Evening star., 1921-03-06
"THE COUNT OF
MONTE CRISTO"
by ANNE JORDAN.

temporarily interned at Elba,
ship raped at the isle and
sealed letter from the chief anti
Bourbon was put aboard. The CAP
tain. dying inopportunely. asked Ed
mond Dantes TO take the letter to
| Bonaparist in Marseilles named Vile
| fort.
| When Edmond reached Marseilld
his heart was fringed with feathers
| He was progressing rapidly in tho
merchant marine. and as soon as he
| delivered the letter he had date
TO trot double with a frail named
| Mercedes But Edmond had enemies
4 wight named Danglars wore
green hump on his back because Ed
mond had been promised softer
| berth by their superior. NJ. Morrel.
| Mercedes had another suitor. Ferl
| dinand. and the Danglars tipped on
the Bourbon bulls to the missive|
Edmond carried. Eillefort, mean
while. had turned his coat and hadI
royalist lining showing. When he
had read and burned the letter. heI
Just bit of red tape and formal-|
| ity." apologized Nillefort.
| And so. instead OF a flower studded
| bridegroom. Edmond became a moss,
covered. rat-bitten dungeoneer. with
his address reading Chateau DIFF"
!; :: x
THE bit of formality unwound into
l.
| patience melted into despair Napo-
| leon sprung his cage and had his
! hundyed days. Silently. Edmonds
beard grew until it covered his solar
plexus. He decided TO try Mac
Swiney. He refused his pain ct eau
| when the jailer stuck it through the
bars.
What you expect. cafeteria serv-
ice:' Indignantly exclaimed the jail
er ''Nous desirez "A little filly mig
| non. huh? Nix. bandit. Dishrag
| broth for youse.'
Before the hunger strike had had
any effect. Edmond heard scrap
| ing sound. He sat up and began TO
/ take nourishment. Somebody was
digging toward his cell. Days later.
| a. part OF the wall fell in. and out OF
the dust crawled the Able Faria
The abbe had put in some years in AZ
coop. but he retained a general focus
| on outdoor life He wised Edmond up
10 the TACT that Edmond was being
made the goat to save Eillefort's
| skin. and give Danglars a chance 10
/ crib his job and Ferdinand his girl
| Edmond hit on a new motive for liv-
| lng-revenSe. The abbe also knew
a few about calculus. dietetics and
! literature and Edmond became his
pupil. since the able now occupied
an adjoining dungeon.
one day the old abbe lay down and
died, but not before he had tipped Ed
mond OIL TO cave on the isle of Monte
| CriSto stuffed like a turkey with money
and jewels. Edmond placed the body of
the abbe on his own bed and crawled
into the shroud that had been put
around the dead man. With knife in
hand, he waited for what might happen
They carried him high on the castle
! walls and, tying an iron ball around his
leg. SHE'D him at Davy Jones locker.
Fortunately, Edmond retained his COM
posure in spite of this ungentlemanIy
act He cut his way out of the shroud
cut the ball from his leg, and as un-
concernedly a Houdini he struck out
swimming. He was picked up by "A
smuggling freighter. and learned that it
was the year 1929.
Edmond remained on the ship until it
CHANGED to stop at the Is.e of Monte
Cristo, He tell from a rock. and pre-
tfiu4llS ltlil LlS IS WIS DTOhtH, lie
urged his comrades to depart. When
they had gone he took a chart that the
old abbc had given him and surveyed
his domain. At last he found the ledge
that hid the treasure cave.
"Attaboy. Open Sesame. My baby
needs a new pair of shoes he chanted
as he spied an iron door.
Sure enough. he got inside and found
box full of the gravy goods.
4. !; y y
COON after this, all Paris was hob
~ nobbing at the feet of the charming,
mysterious. wealthy Count of Monte
Cristo. Debut antes We're trotted out for
his approval. but Edmond had no time
to waste on cream puffs and baby
stares. He had flock Of revenging to
do Dangars, now rich banker. Ferdi-
nand, an eminent warrior. and Nillefort,
high in office. all came to pay homage
to this human mint.
Easy come. easy CO. was the counts =
motto as he drizzled money in his wake
through Paris So. while hopeful man.
mas wined and tea-d the elusive count,
and papaS nudged each other and ex-
changed gossip about q certain Princess
Haydee, said to be the queen of the
counts private harem, Edmond was
The count went out 10 take a look at
Mercedes. now the wife of Ferdinand.
He returned and confided cattiShly 10
the Princess Haydee:
"If men only knew how girls look
twenty years afterward they'd never
marry EN-
BY changing his wig, clothes, accent
and apartment frequently, the schemer
Edmond managed to hand out such neat
punishment that Danglars lost his for
tune, Ferdinand blew out his brains and
Nillefort went mad.
Good old Morvel, who had tried in vain
to get Edmond released. was made rich
by a mysterious Englishman. who was
none other than Edmond attired in
new tone of voice. MorrerS son, in love
with Nilleforts daughter. who had been
thought dead was invited on a cruise
with the count. They proceeded to the
Isle of Monte Cristo. where Villefort's
daughter had been spirited by the count
as revenge against the enemy. Edmond
left the lovers in sole possession of the
island.
.'It wasn't so bad. Haydee," he philo-
sophized as they sailed away. Most
men work for their millions, but all did
was to lie in Jail fourteen years and
have private tutor"
A Victim of lfla War.