The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-08-04


heart.
Here our story begins.
Rudolph, we soon learn, has two
aims in venturing incognitO into the
filth Of Paris. The first Is to dis
cover, x he can, the whereabouts Of
Mrs. Georges son, German, who has
been taken from her In his youth by
vicious husband. The second is to
trace. IL possible, his lost daughter,
who is supposed to have died In in
fancy. II Is around these two themes
that the romance moves. In pursuing
them M. Rudolph is beset by every i'm
aginable adventure. He is locked up
in subterranean cellar, where the
waters of the Seine slowly creep up to
his neck, and from which predica-
ment the faithful Slasher rescues him.
Innumerable traps are laid for his
feet; but from each successive snare
he miraculously escapes. And through
out this series of entanglements he
never abandons his premise that no
matter how depraved the individual,
there is potential good in all human
ity, which, If nurtured, will blossom
into virtue. In consequence he be-
comes a sort Of inferior Providence"
to those whom he meets. He saves
the blameless debtor from prison. and
places an honest livelihood within his
reach. He does a thousand kind
nesses. On the other hand he does not
hesitate to bring the unworthy to
justice. Relentlessly he causes the
eyes of wretch who has been pitt
less to the weak to be put out, that
he may know what II means to be
helpless and the prey of the strong.
The story is a network of crimes
and their eventual punishment, and
everywhere triumphant we find the
creed that in the breast of humankind
burns spark of the Divine.
The portion of the tale dealing with
the kidnapping Of Fleur-de-Marie from
her home with Mrs. George by Screech
Owl, the blinded schoolmaster, and
the imp Hoppy is a novel in itself.
How these wretches wait for the in
nocent girl; convey her to Paris by
coach; and thrust her into the arms
of the police, who in turn deposit her
in prison Is exciting reading. From
prison she is released by written or
der. only to fall victim to a band
of hired ruffians who try to drown her
in the Seine. AS she is floating down
the river, one of her old comrades from
Saint Lazare leaps in and saves her
life. Next we see her in the great
Paris hospital, and 1t Is at this juno
ture that Grand Duke Rudolph Of Ger
olstein obtains trace of her; discovers
that she is his own daughter; and
bears her in triumph to his magnifi-
cent palace to be transformed from a
fugitive of the streets TO her Royal
Highness Princess Amelia. Here, for
brief period, we behold our little
Fleur-de- Marie the idol of the court,
and sought in marriage by prince Of
the realm.
But the stigma of the past is ever
fresh in the girls mind. She cannot
shake 1t off. Though she adores her
lover, she refuses to wed him, saying
that she cloves him too much to give
him a hand that has been touched by
the ruffians Of the city" Poor, brave
Fleur-de- Marie! She at last seeks
peace in a convent; and when she
dies there, we have no regrets that
her blameless but troubled life is end
ed.
In the meantime what Of German?
We search for him through an equal
ly ingenious train of happenings. With
all M. Rudolph's wealth and astute-
ness it Is no easy task to find this
missing boy who is lost in the great
city Of Paris. But he is found. Like
Goualeuse, the young hero has kept
his soul unsullied by evil. Urged to
rob his employer, he has not only re-
fused, but has given information
against those who plotted the crime,
that they might be brought to justice.
AS a result Of this good deed, how
ever, he has been bounded from one
end Of Paris to the other. At last he
falls victim to a monster Of crime,
Jacques Ferrand, corrupt notary,
who casts him into prison on ficti-
tious charge. He is no favorite, for
by scorning to mlngle with the vicious
creatures about him he incurs their
wrath and suspicion, until at length
they dub him a spy and resolve to
murder him. From this fate he is
saved by Slasher, who appears in the
prison just in time to fell his assail-
ants and pilot him to liberty. Even
tually he is restored to his mothers
arms and to his pretty sweetheart,
Rigolette, whom he now marries.
The skill with which Sue constructs
his story, introducing character after
character, and bringing these varied
elements into unified whole, is a
marvel Of artistry. 1t is also inter-
esting to note throughout the novel
the authors knowledge Of medicine
his handling of drugs, his portrayal of
hospital practices, and other technical
touches relative to his profession.
Wherever such data can be turned to