The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-03-09
THE FLUTfS1,S DOC.

About the period Of the war of Mazarin,
there hv,d poor beggar, of the name of
Sulpice. Lean aud &c. aggy, as ugly as
Qua>imcdo, aud shaped Ikea 4, he pos
sessed but dog fur his companion, aud a
flute only means Of subsistauce. But
his talent upon tila, insti ument Was such
that he could attract by its lnelodiups
sounds those whom his uufOi tauate ply
siognumy repulsed.
They say that beggars ut this period had
no dislike to a lass of wine in the course
of iheii wandering. Beside every body fre-
quented the tavern. Times are very much
changed. To day every goes tn the
coffee-house. On certain day Sulpice
entered a tavern he ate enough for four,
and drank sufficient for ten, and then rolled
under the table, and slept 10y the side of
his dog. An amateur, who was seated at
one of the adjoining tables. took advantage
of lis sleep, robbed him of his flute. and
went out without any Que discovering the
theft.
When Srlpce awoke. his first movement
was To search for lIs flute, which, on mon Q
than one occasion. had assisted to pay his
reckoning. In vap lie fumbled in his
pockets, the instrument had disappeared
How To express the shock-the coustefna-
tion of the poor beggari This flute was
his all-his :Ieasu;e; IL was excellent in
tone, and of pc, feet woi kmanship: besides
be had possessed II for more than twenty
years! What "A dreadful blow for poor
Sulpice. DesolatIon was depicted in evory
feature "a cold pei spiration tiickled down
his face. To no purpose did he quest ion
the barkeeper, walters and customers :hey
all shrugged their shoulders. The poor
ltlle fellow then made an internal noise T;
lie crIed swore, raved, aud overturned IN e
tables and chaIts, bus no one could give
HIM back his flute /; and they even threat
ened TO call III the police TO pui an END to
the uproar. Sulpice preferred paying his
reckoning and departed, his eyes swollen
with tears, and his heart burning with
rage.
Who has not heard of the admirable in
stiiict of dogs? Tbeie have beeu frequent
examples of their cunning scent but the
dcuueuess of their hearing has seldUm been
put to the test. Sulpce was already IA
good distaiice from the tavern, when, Oh
turning Il street, he saw his dog way his
tail aud raise his ears, like a pointer ON
the track of a partridge; next he placed
himself before his master, bounding up
joyfuliy aud impatient To so forward. Suis
pice, VINO, at this moment, was in no caTess
! ing hunor, hastily repuised, and even beat
him. Tie dog, nowIse quoted 10y beat
ing, continued to maneuvre with differ
enJ a iempts. HIS master in his astousi
rn-iit, knew not to hat cause to attribute
this strange obsiinacy. He stood sill. losi
in deep thought, when lie heard behind
him the sound of a flute Ills heart beat
vIoiently, aud a restless curiosity took pos
session of his mind; Ire ieccdcd a few
PAGES, and his dog ucgSn to p"int again,
redoubllng his efforts, since he had AT last
been under stood. He ran before, showing
the way, and stopped barking IN front ot d,
house. from whence proceeded the melOdi-
Gus sounds. The beggar listened attentive
ly, his surmises gaining strength every in
staut soon his doubts were changed to
conviction.
shall | enter?'' he asked OF himself
He went in; bis dog, animated with
zeal, and bounding with joy. ran before his
master, and scratching at the door of the
unknown p,usicIan. He, hearing the noise,
came to open the door himself, holding the
flute in his hand
Holy Virgin tits my flute, exclaimed
Sulpicr. transported with fury. ''My name
Is engt aveG on it,
Nor was he deceived. The unknown
could not deny the fact. offer "a single
woid i'll justification. lie was Devoted
amateur jealous of the iel'uiai ion of Sui
pice. In robbing him os his instrument,
hc thought to deprive him likewise of his
skill. Humbied and confused I've STAN
meied oui some iuaudible WORDS of apology
aud restored the flute without any diiiicul-
ty. Poor Sulpice, scarcely credaiing such
unhoped for good luck, asked nothing
further hut rapidly descended the STEPS,
and departed, like Saint Rock, with his
dug.