The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-26


 crime. Young persons in America and England appear to be inspired with all irresistible craving to translate master piece as soon as they have finished their boarding school course in elementary French. Vigorous, monumental styles like those of Dumas and Hugo can survive the massacre; but a delicate poetic art like that of Doudet is ruined by any touch eX- cept the most slSillful.
 WY HEN Elysee Meraut thought of A/ of his childhood-and he thought
 w of 1t often-he saw a place or crowded houses standing in the pareheu and sunburnt land of Southern Frahee' At almost every window of these houses was fastened a Jacquard SIX looin' d. which men in shirt sleeves toheo lhees sanity. Beyond the mass of roofs stood the most prominent feature of the neigh iorhood, a rocky knoll, crowned Wlth an cient, abandoned windmills.
 There day after day the little Elysee and The other children played a game of which they never tired-that of battle between the Huguenots and the Catholics. Homer ic warfare it was, waged with stones from the crurnbling mills, and many lifelong scar did the young contestants carry away. Elysee had two-one on his temple and one on his hip.
 Their elders did not essay to prevent or moderate the ferceness of these encoun- ters. Even in the days of the republic most of the people of that district were ln- ,easely royalistic. Elysee'1 father, vel coming him proudly when he came home N eagerly after the fortunes of the battle and exult in thunder tones II the Husue- Lots had been defeated.
 "Tholazan! Tholazan! he roared one oav. on hearing that one of that name had made a stubborn defense. ''The beggar! l had his father under my gun in 1Slo' It were well had 1 killed him.
 On the wall over his loom Elysee father had the picture of the Bourbon whom the people worshipped in secret as their legitimate monarch. Under it was smaller one, on which there was large seal of red wax and the words 'Faith, Hope" around a cross of St. Andrew. Meraut looked up continually and hablth- ally from his shuttle at these pictures. His strong, statuesque face With It's aquiline nose, seemed not unlike that Of these Bourbons whom he loved so much'
 He was a terrible man, violent and despotic. Under strong emotion his face grew purple. His voice was like claps of thunder. He lived in a royalist legend and his one song, rolled forth at the top of his fine voice, was the ancient royal ist chant, Long live Henry the Fourth! Long live the valiant KingH'
 tWhen the king returns I shall buy new armchair. When the king returns we will change the paper on this room It was Merauts constant refrain, until it was replaced by 'When l had the honor of seeing the king"
 That was after he had accomplished the pilgrimage to the royal exile at Frohsdorf, at an expenditure of time ana money all but ruinous to a poor village weaver He had returned dazzled. Yet the interview had been very short. An, is it you?'' the claimant had said to each of the worshippers in turn. Me raut was so choked with emotion and his eyes were so blurred by tears that he could not even see the features of bis idol
 But his majestys military secretary, the Duke of Athis, had asked him much about the state of mind of the French people He had even condescended to make a note of the names of Merauts children Thereafter when anything was said about the future he would answer, Make yourself easy. The Duke of Athis made note of them"
 Having become ambitious for his children very suddenly, the old weaver who saw his oldest sons rooted to his own narrow path, built hopes of gran deur on little Elysee. So he sent him to the ool of Senor Papel, one of those Spanish refugees who filled the southern town after the equalization of Marotto.
 Papel was little man, resembling dwarf in a picture by Velasquez He wore dirty white cap drawn over his forehead to hide a great swollen blue vein that ran from his hair to his eyebrows. He was brutal and cruel-a fanatic belonging to the Middle Ages; but he had a prodigious stock of ideas under his broad skull, all dominated
 
 by obstinate royalism
 The people whispered that the name "Papel" concealed that of a general un- der Don Carlos, celebrated for his fero- cious manner of making war and giv- ing variety to death. During the many years that Elysee passed under the ter rible dwarf, whose favorite pupil he was. he never heard him speak word to justify this suspicion. But when at last his father proposed to send him to Paris, Senor Papel gave him many heavy letters of introduction, sealed with mysterious arms and addressed to the chiefs of the legitimate party.
 The elder Meraut ordered this jour ney because he began to think that the Kings return was delayed too long. To defray the expenses of Elysee's resi- dence in Paris he sold his gold watch and his wife's silver chain and his vineyard. He did it with simple and unconscious heroism for his King .'Why do they waltz" said he to his son. "TelI them that the people here are weary from waiting"
 Elysee Meraut went to Paris in his twentieth year, qyerfowing with exalted convictions. The leaders of the party re- ceived him with astonishment, mingled with fright. This mailman with the daz- zling black eyes shining in long leonine A. f<>- tI,ir ft.