The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-20
N AIPHOM DAUD[T


 of GasssSHy% % soon decided in i iasoE of the latter. Quite unconsciossiy, s they ey ful touch to the written story. ,s,syy They ing Ha 91tas thst IT psudst.a a They They shook ho their fists in the air on the streets when his name was mentioned. bookseilers ol soek sous But they sona ony . its sale. It is one of the jokes of modern iiteraturs.
 The intrepid Tartarin of Tarascon lived in a house that was outwardly just like all the other quiet, respect able houses of Tarascon; but inwardly 1t showed the heroic nature of it's owner.
 In the garden grew nothing but ex- otic piants--cocoa. mangoes. bananas. cacti. and. greater than all, the famous baobab of India, the giant tree. It is true that the baobab was not of full growth being in fact easily accom- modated in small flower pot, while the other plants were equally lacking in size, but notwithstanding 1t was true baobab and the town felt proud of it.
 Tn his study he had all the weapons Of the whole world--carbines, rifles, Malay crosses. Hottentot clubs, every thing. These were all labeled with lit- tie cards saying. Poisoned arrowsi Do not toychr' and Loaded! Take care. pleasel"
 : On . table were the books of Captain Cook and James Fenimore Cooper, stories of hunting bears and elephants and Hons. The owner of all this terri lying array was man between forty and forty-ive, short, stout. thick set. ruddy. with flaming eyes. and strong. stubby beard. When he read the ex- citing stories of wild deeds he pouted out his lower lip in a terrifying way, which gave an impression of noble fsroeity to the countsnance of this great man the dreadiess, incomparable Tartarin of Tarascon.
 It was not for nothing that he had this alarming arsenal! He was the king shot Of Tarascon--Tarascon, where everybody shoots. No Sunday ever pass cd without hunting that comprised the whole of the male population. All the dogs Of Tarascon. a nuriy-buriy Of barks. bays, cracking of whips, blow ing of dog whistles and hunting horns an army with game bags and fowling pieees--that was Tarascon on Sum day.
 Unfortunately there was a lack of game an absolute dearth. So far as known, there was only one animal left in the country all around, an old hare on M. Bompard's farm. which had doubled. even trebled in value as 8 result. But he was & villain of hare whom nobody could lay low. and finally only two or three tnveterate sportsmen bothered themselves about him.
 The rest went Into the country with ample supplies and after luncheon the ''shoot' was declared officially open. Thereupon every hunter threw his cap , Into the air and shot at 1t with all h W1efl , most shot in his cap was proclaimed king of the hunt and conducted tri- umphant1y back to Tarascon with his riddled cap on the end of his gun bar rel.
 As a marksman at caps, Tartarin never had his match. The loft at Bao- bab Villa was full of these glorious trophies. Therefore, he was great judge for all sporting problems that arose in Tarascon. Every afternoon he might be seen at the shop of Coste- calde, the gunsmith, surrounded by wrangling hunters. who Iaid their dis putes before him.
 Yet all this glory did not content him. For his wild. adventurous spirit. which dreamed of battles, races across the pampas, tigers and elephants. 1t was not enough to go out every Sun day and pop at caps. His Hottentot clubs and Malay crosses shouted Eat. ne! Battle" to him continually. Through the twigs of his baobab blew the tempest of great voyages Many times. when he was reading under his blades and points, the poor man would dash down his book and unhook a deadly arm. Flcurishing 1t, he would below:
 Now, only let lem comeF.
 Them" Who, were "theyY"
 They were all that attacks and lights. all that bites, scratches. scaips, whoops or yelIs--Sioux, grizzlies. Alge. ran bandits. Malay pirates.
 It was to no avail that the fearless Tarasconer called for and detied them. they have come to Tarascon for?
 Nevertheless Tsrtarin always expect ed to run against them, particularly some evening going to his club. He al. ways was ready for them" In his left hand he bore a steel pointed ried 6 sword cane. In his left pocket lay revolver. On his chest. between outer and inner garments. reposed a Malay creese.
 Thus armed, he strolled through his garden leisurely and coolly prepared for all. He opened the heavy iron door and slammed it violently against the outer wall If "they" had been skulk- ing behind 1t they would have been jam. Then he would go dauntlessIy through the dark streets, prldently Keeping in the middle of the road. Reaching the club, he would cast one last flaming look of defiance into the night and mutter wrathfully: Moth. ing! There never is nothingP Only double negation could do justice to his feelings.
 Yet with all this mania for adven- ture, this fierce determination. Tartarin had reached the age of 45 years with out once having slept outside of his own room. He lad not even taken that obligatory trip to Marseilles which ev- Axy sound provencal makes upon com S%g Of age. The most of his knowl- ,srge included Beaucaire, and yet that's not far from Tarascon, there being merely the bridge to go over. Unfor- tunately this rascally bridge is so long and frail and the Rhone has such a width at this point tha& the game was not worth the candle. Tartarin, there fore remained in Tarascon.
 Once he did almost start out on a great voyage. A drm in China offered hEn the managership of their branches in the interior there. This branch had the advantage of being favored with occasional onslaughts of the Tartars. Then the doors would be shut, the clerks flew to arms, up ran the con- suIar flag. and 2izzl bangi boom! out of the windows at the Tartars!
 Tartarin clutched this proposition with immense enthusiasm. In the end it came to nothing: but there was much talk in the town about it. Tartarin'e fourney was so much discussed that