The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-27

, the brother to a disreputable actress
and thus secured the position CT secre-
tary to Portuguese grandee, the Mar
ques de Marialva. The trick was dis
covered. He returned to Madrid and
after many amusing and not always
cred1table adventures, was appointed
under secretary to the Duke Of Lerma,
Prime Minister to the King. His du-
ties may be gagged by his comment:
One makes merit Of any dirty work
in the service of the great"
| His experiences with the upper and
the lower world, with actors, poets,
hbertlnes, physicians, bandits. adven-
turers, and hadalgos and their serv-
ants, had sharpened his wits and his
, native ability and smattering Of educa-
ton gave him growing influence. He
was courted, flattered and bribed; his
conceit and avartce became colossal
He declared that "a Court had all the
soporific virtues of Lethe in the case
Of poor relations" and confessed that
every trace of his former gay and
generous temper had disappeared"
! Pride came before a fall Having
been employed to procure a question.
able mistress for the Heir-apparent, he
was arrested by the Kings orders and
thrown into the dungeon of Segovia.
! The Prince interviewed, but he was
exiled from the two CASTLES. All his
property was seized and his n.ercenary
engagement to a wealthy jewelers.
daughter was broken.
Then his friend Don Alfonso. whom
he had got appointed as Governor Of
Valencia, presented him with O. small
/ estate near that city.
! On his way thither he stopped at his
birthplace and found his uncle a
mental wreck and his mother worn out
| in caring for his dying father. He gave
his father pompous funeral, and
settled an annuity on his mother but
the town s-people were SO indignant
with him for his neglect of his family
that they threatened to mob hi1n.
Glad to escape with his life, he
reached Valencia where he was receiv-
ed at his new home by seven or eight
servants provided by Don Alfonso. He
frugally, marrying Antonio daughter
of his farmer, Don Basilio. But his
/ idyllic happiness ended with tie death
of his wife in childbirth.
! Soon afterwards the Crown Prince
came to the throne and offered him
place of high responsibility. Gil
/ Bias, who had learned wisdom, replied
that "all he wanted was a good situa-
! ton, where there was no in6ucemtnt
! to violate his conscience, and where
the favors of his Prince were not like
/ iy to be bartered for filthy lucre"
! He was made confidant to the Prime
Minister, who entrusted him with the
education of his illegitimate son and
heir. This brought him title.
After some years when the Duke
lost the Kings favor, Gil Bias follow
ed him into retirement and On his
death was remembered with bequest
[ of 10000 pistoles. He returned to his
! beautiful estate, made a second mar
riage and lived, happy and respected
training his children wisely and con.
fiding to his memoirs all his errors,
crimes, joys and so-rows together
with his opinions Of literature, society
and the stage. His narrative is inter,
spersed with long and fascinating
stories related by various characters
whom he had met; these anG his own
adventures furnish vivid picture OF
the romantic Spain of the Seventeenth
Century.
Gil Bias" is one Of the wisest and
most amusing Of romances, al though
it is not free from the coarseness per
mitted d that time, vice is not de.
picted attractively and its teaching is
generally moral.
Copyright, 1919, by the Post Publish
ing Co. (The Boston PosD. Copyright
in the United Kingdom, the Dominions
its Colonies and dependencies. under
the copyright act, by the Post Publish
ing Co.. Boston. Mass. U. S. A. All
rights reserved.
! published by special arrangement
with the Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
All rights reserved.)
THE Count Of Monte Cristo" by
Alexander Dumas, as condemned by AL
fred s. Clark, will be printed tomorrow