The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-11-09
< FINDLAY, OHIO FRIDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER g, 1877

and gave him the necessary assistance.
The wound, although il had bled
freely, wos very slight. Il fact, it was
only a scratch commencing ar the lef'
ear aud stopping at the lips.
We'll In, safe and sound this time,
said Monsieur Mechinet. when the
dressing was finished. "A thousand
thanks. my dear Monsieue Gcdenii
Please say nothing about this little ac-
ci.!ent to anybody, and good night.
Good night! | was very likely to
sleep.
When | remember ali the absurd
ideas and romatic fancies that passed
through my brain, can't help laugh
ing.
Monsieur Mechinet assumed fantas-
tic proportions in my mind The next
morning he quietly came N to thank
me again, and invited me to dinner.
1t may be supposed that was all
eyes and ears when entered my
neighbor's home. But it was i'll vain
that my attention was on the alert, l
detected nothing calculated TO dispel
the mystery that 50 greatly perplexed
me. From the time of this dinner,
however, our relations became more
intimate. Monsieur Mechinet had ev-
identity taken fancy to me. a week
rarely passed without an invitation 10
eat his soup. as he expressed it, and al
most every day he joined me at the
Cafe Leroy, aud We played game OF
dominoes together.
So on a certain evening in the month
OF July one Friday about five o'clock, he
was on the point of beating me, when
a man of very shabby appearance, it
must be confessed, entered and whis
pered in his ear few words did not
unders' and.
Monsieur Mechinet started up with a
troubled face.
"TIl CO." said he, "run and say I'll
60"
The man set off az full speed, and my
old neighbor held out his hand to me,
sayiug,-
Excuse me, duty first-we'll con-
tinue our game tomorrow"
And as, burning with curiosity, l
showed great annoyance, saying how
much l regretted that could not ac-
company him.
We'll, he muttered, why not2 Do
you want to come? Perhaps it will be
interesting"
My only reply was to seize my hat,
and we went out.
CHAPTER II.
l was certainly far from suspecting
that was taking one Of those sppar-
emily Insignificant steps, which have
a decisive influence on the whole life.
Now" l thought, Il shall get the
key to the puzzle"
And full of foolish satisfaction, /
troIted like a lean cat by Monsieur
side.
l say trotted, because ! really had
some difficulty in keeping up with the
worthy man.
He walked on and on. along the Rue
Racine, elbowing the passers-by as if
his fortune had depended on his speed.
Luckily a .facre passed us at the
Place de / Oddeon.
Monsieur Mechinet stopped it, and
opening the door, said
''Get in, Monsieur Godeuil"
Iobeyed, and he took his seat be
side me after calling to the driver iD au
tone
Rue Lecluse, 80 aux Batignolles-
and be quick
The distance drew a voiley of oaths
from the driver. No matter, he gave
his horses a violent blow and the ear
riage oiled on.
''Ah. SO we're going to the Batignol-
les" asked with smile of a courier.
But Monsieur Mechiuet made no re
plv; | doubt whether he heard me.
\ complete metamorphosis was tax
ing place in him. He did not seem ex-
acfly agitated, but his compressed lips
and the contraction of his large bushy
eyebrows betrayed intense preoccupa-
tor OF mind. His eyes, fixed on va
caucy, seemed to bes udying the terms
Of some insoluble problem.
He had drawn out his snuff box and
was constantly taking immense pinch
es, which he kneaded between his fin
ger and thumb and raised to his nose,
but. did no. inhale.
This was a trick l had noticed, and
which greatly amused He.
The worthy man, who had a horror
of tobacco, was always provided with
a snuff box worthy of a stage financier.
If anything unforeseen occurred
pleasant or disagreesble, he
pulled it out of his pocket and began
to take snuff furiously.
The box was often empty, but his
gestures remained the same
| afterwards knew it was a trick of
bis, to conceal his impressions and di
vert the attention of bis questioners
Meantime we drove on.
The .facre ascended, not without
difficulty, the Rue de Clichy, crossed
the outer boulevard, turned into the
Rue de Lecluse, and ere long Stopped
some distance from the address given.
To go farther was impossible, the
street was SO blocked by dense crowd.
Before the house bearing the num-
Der 80, two or three hundred persons
were standing with outstretched necks
and sparkling eyes, painting with cur.
osity, and with difficulty kept back by
half dozen policemen, who vainly
shouted in their harshest tones: 'Pass
on, gentlemen, pass on"
Alighting from the carriage, we ap-
preached the house, forcing our way
through the loungers with great diff
Guilty.
We had already reached the door of
80, when policeman rudely
thrust US back
"Stand back, No admittance herer,
Ny companion eyed him from head
to foot, and drawing himself up said -.
so you don't recognize rnel am
Mechinet, and this young man, he