The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-18

ehe Alps and Port Tara aconn on
 riosy of humor that ranks bist ana .s ne worlds master-literature
 ahu mat probably will continne to Ln's Us place for many generations to oar.N noiu h. stories of Tartarin are among ths sI modern examples of that bigL sarce which remains real and humsn n
 oush US scenario is wildly ina ein. 1'Ee ana It's Invention is prodigaI.
 After many years of can sboo.,n. otner brilliant exploits in inc ieId .ne Ihmous Club of Tarascon abturad
 he chase and transformed itself into
 an Alpine Club, after the pattern of fine A9,nous Alpine Club in London.
 ls true that the Tarasconnais did not expatriate themselves to conouer strange and distant mountains. but Sontented themselves with what thav mad under foot, and 1t is trua that the mountains of Tarascon, despite inc names of Mount Terrible. Mountain of t tne Moon, and so forth. which the na- tives applied to the hills, were not more than 500 feet high.
 stiI. 1t was an inspiring sight on sunday morning to see the members or the club go forth to dare the ascent ruliy accoutred with ice ax, knapsack elpenstocks and tents. Tartarin the great, Tartarin the Hon killer, Tar tartn who, of course, was president or the Alpine Club, did not take part In the ascents often. He confined him self to reading the dramatic records or the expeditions. laundering them Lortn with emphasis that made the la- dies turn pale.
 The envious Costecalde. dry, muscu- lar' nervous, wickedly jealous of the great Tartarin's fame, always climbed first of all. He ascended one Taras- con alp after the other and planted on the lofty summits the flag of the NUWA hA aatNN
 dragon. He was only vice-president, but he was working so well that evil dently Tartarin would be busted at the next election.
 Tartarin was terribly disgusted. He had great mind to give the whole thing up. But his brave soul soon re. turned to more heroic resolves.
 There were still three months to come before the next election. He de- termtned to annihilate Costecalde by attempting a grand adventure. He would plant the club flag on the high est sunlits in Europe.
 Secretly he ordered all the books of the Alpine climbers He filled his brains with mystic Alpine terms. At night he dreamed horribly of ava lanches and bottomIess crevasses. By day he practiced leaping these terri ble crevasses by jumping over the basin in his garden where the water
 
 He ordered wonderful boots and ice axes, cooking lamps. waterproof GOV. erings and rope. Having completed all his preparations. he sat down one morning to the dismal task of making his will. He left something to every one. even to Costecalde. His requests to eslatter were the famous poisoned arrows. asss-s
 The will concluded with these touch- ing words:
 T beg my dear Alpinists not to for. get their president hope they will forgive my mortal enemy as forgive him. although it was he, nevertheless, who occasioned my death"
 That night the form of Tartarin gIided into the shop of Bezuquet. the chemist. He was ali prepared for the hazardous Journey. and he had stopped on the way to intrust Bezuquet with the great secret, that he might dis close it to the Tarasconians at the moment of success or-in case of one | of those fearful catastrophes. Then l he departed.
 Embarrassed by his implements. hs | stabbed people with his alpenstock, | massacred them with his Ice ex. so that he excited not only astonishment | but angry remarks, which he could moi understand and which pained his candid and affectionate nature.
 In the first hotel in Switzerland IhGV 'sFIe is the courier of Peruvian ram- ily." said the manager. "He knows ali the mountains of the world-Switz- erland. Savoy. the Tyrol. India. south America! He has done them all He knows them all by heart. He can tell you all about them!
 So Tartarin sought the wonderful courier. He found him in small room, eating by himself and enjoying the best dishes, as couriers do. Monsieur" began Tartarin, entering ice-ax on shoulder, excuse me-if"
 He stopped in surprise while the courier let his spoon fall.
 Monsieur Tartarin" 'Bompard!" It was, Indeed. Bompard. once man. aKer of the great club of Tarason; a good fellow, butsafflicted with a vivid Imagination which prevented him from uttering a single word of truth, ana had gained for him In Tarascon the surname of The Impostor Des- ignated at Tarascon as an impostor. one can judge what he was! And this was the incomparable guide. the climber of the Alps, of the Himala- yas! h still. 1t was an old friend Tar tarin unbosomed himselftold of all , the envy, the plot to deprive him of the presidency of the club and the l desperate resolve he had reached. You know!" he cried. You know ' whether have ever quailed in the \ quest of the lion!" ' Bompard nodded his head solemnly ! well. mon bon, what the lions I could not do. the Alps have done! ' am afrald!" Don't say that. Tartarin!" respond 4 ed Bompard with emotion. "HistT will tell you a secret! He led the Tartarin outside. Night q had fallen and the mountains were being illuminated with Bengal fires. Switzerland, Monsieur Tartarin." . began Bompard with the air of one v about to unfold a grand secret. Ifs z nothing but a great panorama which Is being exploited by a company in ' Geneva that possesses thousands of millions! You win not find a corner Q Tn 1t that Is not fixed up and machin- ed like the stage of a theatre. I am ? one of the employees of the company. q, I have acted for it as a guide. a horn player, a chamois hunter. You will C often see one of us standing in attitude on' a mountain a beside a waterfall or a glacier. All this is puppet show The waterfall c is turned on when necessary. All n glaciers are kept up artihcialIy." u But my dear fellow. the crevassesi W Those horrible crevasses! If one tumbles into them?" T You tumble on snow Monsieur Tar [" tarin," said Bompard calmly. Al the Il bottom there will be a porter, some W body who will assist you up again. s,