Thank you" said the girl, and while the young man was turning up his mustache she slid to the ground and vanished with the swiftness of a swal- low.
 While ouasimodo was being dragged ofr to prison the Archdeacon of Josas was pacing in agitation up and down the gloomy aisles of Notre Dame nut tering wildly to himself of sorcery and of fiends that come in human shape to tempt men to their destruction.