The Three Musketeers

March 29, 2006

I was a high school sophomore in 1947, and our family had just moved to Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, from Topeka, Kansas. I stared in awe at strange and wondrous sights of glowing, molten slag from the Bessemer furnaces being poured from railroad cars onto the huge slag heaps that bordered the steel mills and furnaces, lighting up the night sky. I for sure knew I was not in Kansas anymore.

I also was doing a lot of reading at that time, and one of the books that stimulated my imagination was The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. I remember that a couple of church youth fellowship buddies and myself took on the names of the musketeers - Athos, Porthos, and D’Artagnon. We were a swashbuckling trio as we postured and waved imaginary swords on the front steps of the United Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh.

Fast forward to 2006. By chance our daughter Laura gave me three classic books for Christmas, one of them being The Count of Monte Cristo, an epic tale by Dumas. As he did over a half-century ago, Dumas captivated me for 600 glorious pages, even though I never did quite unscramble some of the family relationships depicted. Never mind, though, because it is a grand tale set in romantic times. This is escape reading at its best. In my dreams, I am now known as Edmond Dante, le Comte de Monte-Cristo.

Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
– Acts 2:18

Dave, with a far-away look in his eyes.

Posted by Dave | Filed Under Memories 

Comments

2 Responses to “The Three Musketeers”

  1. Larry Ayers on March 31st, 2006 7:23 am

    Quite a picture you have summoned up, you and your two buddies as the Three Musketeers!

    I read The Count Of Monte Cristo when I was in junior high school. I can’t recall much of the story now, but I was enthralled at the time. I’ll have to re-read it one of these days!

  2. admin on March 31st, 2006 2:44 pm

    And quite a picture it no doubt was. I don’t think I ever read The Count , and if I did I’m sure I wouldn’t have ever remembered much of the twists and turns of the plot, to say nothing of the family relationships in a world where names seemed to change with the weather.

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