The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-09
MY STRANGE COMRADE.

At a desk, where | worked in a dingy
room, some years ago, comrade
would occasionally take his place. The
clerks in the Office, n wretched, siOyen-
ly and low-bred set of men, used to call
this person Quasi, and he was the tar
get for innumerable coarse jests. |
used to puzzle over Quasi, losing the
man sometimes in pondcring over his
name. Quasi was sadly miSshapen,
with an ugly stoop and banded legs 4;
but if the torso was ungainly, his head
was superb. The business | was occu-
pied i'm then was Slayish one. ! sim
ply wrote from morning until night bust
ness circulars, and was paid at arate
which barely kept soul and body to-
@ether. QuaSi'S work was occasional
in character. Now and then batch
of letters had TO be written and adj
dressed to all the German brewers
throughout the country, eXtolling the
merits of a new patent beer faucet, or 4
circular was TO he thrown out to all
Italians. urging protective measures in
regard to Il proposed increase of duty
on macaroni. Here Quasi'S polyglot
acquiremcntS came into play, for he
could speak and write all modern Ian
ruagcs like a Mezzofanti. While wait
inc for such periods of foreign work,
Quasi starved. The mans face was rs
the thermometer Of his bodily cOndi-
ton. Not that the spiritual essence of
the poor drudge was affected by misery,
for the face mostly bore pleasant
smile: but at his age-he was fully
-hn
animal suffering. If | could then in
dulge in two meals a day, | was sure
Quasi had rarely more than one.
One evening | prevailed on the man
to share with me a scanty meal at an
obscure eating-houSe.
'sWhv are you called Quasi?n !
asked. HOh, Quasi? Is it that which
puzzles you? That name was given me
rather curiously by former clerk some
years ago, long before you came into
the office. II happened in this way
One Sunday, it was in early spring,
was walking near Central Park
Every thing looked so bright and
CAV, that had entirely forgotten my
stupid stomach. On one of those open
lots, those rocky ones near the Park, a
goat with her kid passed near me.
There was breakfast, dinner, and sup
per. Poor Nanny came to me as the
ravens did To. Elijah. Ii might have
been sin to deprive the kid of her
rights, but | coaNcd the mother TO my
side, and her swelling udder gave me a
glorious banquet. | stole my dinner
1t was n tCic chdmpctrc. If the old
Irish crone who beat me with her
broomstick could have forgiven me, or
taken out her pay with blows, should
have been better satisfied As luck
would have it, this former clerk in our
establishment was passing by, and res
cued me. He must have read Victor
Hugo'S Notre Dame. He dubbed me
OuaSimodo. Associated me probably
with ESmeralda or her goat. / am
Quasi. Why not? How the owner OF
that ~oat laid il on, | have lOnged to
breakfast that way again, but have been
afraid. Quasi! Why a certain un-
shapelness about me, ;" he continued ,
simply, ''haS made an abbreviation.o OF
QuasiInodo appropriate. have adopt
ed it. My back is bowed, my legs are
crooked. | was born so. That does
not prevent my enjoying excellent
health. | have a rude power of exist
ence which detieS privation. Without
hoaSting of it, few men are stronger
than l am. | was a triile out of sorts
an hour ago, but, thanks 10 you, | have
had a good supper, and feel myself
quite restored. There, can YOU dc
that?'' Here, like the monk, Amidor,
he took bone from plate, and, hold,
inc it between his fingers, without any
visible effort save muscular contraction
of the hand, he splintered it.. Iopened
nv ewes in astOnishment, thinking ot
the many coarse Jokes the men in the
office had played on Quasi, and how
with a single blow, he might have ami.
hilated them. "Ny father and moth
er,' he continued, severe straight
shapely people, of a race famed for
their personal beauty. Old friends
have told me that my face alone bears
the family type" ---
care YOU Pole ?'' / asked. -a.r --.
"sYes. Ny poor mother-it hap
neued before Twas born---saw nv father
bend his back, his legs and arms were
fettercd. and when life had been lashed
out of him, his mangled body was cast
before her. That was before the En-
,,oror NicholaS' time That shock was
iastinc. came into the world shortly
after that, and my body perpetuates
that narrowing impression. Mymoth'
er never forgot it, and may De ae'
cursed if ever | do" Here the whole
appearance of the man was terribly
metamorphosed. From the hstless ex-