The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1921-08-06

offering him his hand with the re-
mark that the convict has honor and o
heart.
Here our story begins.
Rudolph, we soon learn, has two
aims in venturing incognit0 into the
filth of Paris. The first is to dis
cover. e he can, the whereabouts OF
Mrs Georges son, German, who has
been taken from her in his youth by a
vicious husband. The second is to
trace, II possible, his lost daughter,
who is supposed to have died in in
fancy. 1t is around these two themes
that the romance moves. In pursuing |
them NJ. Rudolph is beset by every i'm
aginable adventure. He is locked up |
in a 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 a wretch who has been pitt
less to the weak to be put out, that
he may know what it 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 q 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 a victim to a band
of hired rufians 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 magnih-
cent palace to be transformed from
) fugitive Of the streets to her Royal
, IHighness Princess Amelia. Here, for
, a brief period, we behold our little
? Fleur-de-Marie the idol Of the court,
, and sought in marriage by prince OF
the realm.
2 But the stigma of the past is ever
4 fresh in the girls mind. She cannot
a shake It off. Though she adores her
lover, she refuses to wed him, saying
h that she "loves him too much to give
!. him a hand that has been touched by
!. the rufians of the city," Poor, brave
v Fleur-de- Marie! She at last seeks
o peace in a convent; anc when she
o dies there, we have no regrets that
!. her blameless but troubled life is end
70 ed.
= A. -.oon&troo ~vbok ~ GoTTnain'
n We search for him through an equal
o " ingenious train of happenings. Wit
= ell M. Rudolph's wealth and astute
& ness It IL no easy task to ind THU
If missing boy who is lost in the grea
!. city of Paris. But he Is found. Lik
r. Goualeuse, the young hero has KEEP
u his soul unsullied by evil. Urged Z
Q rob his employer, he has not only re
fused, but has given Information
n against those who plotted the crime
g. that they might be brought to justice
q, As a result Of this good deed, nov
he ever. he has been bounded from on
d. end Of Paris to the other. At last d
as falls a victim to a monster OF crime
Re Jacques Ferrand, a corrupt notar!
" who casts him into prison on net
or tious charge. He is no favorite. 10
IL by scorning to mingle with the Viciou
h, creatures about him he incurs thei
IS. wrath and suspicion, until at lengt
az they dub him a spy and resolve
d. murder him. From this fate ne
er saved by Slasher, who appears in tn
20 prison Just in time to fell his assai
es- ants and pilot him to liberty. Eve
.u- tualIy he is restored to his mother
ais arms and to his pretty sweethear
er- Rigolette, whom he now marries.
W. The skill with which Sue construc
Ter his story, introducing character att
we character, and bringing these varit
nj elements into a unified whole, is
me marvel Of artistry. 1t is also int
Of esting to note throughout the nov
the authors knowledge of medicine
an his handling of drugs, his portrayal
Ter hospital practices, and other technic
es- touches relative to his professlo
the Wherever such data can be turned
In use he does not hesitate to employ
an fearlessly setting forth in black al
les white specific evils Of the day tn
sal. I'should be righted. Nor does he shriI
her from proclaiming to France, as
ar Dickens to England, the defects OF t
my legal and penal systems Of his count
nm votea 60 boldly uDraiSed at til