Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-08-27
HUMOROUS.


Paris paper relates the following story:
Along the alleys of the Champs EIySeeS are three
or four blind men who have whistled through their
cracked claGiOnetteS, the same tunes for the last
thirty or forty years. One of them, the Oldest,
who took his station in the same place, never al
lowed day to pass, summer or winter, without
coming there, accompanied by lovely Child of
about fifteen, whom lie had adopted, and white
dog always carefully combed He would play or
torture one of our national airs, repeating 1t over
and over for whole hours together. Dnring this
exercise the little girl begged and the dog himself,
perfectly trained, howled bitterly, in way to at
tract the attention of passengers
This blind man named Cnque-TouChe.-
He had comrade, a friend from infancy, blind
likehinSelf and like him playing on q claronette,
but instead of frequenting the Champs ElySeeS he
had chosen for his theatre of action the Pont deS
TournellS. For forty-three years without inter-
ruption Galimard, so he was named, had attracted
himself to that locality. He wore over his eyes
large green shade and carried i'll front bird organ
which served him treasury. Galimard had
seen four revolutions take place without thinking
Of giving up his place. He was accompanied by
child of ten years, who he put in retreat as soon as
she came to the age of reason. Galmard rGturned
every evening to his home, which was only
wooden stall in the basement of an obscure house
in st. Jacques street But death which spares no
one came to knock at his door. Feeling himself
near his end he wished to consult notary. Gal
ilnard made his will, and two days after he died.
We were crossing the Champs ElySeeS, and
were told that lew nuOrS DeIOTe man uTeSSeu III
black had stopped before Cirque Touche, the 9TH
ef blind man, and interrupting him in the midst Of
his song, had addressed him in this way, tSir, is
your name Cirque Touchcl' yes SIR you are
a mendcantP Eyes SIR you have an adopted
doughter?' yes "a white dog2' yes SIR ~
you have q friend on the Pont des Tournelles?-
lie is named GaIimard2' 'He was named, replied
the man in black For three days his body has
been in the cemetery
The blind man uttered piercing cry, and then
sObbed most bitterly.
EStAu right, you are Cirque Touche.'
tGalmard has constituted you his universal lega-
tee by the will which have here. He gives you
chest which he buried some feet deep in the earth,
his bird organ, his clarionette,-in word, all he
possessed. But the chest in question contains
eighty thousand francs.' Cnque-Touche was SO
affected that his closed eyelids were raised, and he
appeared to the amazed Notary with fine clear
black eyes. The blind man embraced his dog and
his daughter, and got into carriage with the two
and proceeded to the house of the defunct.
It was exactly as the Notary had said The
eighty thousand francs, in every kind ofmoney,
were found in ths place indicated by Galimard in
his will, and on the chest was this inscription:
MY old friend Cirque Touche, if God closes my
eyes before yours, leave you this money. You
can endow Marianne. only desire to take with
me my clarionatte. You will bury it with me-
If YOU die before me, it is to Marianne your adopted
daughter, that give all that have. Remember
sometimes the blind man of the Pont deS Tour
nelles.'
The two clarionette players were neither of them
ever blind. 5.T'