The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-08-12
From the French.

OF Ollvee. Amongst the smoking ruins, and
over piles of the dead, Titus planted the stand.
ard of Romei"
From the French.
THE ECCENTRIC MAN,
WHO FREQUENTED THE CAFE DE FoY, AND
WORE HEssIAN BOOTS.
Among the persons who were in the habit of
regularly trequenting the well known Cafe de
Foy in the Palsis Royal, about the wear Sl5. WAS
little old man, very carefully dressed al.
though his costume constituted real anachrou
ism. His head was enveloped in a warm
Welsh wig, with a long thick queue depending
from it, which appeared, when viewed from ils
hinder aspect, to resemble q full grown cab
bage, with the stem still dangling from its cir
conference. His pantaloons were of black
cloth, and were met mid way down his stumpy
legs by long Hessian boots, garnished with tas-
sells, and bright as the surface of q polished
mirror long green waistcoat fell downwards
in folds 80 as to cover in part round and we'll
developed paunch loose aud capacious coat.
of a deep maroon color, decorated with large
bright metal buttons, aud forcibly reminding
one of the era of the Republic, incased the out.
ward man and a hat, bevelled off into q sugar.
loaf form, surmounted the wig, and completed
the equipment.
After all, however, this costume was nothing
very extraordinary, or indeed very different
| from that of the hundreds of antiquated men
who about this epoch we're to be seen swarminp
| forth in fine weather, like host of innocent
green frogs bssking in the sun after spring
shower. The little old man in question visited
the Cafe de Foy every morning precisely at
one o'clock, called for a cup OF coffee with
cream, and roll of bread, which he always
divided into the same number of circular slices
1t was necessary, however, that this bread
| should be stale; and as they knew the peculs-
fancy of the old gentleman in this respect, a
roll was carefully reserved for each DAYS con
sumption, and put aside for his breakfast the
| following morning. From this practice the old
gentleman became known among the different
waters by the sobTiquet of "the man who al.
ways ate stale bread"
| The old gentlemans state of existence was
| so uniform, and his movements SO regular a.
to resemble, in no small degree those of an
| automston. He entered the cate every morn.
ing without looking to the right or the left. and
| proceeded directly forwards to g little rouud
table, isolated and incommodious, and which.
tor this reason, was nearly always vacant
After being served with his breakfast, he invari
ably distracted two out Of the five pieces o!
sugar which figured beside his cup, aud con
waiscoat; be next proceeded to butter in suc
cession each of the numerous morseIs of broad
| adding, if | r.istake not, precisely the same
number OF grains Of salt to each, and then ate
| his breakfast, cautiously abstaning from lock.
| ing at any Of the journals or periodicals..
Some OF the ardent politicians who fre1ueut-
ed the cafe expressed establishment and con-
tempt at this last habit, and regarded the little
old man az a very Vandal, careless Of the hon
or and interest Of his country. The more in.
dicious, and among them myeelf, were of 8
different opinion we considered him, for
precisely the same reasons. a very paragon OF
prudence and wisdom. Ihattentive to both
parties, the man who always ate stale bread"
pursued the quiet tenor OF bi4 way withou.
change. he never attempted to form anV In.
tlnacies, or suffered any unnecessary exptes
sions to escape from his lips; his breakfast was
eaten in silence, aud usually terminated with
the finale OF march beaten with his fingers OF,
the table; his next step consisted in pulling
up the Hessian boots TO their greatest altitude.
after which he paid for his breakfast, gave the
waiter a sou, and left the house without salu
ting the dame de cOmpfoir.
The worthy old gentlemsns habits and pe
cuisrities excited so much attention among
the customers ard walters at the coffee bouse
and his manners were so gentle and doeilf.
that some OF the younger people began 10 think
he would prove an eligible but for their pleas
antiies. A sub lieutenant on half pay, and in
want OF cheap amusement, determined one dav
to forestal the old gentleman in his accustom
ed seat, and take possession Of the table IN
which he was attached. The little man arrived
and, without being disconnected, took his plac,
on the opposite side.
"There is no room here for two," said the
young fire eater, twirling his mustache.
:" have used this table for months" repl;sd
the old man, without moving, and in a depreca.
ting tone of voice.
The soldier could not resist the sppeal and
retreated from the field. This occurrence an.
couraged one of the walters to make further
trial of his equanimity. The little cid man. nm.
willing, as l have said to waste words, was in
the habit of holding out his foreGneer to init.
mate the q,tant,m su6fcit of his coffee and oe
cream. The waiter, pretending inadvertence.
directed the stream of boiling coffee over the
hnger OF the original, at the instant that he
waved 1t forth as signal to cease POURING
The sufferer rose silently from his seat. and
with an alscrity for which no one gave him
credit, brought the point Of his stout Hessian
boot in contact with that part of the person of
the waiter which was uncovered with coat ta;ls
and sent the joker spinning across the floor Of
tie apartment.
The waiter was exiled from the coffee -soo,,.
as a punishment for the attack; the ;o.,;ca IS
the master condemned him to ser->e for q 90,
tain space in the laboratory, as the kitchen of
the cafe restaurant is called. -
In the end, the mar who always ate stale
bread triumphed over his tormenters and
generally had the laughter on his own side He
aid not however, exhibit any appearance of
triumph, and after one or two additional at
lempts at qualification, finding him quite i'm
movable, his enemies left him to enjoy ia
peace his little table at the Cafe de Foy.
one day, towards the close of the year 1917,
ne old man quilted the cafe without paying
or his breakfast; bu. as he made no observa-
ion in so doing, it was supposed that he had
orgotten it, and would remember it the next
morning. The coffee-house keeper, however,
eckoned without his host in this superstition, for