Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1921-11-25

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deeds of valor and adventure
and Dumas Is master in his delinea-
tion of soldiers of fortune-their fatal
craftsmanship, their matchless WELD
Ing of sword and rapier, and their
hairbreadth escapes.
In Twenty Years After he pre-
sents his Three Musketeers" some
what more matured and not as rollick-
Ing as when we met them in their early
manhood. but just as ready to cham
pfon the needy and unfortunate.
Louis XIII Of France is dead. His
son, the king, is but ten years of age.
The mighty Richelieu is in his grave.
Mazarin Is cardinal, and though but a
ghost Of his illustrious predecessor, he
holds almost absolute control over the
queen-Anne of Austria.
The conditions are opportune for a
story Of personal daring and bloody en-
counter
Mazarin Is an italian and is uni
versally hated. Paris is leagued
against the ministry, and the soldiers
of the royal guard are attacked and
their lieutenant - Cummings - is
wounded. Everywhere there are fore
bodings and cries of 'Down with MAJ
arin." The cardinal DISCUSSES himself
and inspects the city. He finds the
"Frondeurs"-the insurrectionists-in
full sway. Somehow he must secure
trusty servants or downfall awaits
him. DArtagnan, the lieutenant of
the musketeers, is recommended, to-
gether with his three sturdy col
leagues. Count de Rochefort is brought
from confinement in the Bastile to tes-
tify to D'Artagnans allegiance, and
Is freed by the mob while being taken
back to prison. Mazarin is in despair
and tells the queen that ''the whole
world conspires to break their bonds,'
and D'Artagnan is directed to find his
three friends and attach them to the
royal service. Aramis-Abbe D'Her-
blay-is an ecclesiastic in love with
Madame de Longueville. He hates the
cardinal and refuses.
Porthos-the giant-living in lux
ury as Monsieur de valon de Bracieux
de Pierrefonds, desires above all else
to be baron. He enlists.
Athos-Monsieur de la Fere-re-
formed from drink and devoted to q
young ward-Viscount de Bragelonne
lis still, as Of old. undetermined
lover of the people, and will not serve
the cardinal.
Two for and two against Mazarin
therefore the musketeers make their
way to Paris, where there is great
excitement because of prophecy that
Due de Beaufort-the grandson of
Henry Nv and the idol OF the populace
will escape from the dungeon Of Vim
cennes before Whitsuntide. Beaufort
hates Mazarin and uses ingenious
means Of ridicu1ing him. Grimaud, q
servant Of Athos, is set to guard him
and he, with Count de R0chef0rt eff
feet his escape; and D'Artagnan and
Porthos, seeking to recapture him
have an encounter In which they arr
taken prisoner by Athos and Aramis
but are set free and the four pledge
mutual friendship. Meanwhile thu
preparations for instruction are in
tensifled and a new ally of the popu
lace cause is found In Able Scarror
-''the queens invalid" who is in con
troll Of the mendicants of Paris ant
whose pension has been cut or by
Mazarins Another important charac
ter II also introduced at this juncturt
- u0undod aoIdior calls for n nriesf
and he who responds proves to be tbs
Monk Mordaunt. a desperate charac
ter whose sole aim is to avenge tn,
death Of his mother. in which tn,
saThree Musketeers'' participated
Learning. from the man to whom HI
ministsred that he had been the ex
ecutioner Of MiIady. Mordaunt stab'