0:00

I know it's summer, you and the

0:02

fan probably have a lot on your

0:04

plate. But one suggestion to go check

0:06

out this summer, Titanic, the artifact exhibition

0:08

only at COSI. This exhibit is amazing

0:10

because it immerses you into the story

0:12

of Titanic, from passenger and crew accounts

0:14

to hundreds of authentic artifacts that have

0:17

been recovered from the ocean floor. And

0:19

kids especially are loving this exhibit right

0:21

now at COSI. This exhibit is only

0:23

at COSI through September 2nd. This exhibit

0:25

honestly has been one of my favorites

0:27

so far at COSI. Book your voyage

0:29

today at cosi.org. Papa

0:32

Shibu loves his job as night

0:34

watchman at the Wax Museum. But

0:37

how will he cope when the museum

0:39

has to close? Richard

0:42

Connell, today on the

0:44

Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome

0:56

to the Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you

0:58

for listening. The vintage

1:00

episode for the week is The

1:02

Minister's Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

1:05

Be sure to check it out on Tuesday. If

1:08

you have found value in the show, please

1:11

consider becoming a monthly supporter. Help

1:14

us to help other folks like you. Please

1:16

go to classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a

1:19

monthly supporter for as little as

1:21

$5 a month. As

1:24

a thank you gesture, we'll send you

1:26

a coupon code every month for $8

1:28

off any audiobook order. Give

1:30

more and you get more. Thanks for

1:33

helping us out. Go to

1:35

classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a

1:37

supporter today. We

1:41

are going to have a short story summer. Through

1:44

the summer, we'll be showcasing the best

1:46

short stories from 1919 to 1923. Today's

1:51

story was written by Richard Connell.

1:54

You may recognize him from his famous story,

1:56

The Most Dangerous Game. Connell

1:59

was one of the most most popular short story

2:01

writers of his time. He

2:03

went on to have similar luck as a screenwriter,

2:05

being nominated for an Academy Award in 1942 for

2:09

his script Meet John Doe, based

2:11

on his short story, A Reputation. And

2:15

now, A Friend of

2:17

Napoleon by Richard Connell. All

2:20

Paris Held No Happier Man Than Papa

2:23

Chibout. He

2:34

Loved His Work, That Is Why. Other

2:37

men might say, and did say in fact,

2:40

that for no amount of money would they

2:42

take his job. No, not for 10,000 francs

2:45

for a single night. It

2:47

would turn their hair white and give

2:49

them permanent goose-flesh they averred. On

2:52

such men, Papa Chibout smiled with pity.

2:55

What stomach had such zestless ones

2:57

for adventure? What did

2:59

they know of romance? Every night

3:02

of his life, Papa Chibout

3:04

walked with adventure and held the

3:06

hand of romance. Every

3:08

night, he conversed intimately

3:11

with Napoleon, with Mara, and

3:13

his fellow revolutionists, with

3:15

Carpentier and Caesar, with

3:17

Victor Hugo and Lloyd George, with

3:20

Faux and with Begar, the Apache

3:22

murderer whose unfortunate penchant for making

3:24

ladies in the curry led him

3:26

to the guillotine, with

3:28

Louis XVI and with Madame

3:30

Le Blanche, who poisoned 11

3:32

husbands and was working to make it an

3:35

even dozen when the police deterred her, with

3:38

Marie-Antoinette and with

3:40

sundry early Christian martyrs, who

3:43

lived in sweet resignation in

3:45

electric-lighted catacombs under the sidewalk

3:47

of the Boulevard de Capucine,

3:50

in the very heart of Paris. They

3:53

were all his friends, and

3:55

he had a word and a joke for each of them, as

3:58

on his nightly rounds, he watched them. their

4:00

faces and dusted out their ears, for

4:03

Papa Shibu was night watchman

4:05

at the Musee Pratoussi, the

4:08

world in wax. Admission,

4:10

one franc. Children

4:13

and soldiers, half price. Nervous

4:15

ladies enter the chamber of horrors at their

4:17

own risk. One is

4:19

prayed not to touch the wax figures or

4:22

to permit dogs to circulate in the establishment.

4:26

He had been at the Musee Pratoussi

4:28

so long that he looked like a wax

4:30

figure himself. Visitors

4:32

not infrequently mistook him for one and

4:35

poked him with inquisitive fingers or canes.

4:38

He did not undeceive them. He

4:40

did not budge. Spartan-like he

4:42

stood stiff under the pokes. He

4:45

was rather proud of being taken for a citizen of

4:47

the world of wax, which was

4:49

indeed a much more real world

4:52

to him than the world of flesh and

4:54

blood. He had

4:56

cheeks like the small red wax pipins

4:58

used in table decorations, round

5:00

eyes, slightly poppy and

5:02

smooth white hair, like a wig.

5:05

He was a diminutive man and

5:08

with his horseshoe mustache of surprising

5:10

luxuriance, looked like a gnome

5:12

going to a fancy dress ball as

5:15

a small walrus. Children

5:17

who saw him flitting about the dim passages

5:19

that led to the catacombs were sure he

5:21

was a brownie. His

5:24

title, Papa, was a purely honorary

5:26

one, given him because he

5:28

had worked some twenty-five years at the

5:31

museum. He was unwed and

5:33

slept at the museum in a niche of

5:35

a room just off the Roman arena, where

5:38

papier-mâché lions and tigers breakfasted

5:40

on assorted martyrs. At

5:43

night he dusted off the lions and

5:45

tigers. He rebuked them sternly for

5:48

their lack of delicacy. Ah,

5:51

he would say, cuffing the ear

5:53

of the largest lion, who was

5:55

earnestly trying to devour a grandfather

5:57

and an infant simultaneously. sort

6:00

of a pig that you are. I am

6:02

ashamed of you, eater of babies.

6:05

You will go to hell for this, Monsieur Lion.

6:07

You may depend upon it. Monsieur

6:10

Satan will poach you like an egg, I

6:12

promise you. You

6:14

bad one, you species

6:16

of a camel, you Apache,

6:18

you profiteer." Then

6:21

Papa Shibu would bend over, and

6:24

very tenderly address the elderly martyr, who

6:26

was lying beneath the lion's paws

6:28

and exhibiting signs of distress, and

6:31

say, "'Patience, my

6:33

brave one. It does not take

6:36

long to be eaten, and then consider. The

6:38

good Lord will take you up to heaven,

6:41

and there if you wish, you

6:43

yourself can eat a lion every

6:45

day. You are a

6:47

man of holiness, Filiber. You

6:49

will be Saint Filiber, beyond doubt. And

6:52

then won't you laugh at lions?'" Filiber

6:57

was the name Papa Shibu had given

6:59

to the venerable martyr. He

7:01

had bestowed names on all of them. Having

7:03

consoled Filiber, he would

7:05

softly dust the fat wax infant

7:08

whom the lion was in the

7:10

act of bolting. "'Courage, my poor

7:12

little Jacob,' Papa Shibu would

7:14

say. It is not

7:16

every baby that can be eaten by a lion,

7:19

and in such a good cause, too. Don't

7:22

cry, little Jacob. And

7:24

remember, when you get inside, Miss Yolai'un,

7:26

kick and kick and kick. That will

7:28

give him a great sickness of the

7:31

stomach. Won't that be fun, little Jacob?'"

7:35

So he went about his work, chatting with

7:37

them all, for he was fond of them

7:39

all, even of Bigar, the

7:41

Apache, and the other grisly inmates of

7:43

the Chamber of Horrors. He

7:46

did chide the criminals for their regrettable proclivities

7:48

in the past, and warned them

7:51

that he would tolerate no such conduct in

7:53

his museum. It

7:55

was not his museum, of course. The

7:57

owner was Monsieur Pratouci, a a

8:00

long-necked, melancholy marabou of a

8:02

man, who sat at the ticket

8:04

window and took in the francs. But

8:07

though the legal title to the place might

8:09

be vested in Monsieur Pratouci, at

8:11

night, Papa Shibu was the

8:13

undisputed monarch of his little wax

8:15

kingdom. When the

8:18

last patron had left and the doors were

8:20

closed, Papa Shibu began to pay calls on

8:22

his subjects. Across the silent

8:24

halls, he called greetings to them. Ah,

8:27

beguire, you old rascal, how

8:30

goes the world? And

8:32

you, Madame Marie-Antoinette, did

8:34

you enjoy a good day? Good evening,

8:37

Monsieur Caesar. Aren't you chilly

8:39

in that costume of yours? Huh,

8:42

Monsieur Charlemagne, I trust your

8:44

health continues to be of the best. His

8:47

closest friend of them all was Napoleon.

8:50

The others he liked. To Napoleon,

8:53

he was devoted. He

8:55

was a friendship cemented by the years, for

8:58

Napoleon had been in the museum as long

9:00

as Papa Shibu. Other

9:02

figures might come and go at the behest of

9:04

a fickle public, but Napoleon held

9:07

his place, albeit he had

9:09

been relegated to a dim corner. He

9:12

was not much of a Napoleon. He

9:15

was smaller even than the original Napoleon,

9:17

and one of his ears had come in contact

9:19

with a steam radiator, and as a

9:22

result, he was gnarled into a lump the size

9:24

of a hickory nut. He

9:26

was a perfect example of that phenomenon of

9:28

the prize ring, the cauliflower ear. He

9:31

was supposed to be at St. Helena, and

9:33

he stood on a paper mache rock, gazing

9:36

out wistfully over a non-existent sea.

9:40

One hand was thrust into the bosom of

9:42

his long-tailed coat, the other hung

9:44

at his side. Skin-tight britches,

9:46

once white but white no

9:48

longer, fitted snugly over

9:50

his plump-bump of waxen abdomen. A

9:53

Napoleonic hat, frayed by years

9:55

of conscientious brushing by Papa

9:58

Shibu, was perched above a

10:00

pencil. extensive waxen brow. Papashibu

10:03

had been attracted to Napoleon from the first. There

10:07

was something so forlorn about him. Papashibu

10:10

had been forlorn too, in his first

10:12

days at the museum. He

10:14

had come from Bouloix, in the

10:16

south of France, to seek his fortune as

10:18

a grower of asparagus in Paris. He

10:21

was a simple man of scant schooling, and

10:24

he had fancied that there were asparagus beds

10:26

along the Paris boulevards. There

10:29

were none. So necessity

10:31

and chance brought him to the museum

10:33

Pratouci to earn his bread and wine,

10:36

and romance and his friendship for Napoleon

10:38

kept him there. The

10:41

first day Papashibu worked at the museum,

10:43

Monsieur Pratouci took him round to tell

10:45

him about the figures. This,

10:49

said the proprietor, is Toulon

10:51

the Strangler. This

10:53

is Mademoiselle Merle, who shot the

10:55

Russian duke. This is

10:58

Charlotte Corday, who stabbed Marais in

11:00

the bathtub. That gory

11:02

gentleman is Marais. Then

11:04

they had come to Napoleon. Monsieur

11:07

Pratouci was passing him by. And

11:09

who is this sad-looking gentleman?

11:13

Aspapashibu. Name of

11:15

a name, do you not know? But

11:17

no, Monsieur. But that

11:19

is Napoleon himself. That

11:22

night, his first in the museum, Papashibu

11:25

went round and said to Napoleon, Monsieur,

11:28

I do not know with what crimes you

11:31

are charged, but I for one refuse to

11:33

think you are guilty of them. So

11:36

began their friendship. Thereafter,

11:39

he dusted Napoleon with a special

11:41

care and made him his confidant.

11:45

One night, in his twenty-fifth year at the

11:47

museum, Papashibu said to Napoleon,

11:50

You observed those two lovers who were

11:52

in here tonight, did you not, my

11:54

good Napoleon? They thought

11:56

it was too dark in this corner for us to

11:58

see, didn't they? But we saw

12:01

him take her hand and whisper to

12:03

her. Did she blush? You

12:05

were near enough to see. She

12:07

is pretty, isn't she, with her bright

12:10

dark eyes? She is

12:12

not a French girl, she is an American. One

12:15

can tell that, by the way, she doesn't

12:17

roll her R's. The young

12:19

man, he is French, and a fine

12:21

young fellow he is, or I'm no judge. He

12:24

is so slender and erect,

12:26

and he has courage, for

12:28

he wears the war-cross. You noticed that, didn't

12:30

you? He is very

12:32

much in love, that is sure. This is not

12:34

the first time I have seen them. They

12:37

have met here before, and they are

12:39

wise, for is this not

12:41

a spot most romantic for the meetings

12:43

of lovers?" Papashibu

12:46

flicked a speck of dust from Napoleon's good

12:48

ear. He

12:50

exclaimed, "'It must be a thing most

12:52

delicious to be young and in love.

12:56

Were you ever in love, Napoleon? No?

12:58

What a pity! I

13:01

know, for I too have had no luck in love.

13:04

Ladies prefer the big strong men,

13:06

don't they? Well, we

13:08

must help these two young people, Napoleon. We must

13:11

see that they have the joy we

13:13

missed. So, do not let

13:16

them know you are watching them if they come

13:18

here to-morrow night. I will

13:20

pretend I do not see.'" Each

13:23

night after the museum had closed, Papashibu

13:26

gossiped with Napoleon about the progress

13:28

of the love affair between the

13:30

American girl with the bright dark

13:32

eyes and the slender, erect young

13:34

Frenchman. "'All

13:36

is not going well,' Papashibu

13:38

reported one night, shaking his head.

13:41

"'There are obstacles to their happiness.

13:44

He has little money, for he is just

13:47

beginning his career,' I heard him tell her

13:49

so tonight. And she has

13:51

an aunt who has other plans for

13:53

her. What a pity a fate should

13:55

part them! But you

13:58

know how unfair fate can be, don't

14:00

Napoleon. If only we had

14:02

some money we might be able to help him,

14:04

but I myself have no

14:06

money, and I suppose that you

14:08

too were poor, since you look so sad. But

14:11

attend. Tomorrow is a day most

14:13

important for them. He has

14:16

asked her if she will marry him,

14:18

and she has said that she will

14:20

tell him tomorrow night at nine in

14:23

this very place. I heard them

14:25

arrange it all. If she does not

14:27

come it will mean no. I think

14:29

we shall see two very happy ones

14:32

here tomorrow night. Eh, Napoleon? The

14:35

next night, when the last patron

14:37

had gone and Papa Shibu had locked the

14:39

outer door, he came

14:42

to Napoleon, and tears were in his

14:44

eyes. You saw,

14:46

my friend? Broke

14:48

out Papa Shibu. You

14:50

observed? You saw his

14:53

face and how pale it grew?

14:55

You saw his

14:57

eyes and how they held a thousand

14:59

agonies? He waited until I had to

15:01

tell him three times that the museum

15:03

was closing. I

15:06

felt like an executioner, I assure you, and

15:09

he looked up at me as only a

15:11

man condemned can look. He

15:14

went out with heavy feet. He

15:16

was no longer erect. For

15:18

she did not come, Napoleon. That

15:22

girl with bright dark eyes did not

15:24

come. How a little comedy of love

15:26

has become a tragedy, monsieur. She

15:29

has refused him, that poor,

15:31

that unhappy young man. On

15:35

the following night at closing time, Papa

15:37

Shibu came hurrying to Napoleon. He was

15:39

a quiver with excitement. She was here!

15:41

he cried. Did you see

15:44

her? She was here, and she kept

15:46

watching and watching, but of course he

15:48

did not come. I could

15:50

tell from his stricken face last night that he had

15:52

no hope. At last I dared

15:54

to speak to her. I said to her, Mademoiselle,

15:56

a thousand pardons for the very great liberty

15:59

I am taking. taking, but it

16:01

is my duty to tell you. He

16:03

was here last night, and he waited

16:05

till closing time. He was all of

16:07

a paleness, Mademoiselle, and he chewed his

16:09

fingers in his despair. He

16:12

loves you, Mademoiselle. A cow

16:14

could see that. He is devoted

16:16

to you, and he is a fine young

16:18

fellow. You can take an old man's word

16:20

for it. Do not break

16:22

his heart, Mademoiselle." She

16:25

grasped my sleeve. "'You know

16:27

him then,' she asked. "'You know where I

16:29

can find him? Alas, no,' I said. "'I

16:32

have only seen him here with you.' "'Poor

16:35

boy,' she kept saying. "'Poor

16:37

boy, oh, what shall I do? I am in

16:39

dire trouble. I love him, Monsieur. But

16:42

you did not come,' I said. "'I

16:44

could not,' she replied, and

16:47

she was weeping. "'I

16:49

live with an aunt. A rich tiger

16:51

she is, Monsieur, and she wants me to

16:53

marry a count. A fat,

16:55

leering fellow who smells of atar, of

16:58

roses, and garlic. My aunt

17:00

locked me in my room, and

17:02

now I have lost the one I

17:04

love, for he will think I have refused

17:06

him, and he is so proud he will

17:08

never ask me again. But surely

17:11

you could let him know, I suggested. But

17:14

I do not know where he lives,' she said, and

17:17

in a few days my aunt is taking me off

17:19

to Rome, where the count is, and, oh,

17:21

dear, oh, dear, oh, dear. And

17:24

she wept on my shoulder, Napoleon, that

17:26

poor little American girl with the dark

17:28

bright eyes." Papa

17:30

Shibu began to brush the Napoleonic hat.

17:34

"'I tried to comfort her,' he said. "'I

17:37

told her that the young man would surely find

17:39

her, that he would come back

17:41

and haunt the spot where they had been

17:43

happy, but I was

17:46

telling her what I did not

17:48

believe. "'He may come tonight,' I said,

17:50

or tomorrow.' She

17:52

waited until it was time to close the museum.

17:55

You saw her face as she left. Did

17:58

it not touch you in the heart?" Papa

18:01

Shibu was downcast when he approached Napoleon

18:03

the next night. She

18:06

waited again till closing time, he said,

18:10

but he did not come. It

18:13

made me suffer to see her as the hours

18:15

went by, and her hope ebbed

18:17

away. At last

18:19

she had to leave, and

18:21

at the door she said to me, If you

18:23

see him here again, please give him this. She

18:26

handed me this card, Napoleon. See, it

18:29

says, I am at

18:31

the Villa Rosina, Rome. I

18:33

love you, Nina. Ah,

18:36

the poor, poor young man. We

18:39

must keep a sharp watch for him, you and I. Papa

18:43

Shibu and Napoleon did watch at

18:45

the Musee Pratussi night after night.

18:48

One, two, three, four, five

18:50

nights they watched for him. A

18:52

week, a month, more months passed,

18:54

and he did not come. There

18:57

came instead one day news of so

18:59

terrible a nature that

19:01

it left Papa Shibu ill and trembling. The

19:05

Musee Pratussi was going to have

19:07

to close its doors. It's

19:09

no use, said Monsieur Pratussi,

19:11

when he dealt this blow to Papa

19:13

Shibu. I cannot go on. Already

19:16

I owe much, and my creditors are

19:19

clamoring. People will no longer

19:21

pay a franc to see a few old

19:23

dummies when they can see an army of

19:25

red Indians, Arabs, brigands and dukes in the

19:27

moving pictures. Monday the

19:30

Musee Pratussi closes its doors

19:32

forever. But Monsieur

19:35

Pratussi exclaimed

19:37

Papa Shibu aghast. What

19:40

about the people here? What will

19:42

become of Marie Antoinette and the

19:44

martyrs and Napoleon? Oh, said

19:48

the proprietor, I'll be

19:50

able to realize a little on them, perhaps. On

19:53

Tuesday they will be sold at auction. Someone

19:55

may buy them to melt up. To

19:57

melt up, Monsieur? Papashibu

20:00

faltered, but certainly, what

20:02

else are they good for? But

20:05

surely Maseo will want to keep them, a few

20:07

of them, anyhow. Keep them? And

20:10

to the devil, but that is a droll

20:12

idea. Why should anyone want

20:14

to keep shabby old wax dummies? I

20:17

thought, murmured Papashibu,

20:20

that you might keep just one. Napoleon,

20:23

for example, as a

20:26

remembrance, uncle of Satan, but you have

20:28

odd notions, to keep a

20:30

souvenir of one's bankruptcy. Papashibu

20:33

went away to his little hole in the wall.

20:36

He sat on his cot and fingered his mustache

20:38

for an hour. The news

20:40

had left him dizzy, had made

20:42

a cold vacuum under his belt buckle. From

20:46

under his cot, at last, he

20:48

took a wooden box, unlocked

20:50

three separate locks, and

20:52

extracted a sock. From

20:54

the sock, he took his fortune, his

20:56

hoard of big copper ten-cent-team

20:59

pieces, tips he had saved

21:01

for years. He

21:03

counted them over five times, most carefully.

21:06

But no matter how he counted them, he

21:09

could not make the total come to more

21:11

than two hundred and twenty-one francs. That

21:14

night, he did not

21:16

tell Napoleon the news. He

21:18

did not tell any of them. Indeed, he

21:21

acted even more cheerful than usual, as he

21:23

went from one figure to another. He

21:26

complimented Madame Leblanche, the lady of

21:28

the poisoned spouses, on how well

21:30

she was looking. He even had

21:32

a kindly word to say to the lion that was eating

21:34

the two martyrs. After

21:37

all, Monsieur Lion, he said,

21:39

I suppose it is as proper for you to

21:42

eat martyrs as it is for me to eat

21:44

bananas. Probably bananas do

21:46

not enjoy being eaten any more than

21:48

martyrs do. In the

21:50

past, I have said harsh things to you, Monsieur Lion.

21:52

I am sorry I

21:55

said them now. After

21:57

all, it is hardly your

21:59

fault that you eat people. You

22:01

were born with an appetite for martyrs, just

22:03

as I was born poor." And

22:07

he gently tweaked the lion's papier-mâché ear.

22:10

When he came to Napoleon, Papachibu

22:12

brushed him with unusual care

22:14

and thoroughness. With

22:17

a moistened cloth he polished the imperial

22:19

nose, and he took pains to

22:21

be gentle with the cauliflower ear. He

22:24

told Napoleon the latest joke he had heard at

22:26

the cabman's café, where he ate his

22:28

breakfast of onion soup and,

22:30

as the joke was mildly improper, nudged Napoleon

22:33

in the ribs and winked at him. "'We

22:36

are men of the world, hey, old friend,' said

22:39

Papachibu. "'We are philosophers.

22:41

Is that not so?'

22:43

Then he added, "'We

22:46

take what life sends us, and

22:49

sometimes it sends hardnesses.' He

22:52

wanted to talk more with Napoleon, but somehow

22:55

he couldn't. Abruptly, in

22:57

the midst of a joke, Papachibu

23:00

broke off and hurried down into the

23:02

depths of the chamber of horrors, and

23:05

stood there for a very long time, staring

23:08

at an unfortunate native of Siam being

23:10

trodden on by an elephant. It

23:13

was not until the morning of the auction

23:16

sale that Papachibu told Napoleon. Then,

23:18

while the crowd was gathering,

23:20

he slipped up to Napoleon in his corner

23:23

and laid his hand on Napoleon's arm. "'One

23:26

of the hardnesses of life has come to

23:29

us, old friend,' he said.

23:31

"'They are going to try to take you away, but

23:34

courage! Papachibu does not

23:36

desert his friends, listener!' And

23:39

Papachibu patted his pocket, which gave

23:41

forth a jingling sound. The

23:44

bidding began. First

23:47

to the auctioneer's desk stood a man,

23:49

a wizened, rodent-eyed man

23:51

with a diamond ring and

23:53

dirty fingers. Papachibu's heart

23:55

went down like an express elevator when he

23:57

saw him, for he knew that the

24:00

The rodent-eyed man was Mogan, the

24:02

junk king of Paris. The

24:05

auctioneer, in a voice slightly encumbered by

24:07

adenoids, began to sell the

24:10

various items in a hurried, perfunctory manner.

24:13

The item three is Julius Caesar, toga

24:15

and sandals thrown in. How much am

24:17

I authored? One hundred and fifty

24:20

francs? Dirt cheap for a Roman

24:22

emperor, that is. Who'll make it two hundred? Thank

24:24

you, Monsieur Mogan. The noblest Roman

24:27

of them all is going at two hundred

24:29

francs. Are you all through at two hundred?

24:32

Going? Going? Gone. Julius

24:35

Caesar is sold to Monsieur Mogan." Papa

24:37

Shibu patted Caesar's back sympathetically. "'You

24:40

are worth more, my good Julius,'

24:43

he said in a whisper. Goodbye."

24:46

He was encouraged. If

24:48

a comparatively new Caesar brought only

24:50

two hundred, surely an old

24:52

Napoleon would bring no more. The

24:55

sale progressed rapidly. Monsieur

24:58

Mogan bought the entire Chamber of Horrors.

25:01

He bought Marie Antoinette's and the

25:03

Martyrs and Lions. Papa

25:05

Shibu, standing near Napoleon, withstood

25:08

the strain of waiting by chewing

25:10

his moustache. The sale

25:12

was very nearly over, and Monsieur

25:14

Mogan had bought every item. When,

25:17

with a yawn, the auctioneer droned,

25:19

"'And now, ladies and gentlemen, we come

25:21

to item 573, a

25:24

collection of odds and ends, mostly damaged

25:26

goods, to be sold in one lot.

25:29

The lot includes one stuffed owl that seems to

25:31

have molted a bit, one Spanish

25:33

shawl torn, the head of

25:35

a Napachee who has been guillotined, body missing, a

25:38

small wax camel, no humps,

25:41

and an old wax figure of Napoleon with

25:43

one ear damaged. What am I offered

25:45

for the lot?' Papa

25:48

Shibu's heart stood still. He

25:50

laid a reassuring hand on Napoleon's

25:52

shoulder. "'The fool,' he whispered in

25:54

Napoleon's good ear, "'to put

25:56

you in the same class as a camel, no

25:58

humps, and an old wax figure of a man'

26:00

owl, but never mind. It is lucky

26:03

for us, perhaps." "'How

26:05

much for this assortment?' asked

26:07

the auctioneer. "'One hundred

26:09

francs,' said Mogann, the

26:11

junk king. "'One

26:13

hundred and fifty,' said Papa

26:16

Shibu, trying to be calm. He

26:18

had never spent so vast a sum all at once

26:20

in his life. Mogann

26:22

fingered the material in Napoleon's coat.

26:25

"'Two hundred,' said the

26:27

junk king. "'Are you all through at

26:29

two hundred?' queried the auctioneer. "'Two

26:32

hundred and twenty-one,' called

26:35

Papa Shibu. His voice was

26:37

a husky squeak. Mogann,

26:40

from his rodent eyes, glared at

26:42

Papa Shibu with annoyance and contempt.

26:45

He raised his dirtiest finger, the

26:47

one with a diamond ring on it, toward

26:49

the auctioneer. "'Missia

26:52

Mogann bids two hundred and

26:54

twenty-five,' droned the auctioneer. "'Do

26:56

I hear two hundred and fifty?' Papa

26:59

Shibu hated the world. The

27:02

auctioneer cast a look in his direction. "'Two

27:05

hundred and twenty-five is bid,' he

27:08

repeated. "'Are you all through at

27:10

two hundred and twenty-five? Going, going. Sold

27:13

to Missia Mogann for two hundred and twenty-five

27:15

francs.' Stunned, Papa

27:18

Shibu heard Mogann say casually, "'I'll

27:21

send round my carts for this stuff in

27:23

the morning.' "'This

27:25

stuff?' Dully and

27:28

with an aching breast, Papa

27:30

Shibu went to his room down by the

27:32

Roman arena. He packed

27:34

his few clothes into a box. Last

27:37

of all, he slowly took

27:39

from his cap the brass badge he

27:41

had worn for so many years. He

27:44

bore the words, Chief Watchman. He

27:47

had been proud of that title, even

27:49

if it was slightly inaccurate. He

27:52

had been not only the Chief, but the

27:54

only Watchman. Now, he

27:57

was nothing. It was hours

27:59

before he summited." summoned up the energy to take

28:01

his box round to the room he had rented,

28:03

high up under the roof of a tenement in

28:05

a nearby alley. He

28:07

knew he should start to look for another job at once,

28:10

but he could not force himself

28:12

to do so that day. Instead,

28:15

he stole back to the deserted museum and

28:17

sat down on a bench by the side

28:19

of Napoleon. Silently, he

28:22

sat there all night. But

28:24

he did not sleep. He was thinking.

28:28

And the thought that kept pecking at his brain

28:30

was to him a shocking one. At

28:33

last, as day began to

28:35

edge its pale way through the dusty windows

28:37

of the museum, Papashibu stood

28:39

up with the air of a man who

28:41

has been through a mental struggle and has

28:43

made up his mind. Napoleon,

28:45

he said, we

28:48

have been friends for a quarter of a century,

28:50

and now we are to be separated

28:53

because a stranger had four francs more

28:55

than I had. That

28:57

may be lawful, my old friend, but it

28:59

is not justice. You and

29:02

I, we are not going to be

29:04

parted. Paris

29:06

was not yet awake when Papashibu

29:09

stole with infinite caution into

29:11

the narrow street beside the museum.

29:15

Along this street, toward the tenement

29:17

where he had taken a room,

29:19

crept Papashibu. Sometimes

29:21

he had to pause for breath, for

29:23

in his arms he was

29:25

carrying Napoleon. Two

29:28

policemen came to arrest Papashibu that very

29:31

afternoon. Morgan had missed

29:33

Napoleon, and he was a shrewd man.

29:36

There was not the slightest doubt of Papashibu's

29:38

guilt. There stood Napoleon

29:40

in the corner of his room, gazing

29:42

pensively out over the housetops. The

29:45

police bundled the overwhelmed and confused

29:48

Papashibu into the police patrol and

29:50

with him, as damning evidence, Napoleon.

29:54

In his cell in the city prison,

29:56

Papashibu sat with his spirit caved in.

30:00

jails and judges and justice

30:02

were terrible and mysterious affairs.

30:05

He wondered if he would be guillotined. Perhaps

30:08

not, since his long life had been

30:10

one of blameless conduct, but

30:13

the least he could expect he reasoned

30:15

was a long sentence to hard labor

30:17

on Devil's Island, and guillotining

30:19

had certain advantages over that. Perhaps

30:22

it would be better to be guillotined, he

30:24

told himself, now that Napoleon was

30:26

sure to be melted up. The

30:29

keeper who brought him his meal of

30:32

stew was a pessimist of jocular tendencies.

30:35

A pretty pickle, said the keeper,

30:37

and at your age too. You must

30:40

be a very wicked old man to go

30:42

about stealing dummies. What will be

30:44

safe now? One may expect to

30:46

find the Eiffel Tower missing any morning. Dummy

30:49

stealing? What a career! We've

30:51

had a man in here who stole a trolley

30:53

car, and one who made off with the anchor

30:56

of a steamship, and even one who pilfered a

30:58

hippopotamus from a zoo, but never

31:00

one who stole a dummy. And

31:02

an old one-eared dummy at that! It

31:05

is an affair extraordinary." And

31:09

what did they do to the gentleman who

31:11

stole the hippopotamus? inquired

31:13

Papa Shibuya tremulously. The keeper

31:16

scratched his head to indicate

31:18

thought. I

31:20

think, he said, that they

31:22

boiled him alive. Either

31:24

that or they transported him for life to

31:27

Morocco, I don't recall exactly. Papa

31:29

Shibuya's brow grew damp. He

31:32

was a trial most comical, I can assure you, went

31:35

on the keeper. The judges

31:37

were messieurs Bertouffe, Goblin,

31:39

and Parousse. Very

31:41

amusing fellows, all three of them. They

31:43

had fun with the prisoner. How I

31:46

laughed! Judge Bertouffe said, in sentencing him,

31:49

We must be severe with you,

31:51

pilferer of hippopotamuses. We must make

31:53

of you an example. This

31:55

business of hippopotamus pilfering is getting all

31:57

too common in Parousse. are

32:00

witty fellows, those judges." Papashibu

32:03

grew a shade paler. "'The

32:06

terrible trio?' he

32:08

asked. "'The terrible trio,' replied

32:11

the Keeper cheerfully. "'Will

32:13

they be my judges?' asked

32:16

Papashibu. "'Most assuredly,' promised

32:19

the Keeper, and strolled away

32:21

humming happily and rattling his big

32:23

keys. Papashibu knew then

32:25

that there was no hope for

32:27

him. Even

32:29

into the Musée Pratoussi the reputation of

32:32

those three judges had penetrated, and

32:34

it was a sinister reputation indeed. They

32:37

were three ancient, grim men who

32:39

had fairly earned their title, the

32:41

terrible trio, by the severity of

32:44

their sentences. Evil-doers

32:46

blanched at their names, and

32:48

this was a matter of pride to them." Shortly

32:51

the Keeper came back. He was grinning.

32:54

"'You have the devil's own luck,

32:56

old-timer,' he said to Papashibu. "'First

32:59

you have to be tried by the terrible trio,

33:01

and then you get assigned to

33:04

you as lawyer, none other

33:06

than Monsieur Georges de Fail.' "'And

33:09

this Monsieur de Fail is

33:11

he then not a good lawyer?'

33:14

questioned Papashibu miserably. The

33:17

Keeper snickered. "'He has not won

33:19

a case for months,' he answered, as

33:22

if it were the most amusing thing imaginable. "'It

33:25

is really better than a circus to hear him

33:27

muddling up his client's affairs in court. "'His

33:29

mind is not on the case at all. Heaven knows

33:31

where it is.' "'When he rises

33:34

to plead before the judges, he has no

33:36

fire, no passion. "'He mumbles

33:38

and stutters. "'It is

33:40

a saying about the courts that one is

33:43

as good as convicted, "'who has the ill-luck

33:45

to draw Monsieur Georges de Fail as his

33:47

advocate. "'Still, if one

33:49

is too poor to pay for a lawyer,

33:51

"'one must take what he can get. That's

33:53

philosophy, eh, old-timer?' "'Papashibu

33:56

groaned. "'Oh, wait till

33:58

tomorrow.' said

34:00

the keeper gaily. Then you'll have a

34:02

real reason to groan. But

34:05

surely I can see this Monsieur Du Fial.

34:08

Oh, what's the use? You stole the

34:10

dummy, didn't you? It'll be

34:12

there in court to appear against you.

34:14

How entertaining. Witness for

34:16

the prosecution, Monsieur Napoleon. You

34:20

are plainly as guilty as Cain, old timer,

34:22

and the judges will boil your cabbage for

34:24

you very quickly and neatly. I can promise

34:27

you that. Well, see

34:29

you tomorrow. Sleep well. Papashibou

34:32

did not sleep well. He

34:35

did not sleep at all, in fact. When

34:37

they marched him into the enclosure where sat

34:39

the other nondescript defenders against the law, he

34:42

was shaken and utterly wretched.

34:46

He was overawed by the great courtroom

34:48

and the thick atmosphere of seriousness that

34:50

hung over it. He

34:52

did pluck up enough courage to ask a guard, where

34:55

is my lawyer, Monsieur Du Fial?

34:58

Oh, he's late, as usual, replied

35:01

the guard. And then, for

35:03

he was a waggish fellow, he added, if

35:05

you're lucky, he won't come at all. Papashibou

35:09

sank down on the prisoner's bench and

35:12

raised his eyes to the tribunal opposite. His

35:15

very marrow was chilled by the sight of

35:18

the terrible trio. The

35:20

chief judge, Bertouff, was a

35:22

vast puff of a man who swelled

35:24

out of his judicial chair like a poisonous

35:26

fungus. His black

35:28

robe was familiar with spilled brandy, and

35:31

his dirty judicial bib was a skew. His

35:34

face was bibulous and brutal, and

35:37

he had the wattles of a turkey gobbler. Judge

35:40

Goblin, on his right, looked to

35:42

have mummified. He was at

35:44

least a hundred years old, and had

35:46

wrinkled parchment skin and red-rimmed eyes that

35:48

glittered like the eyes of a cobra.

35:52

Judge Perouce was one vast

35:54

jungle of tangled, grizzled whisker,

35:56

from the midst of which projected a cockatoo's beak

35:59

of a nose. He looked

36:01

at Papa Shibu and licked his lips with

36:03

a long pink tongue. Papa

36:06

Shibu all but fainted. He

36:08

felt no bigger than a pea and less

36:10

important. As for his

36:12

judges, they seemed enormous monsters. The

36:16

first case was called. A young

36:18

swaggering fellow who had stolen an orange

36:20

from a pushcart. Ah,

36:22

miss you a thief? Rumbled

36:25

Judge Batoof with a scowl. You

36:27

are jaunty now. Will

36:29

you be so jaunty a year from

36:31

today? When you are released from

36:33

prison, I think rather not. Next

36:36

case. Papa Shibu's

36:38

heart pumped with difficulty. A

36:41

year for an orange. And

36:43

he had stolen a man. His

36:45

eyes roved round the room, and he

36:48

saw two guards carrying in something which they

36:50

stood before the judges. It

36:52

was Napoleon. A

36:55

guard tapped Papa Shibu on the shoulder.

36:57

You're next, he said. But

37:00

my lawyer, Monsieur Du Fial, began

37:03

Papa Shibu. You're in hard

37:05

luck, said the guard, for here he

37:07

comes. Papa Shibu,

37:09

in a daze, found himself

37:11

in the prisoner's dock. He

37:14

saw coming toward him a pale young man. Papa

37:17

Shibu recognized him at once. It

37:19

was the slender, erect young man of

37:22

the museum. He was

37:24

not very erect now. He was listless. He

37:27

did not recognize Papa Shibu. He

37:29

barely glanced at him. You

37:31

stole something, said the young

37:33

lawyer, and his voice was toneless. The

37:36

stolen goods were found in your room. I

37:39

think we might better plead guilty and get it over with.

37:41

Yes, Monsieur, said Papa

37:44

Shibu, for he had let go all

37:46

his hold on hope. But attend

37:48

a moment. I have something, a

37:50

message for you. Papa

37:53

Shibu fumbled through his pockets and at

37:55

last found the card of the American

37:57

girl with the bright dark eyes. handed

38:00

it to Georges Dufayel. "'She

38:03

left it with me to give to

38:05

you,' said Papa Shibu. "'I

38:07

was chief watchman at the Musée Pratoucie, you

38:10

know. She came there

38:12

night after night to wait for

38:14

you.' The

38:16

young man gripped the sides of the card with both

38:18

hands. His face,

38:20

his eyes, everything about him

38:23

suddenly seemed charged with new

38:25

life. "'Ten

38:27

thousand million devils!' he

38:30

cried. "'And I doubted her. I

38:33

owe you much, Monsieur. I owe

38:35

you everything!' he wrung Papa

38:37

Shibu's hand. Judge Bertouf

38:39

gave an impatient judicial grunt. "'We

38:43

are ready to hear your case,

38:45

Advocate Dufayel,' said the judge. "'If

38:48

you have one.' The

38:51

court attendants sniggered. "'A

38:53

little moment, Monsieur the judge,' said the

38:55

lawyer. He turned to Papa

38:57

Shibu. "'Quick,' he shot out. "'Tell

39:00

me about the crime you are charged with. What did

39:02

you steal?' "'Him,' replied

39:05

Papa Shibu, pointing. "'That

39:07

dummy of Napoleon?' Papa

39:09

Shibu nodded. "'But why?' Papa

39:13

Shibu shrugged his shoulders. "'Monsieur

39:15

could not understand.' "'But you must tell

39:17

me,' said the lawyer urgently. "'I

39:19

must make a plea for you. These

39:22

savages will be severe enough in any event.

39:24

But I may be able to do something.

39:26

Quick, why did you steal this Napoleon?' "'I

39:29

was his friend,' said Papa

39:31

Shibu. "'The museum failed.

39:34

They were going to sell Napoleon for

39:36

junk, Monsieur Dufayel. He was

39:38

my friend. I could not

39:41

desert him.' The

39:43

eyes of the young Advocate had caught fire.

39:46

They were lit with a flash. He brought

39:49

his fist down on the table. "'Enough,'

39:51

he cried. Then he rose

39:53

in his place and addressed the court. His

39:56

voice was low, vibrant, and

39:58

passionate. The judge in spite

40:00

of themselves, leaned forward to listen to him.

40:03

May it please the honorable judges of this

40:05

court of France, he began. My

40:08

client is guilty. Yes, I repeat, in a

40:10

voice of thunder, for all France to hear,

40:13

for the enemies of France to hear, for the

40:15

whole wide world to hear, he is guilty. He

40:19

did steal this figure of Napoleon, the

40:22

lawful property of another. I do not

40:24

deny it. This old man,

40:26

Jerome Chibou, is

40:28

guilty, and I for one

40:31

am proud of his guilt." Judge

40:35

Bertouff grunted. If

40:37

your client is guilty, Advocate

40:39

DuFaille, he said, that

40:42

settles it. Despite

40:44

your pride in his guilt, which is

40:46

a peculiar notion, I confess, I

40:49

am going to sentence him to, but

40:51

wait, your honor. DuFaille's

40:53

voice was compelling. You must, you

40:55

shall, hear me. Before

40:57

you pass sentence on this old man, let

40:59

me ask you a question. Well,

41:03

are you a Frenchman, Judge Bertouff? But

41:06

certainly. And you love France?

41:10

As sure as not the effrontery to suggest

41:12

otherwise. No, I was sure

41:14

of it. That is why you will listen

41:16

to me. I listen. I

41:19

repeat then, Jerome Chibou is

41:22

guilty. In the law's eyes,

41:24

he is a criminal. But in

41:27

the eyes of France and

41:29

those who love her, his guilt

41:31

is a glorious guilt. His

41:34

guilt is more honorable than innocence itself.

41:38

The three judges looked at one another blankly.

41:41

Papa Chibou regarded his lawyer with wide

41:43

eyes. George DuFaille

41:45

spoke on. These

41:48

are times of turmoil and change in our

41:50

country, monsieur, as the judges. Proud

41:53

traditions, which were once the birthright

41:55

of every Frenchman, have been allowed

41:57

to decay. Enemies

41:59

beset us. within and without, youth

42:01

grows careless of that honour which

42:03

is the soul of a nation.

42:06

Youth forgets the priceless heritages

42:08

of the ages. The

42:10

great names that once brought glory to France

42:13

in the past, when Frenchmen

42:15

were Frenchmen. There are some

42:17

in France who may have forgotten the

42:19

respect due a nation's great. Here

42:22

Advocate Du Fayel looked very hard at

42:24

the judges, but there are

42:26

a few Patriots left who

42:28

have not forgotten. And

42:30

there sits one of them. This

42:33

poor old man has deep

42:35

within him a glowing devotion to

42:38

France. You may say that

42:40

he is a simple, unlettered peasant. You

42:42

may say that he is a thief. But I say,

42:44

and true Frenchmen will say it with me, that

42:47

he is a Patriot,

42:49

monsieur is the judges. He loves

42:52

Napoleon. He loves

42:54

him for what he did for France. He

42:57

loves him because in Napoleon burned

43:00

that spirit which has made France

43:02

great. There was a

43:04

time, monsieur is the judges, when your

43:06

fathers and mine dared share that love

43:08

for a great leader. Need

43:10

I remind you of the career of Napoleon? I know

43:13

I need not. Need I tell you of his

43:15

victories? I know I need not. Nevertheless,

43:19

Advocate Du Fayel did tell them of the

43:22

career of Napoleon. With a wealth

43:24

of detail and many gestures, he traced

43:26

the rise of Napoleon. He lingered

43:29

over his battles. For an

43:31

hour and ten minutes he spoke eloquently

43:33

of Napoleon and his part in the

43:35

history of France. You

43:38

may have forgotten, he concluded,

43:41

and others may have forgotten. But

43:44

this old man sitting here a

43:46

prisoner, he did

43:48

not forget. When

43:50

mercenary scoundrels wanted to throw on the

43:52

junk heap this effigy of one of

43:54

France's greatest sons, who was

43:57

it that saved him? Was it you,

43:59

monsieur is the judges? judges? Was

44:01

it I, alas? No. It

44:03

was a poor old man who

44:05

loved Napoleon more than he loved

44:08

himself. Consider, Messieurs,

44:10

the judges. They were going

44:12

to throw on the junk heap Napoleon.

44:15

France's Napoleon, our

44:17

Napoleon. Who would save

44:19

him? Then rose up

44:21

this man, this Jerome

44:23

Chibout, whom you would

44:26

brand as a thief. And

44:28

he cried aloud for France and for the

44:30

whole world to hear, Stop,

44:32

desecrators of Napoleon, stop.

44:35

There still lives one Frenchman who loves

44:37

the memories of his native land. There

44:40

is still one patriot left. I, I,

44:43

Jerome Chibout,

44:45

will save Napoleon. And

44:48

he did save him, Messieurs, the judges.

44:52

And if Cadoufael mopped his brow,

44:54

and leveling an accusing finger at the

44:57

terrible trio, he said, You

45:00

may send Jerome Chibout to jail.

45:03

But when you do, remember this,

45:06

you are sending to jail the spirit

45:08

of France. You may

45:10

find Jerome Chibout guilty. But

45:12

when you do, remember this.

45:15

You are condemning a man for

45:17

love of country, for love

45:20

of France. Whether true

45:22

hearts beat in French bosoms, Messieurs, the

45:24

judges, there will the

45:27

crime of Jerome Chibout be understood.

45:30

And there will the name of

45:32

Jerome Chibout be honored. Put

45:35

him in prison, Messieurs, the judges, load

45:37

his poor feeble old body with chains,

45:39

and a nation will tear down the

45:42

prison walls, break his chains, and pay

45:44

homage to the man who loved Napoleon

45:46

and France so much that

45:48

he was willing to sacrifice himself on

45:50

the altar of patriotism. Advocate

45:54

Dufael sat down. Papachibout

45:57

raised his eyes to the judges'

45:59

bench. Judge

46:01

Peruse was ostentatiously blowing his beak

46:03

of a nose. Judge

46:06

Gobland, who wore a sit-down ribbon

46:08

in his buttonhole, was sniffing into

46:10

his inkwell, and Chief

46:12

Judge Bertouff was openly blubbering, ìJerome

46:15

Chabou!î ìStand up!î

46:18

It was Chief Judge Bertouff who spoke, and

46:20

his voice was thick with emotion. Papa

46:24

Chabou, quaking, stood up. A

46:27

hand like a hand of pink bananas was thrust

46:29

down at him. ìJerome

46:32

Chabou!î said Chief Judge

46:34

Bertouff. ìI find

46:36

you guilty. Your

46:38

crime is patriotism in the

46:40

first degree. I sentence

46:42

you to freedom. Let

46:44

me have the honor of shaking the hand of a

46:47

true Frenchman.î ìAnd I,î said

46:49

Judge Gobland, thrusting out a hand as

46:51

dry as autumn leaves. ìAnd

46:54

I also,î said Judge Peruse, reaching

46:56

out a hairy hand. ìAnd

46:59

furthermore,î said Chief Judge

47:01

Bertouff, ìyou shall continue

47:03

to protect the Napoleon you saved. I

47:06

subscribe a hundred francs to buy him for

47:08

you. And I,î

47:10

said Judge Gobland, ìand I also,î

47:13

said Judge Peruse. As

47:15

they left the courtroom, Advocate Du

47:18

Fayel, Papa Chabou, and Napoleon,

47:21

Papa Chabou turned to his lawyer. ìI

47:24

can never repay, Monsieur,î he began.

47:27

ìNonsense,î said the lawyer. ìAnd

47:30

would Monsieur Du Fayel mind telling me again

47:32

the last name of

47:34

Napoleon?î ìWhy, Bonaparte,

47:37

of course. Surely

47:39

you knew. ìAlas, no, Monsieur

47:41

Du Fayel. I

47:43

am a man the most ignorant. I

47:46

did not know that my friend had done such

47:48

great things.î ìYou didnít?

47:51

Then what in the name of Heaven did you

47:53

think Napoleon was?î ìA

47:55

sort of murderer,î said

47:58

Papa Chabou humbly. Out

48:01

beyond the walls of Paris, in a garden, stands

48:04

the villa of Georges-du-Fayal, who has

48:07

become, everyone says, the most

48:09

eloquent and successful young lawyer in the

48:12

Paris courts. He

48:14

lives there with his wife, who has

48:16

bright, dark eyes. To

48:18

get to his house, one must pass

48:20

a tiny gatehouse, where lives

48:23

a small old man with a

48:25

prodigious walrus mustache. Writers

48:28

who peer into the gatehouse as they pass sometimes

48:30

get a shock, for standing

48:33

in one corner of its only room

48:35

they see another small man, in

48:38

uniform and a big hat. He

48:41

never moves, but stands there by

48:43

the window all day, one hand

48:45

in the bosom of his coat, the other

48:48

at his side, while his eyes

48:50

look out over the garden. He

48:52

is waiting for Papa Chibou to come home after

48:54

his work among the asparagus beds, to tell

48:57

him the jokes and the news of the day.

49:12

This is BJ Harrison. I

49:14

hope you've enjoyed this unabridged production of

49:17

A Friend of Napoleon by Richard Connell.

49:20

If you've enjoyed this episode, you

49:22

may also enjoy The Blue Cross

49:24

by G.K. Chesterton, available

49:26

for free in your podcast feed. Thank

49:29

you for joining me today and allowing

49:32

classic literature to awaken your better self.

49:35

Please join me next time, and

49:37

we'll rediscover the greatest stories ever

49:39

put to paper. I

49:57

know it's summer, you and the fam

49:59

probably have a lot on your plate,

50:01

but But one suggestion to go check

50:03

out this summer, Titanic, the artifact exhibition

50:05

only at COSI. This exhibit is amazing

50:07

because it immerses you into the story

50:09

of Titanic. From passenger and crew accounts

50:11

to hundreds of authentic artifacts that have

50:13

been recovered from the ocean floor. And

50:15

kids especially are loving this exhibit right

50:17

now at COSI. This exhibit is only

50:19

at COSI through September 2nd. This

50:22

exhibit honestly has been one of my favorites so

50:24

far at COSI. Book your voyage today at cosi.org.