, 1874-01-25

go. will he pardon the exigonc7 OF the occasion
if suggest one other alternative? It is "-Aere
the Mayor hce:tated-"it it ia
THE YELLOW BEARD
which gives tho Monsieur the aspect a. = Gar
man. With only whiskers nobody could tx.
Monsieur for anythin: but an Ensllsllman. Il
Monsieur would only have the complaisancs and
charity to-to-"
Cut oil my beard! Great powers! shear tb..
mane that has been growing for years that
cataract OF hair that has been, so tn
speak, my oridamme the only physical belong
ing OF which I ever Was proud,-the only thing
80 far as know, that had ever been enyiedl
For the moment the suggestion knocked ma all
of heap. There came iuto my head some con-
fused "Reminiscences Of story about girl who
cut off her hair aud sold it to keep her mother
from starving, or redetm her lorer from cap
tiyity, or something OF the kind But that nust
have been before the epoch Of parish relief, and
kidnapping is nov punishable by statute What
was st. Meuse to mo that for her should now
my hirsute glories? Bus then, il people cot
savage, they might pull my beard out by tLa
roots. And there had been lately dawnin9
on me the dire truth that its .auu9V
hue Was becoming somewhat freely s,raased
made up my mind.
s'1'11 DOT,
sir" said to the Mayor, with manly eurtpesa
Ny heart was too full for many words.
He respected my emotion, bowed in silence
over the hand which he had grasped anl opiy
spoke to give me the address OF Eis own bsr.
ber.
This barber WIS patriot OF unuuestioued
ZEAL but am inclined to think his extraction
WAS similar to that Of MacfarIane, for he COM
bined patriotism with profit in most edifyine
manner. He shaved the German officers durips
the whole OF their stay in ST.
Neuse, be accompanied them on thoir march 70
tho frontier he earned the last centma in Con-
1ans. and then driving forward to the frontier
lino, he unfurled the tlicoior as tho las! German
soldier stopped over 1t. Il is seldom that one in
this world secs his way to being SO adroitly am-
bidc1:erous.
But this is digression. In twenty minutes,
shorn and ehaven. I was back again in tht
Mayors parlor- The tears Of gratitude stood in
his eyes. learned afterwards that decoration
was contingent on his preservation of the public
peace on zho occasion OF tho evacuation.
Started by the Mayor, the report rapidly cir
culated through st. Aleuae that had cut on nv
beard rather than it should bo possible that ally
being suspect,
: znECAME POPULAR IDOL.
The French Journalists entertained me to
banquet at night, at which, in lbations of chaa-
pagne, eternal amity between France and Eng
land was pledged. Next morning the Germans
went away, and then St. Meuso kicked up it's
heels md burst into exube1ant joy. The Mayor
took me- up to the station in his own carriage to
meet the French troops, and introduced mo to
tho Colonel Of the battalion as q man who had
made sacraticeB fer la belle France. The Colonel
shook me cordially bo the hand, and I was em-
being in the practice Of Sustaining lite on the
diet Of garlic When We emerged from tue
station, vas cheered almost as loudly as was
the Colonel, and q man waved a tricolo- over
my head ali the way back to the town, troading
a. frequent intervals on my heels. In the
course OF the afternoon happened to approach
the civic band, which WAS performing patriotic
music in the Place st. CroE. When the band
master SEW me lie broke of the programme, md
struck up Rule Britaunie!' in my honor, to
the clamorous joy OF tho audience, Who were
tlwarted in their aim OF carrying mo round the
Place shoulder-hlgh only by the coastaDcy with
WHICH clung to the railirg= which surround
CAoyerl'ss statue. Iout
THE GROWING RECOGNITION
Of my sacrifice came at tho banquet which the
town gaze to tho French officers. Tic Maror
proposed the toast of Our English Friend" 1--WE
had ALL" he said, 'mado sacrifices for Ia Pat51e,
he himself had sustained the loss OF wooden
outhouse burned down in tue bomDardment ths
gallant Colonel on his right had split his blood
at St. Privat. Them it behooyed to suffer, aud
they would do it again, for it WAS, Us ho had
said, for Ia Pdl,ie. But what WIS to be said Of
al honorable gentleman who had sacrificed the
most distinguishing ornament OF his physical as
pect, without the holy stimulus OF patriotism,
nnd GlmDlS LUHk Lu61o HHeAt os uDft]IoA tAS liza
Of IN embodiment, to the possible consequences
Of which he would not further a1nde: Would
it be called the language Of e1trava9ant hypar-
bole or would they not rather be words justified
by tie facts, when he ventured before this hon-
orable company to assert that his respected
English friend had, by llts self-sacrihce,
SAVED FRANCE
from q great peri! :? +" The Mayors question
was replied to by perfect whirlwind Of cheer
ing. Everybody III tho room insisted on shaking
hands with me, and I was forced to get on my
legs and make i reply. Later in the evening
heard the Mayor and tho Town Clelk discussing
the project OF comforting upon mo the freedom
OF the city, and this I nov expect from day to
day, lot US hope in the customary gold box.
TO be beatdlesa I find state Of
mingled happiness and misery. Nobody
knows me until. Is the phrase goes. ~
namo myBelf." and though this is occasionally
awkward, still it saves annoyance from creditors.
The great trouble is that cannot shave myself,
ard [ think Of applying to the corporation OF ",
lleuse to make me grant to pay baroe1
yhateWithal. ARCHIBALD IoRRE9.