Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-05-11

"
tives.
But you forget, Madame, sub-e,litor runs
greater :isks. for he has to draw the sword
perity.
DOUBTLESS, Madame, but sesoStris would
dame dlly: "and al say is Il. It its hard tn At
al the enjoyment should GO to one set OF par
ties, when there's room enough in those pris-
OnS for other parties If the Government ONLY
choose to make better laws
N"elnle diverted the course of this deli ,ate
dispute. 1t was her nature to play peace
maker have seen her in the old times, be-
fore Her husband went away, reco .Iciie i room
full OF artists. who were qliarreling about PS-
thetlc art, by setting a jug OF beer in their
midst midst: She did something Of the sort now by
i Riringing out decanter of kirsche and some
po'ati0nS makes tongues soft We were still
expecting John BrokenShire The children had
cllmDed on TO Barbelard'S huge knee, something
IKE Gamers lump in size. and were riding a
cock horse on it, The two lady guests, posi-
bly struck of sudden by the incOngruity of
h haunting the delights of Imprisonment in the
captive husband, fell to conversing with their
hostess on the more congenial topic of child
f fs garments. GrattelOt, pleasantly inh aling
Kitchen, took his stand by the mantelshelf and
talked to me about my natty and handy
verses: He was delighted with recent soa-
net OF mine on anewlyinvented boOtiack.
a ne1ghboring church. 1t was at that hour
John Br0kenShire was due and he never came
iate, ior ne regulated every movement of his
by powerful chrOnOmeter that told the day o f
the week and month, and even the changes of
the moon: The children pricked up their ears.
IL Ami Brokenshire" was to them the very
failed to come with parcels of toys under his
arms, and bags of ar-pumS in his pocket.
Vas ne going to be late this year just for once?
no, mere ne came. Those were his we'll known
staircase clearing f0nr stems
time, like giraffe racing uphill. One step
more, and ne would be here.
lie voici.' cried little Victor and his sister,
jumping off Barbelard's knee with a loud
Growing. and off they rushed into the passage.
Another minute, and John Brok enShire, par
cells, wraps, comforter and all, was standing
under the mistletOe to be Rugged and kissed.
we all kissed him. men and women, as the
fashion is in our country; and l promise you
n emile Leblanc,S salute was not the least
hearty, though she did make little sisterly
blushing about it.
Imagine the lankiest of men, with oh ak :
bones the hue of red currant jelly, hay-col
Ored beard moving over his WdiStcoat, a gray
tweed sui, delved about with deep pockets
fore andhf and there you have J Dhn Broken
shire as he appeal ed every day in the year ;
add little fig that hung about his faxei hair
and the blush end of his nose, and a brad
smile that displayed his long yellow teeth, like
whole game a dominoes co orad by long use,
anu YOU Will nave nlln as he showed himself
on this particu ar occasion of Christmas fes-
tivity in our hospitabe Partisan lodging
Christmas was his ohe day of rest in the
year, if rest it can be called o breakfast with
an uncle in the suburbs at eight, to attend
Divine service in the itish church at eleven,
after tina. to lunch with married sister, and
to wind up with Thu ee hours racing among
toy shops to bargain for the best sort of gifts
Tor a legion of juvenile friends at retail p ice.
But this Was rest to John BrOkenshire, com
paratlVely speaking. for mostly he was in d
hurry to catch express, trains. Christmas was
the one day on which he did no travelling but
hat which was done for his own pleasure, and
he maintenance of atfectionate relations with
his klnsfolds and acquaintanceS. When he
came to dine on the 18th of December with
Noemie. Leblanc, we might be sure that he
would have the whole evening to himself and
not bolt away between the roast and sweets, as
he was certain to do if invited on any other
"Mon9 DeT mes Amts, quet ptltseer detre
ung pen trOnqueel." exclaimed this worthy
nan; drawing fifteen, bladed knife from one
81 his score score OF Rocke;S, and BEGINNING to cut
think! pas de voyage until four fifteen tom Or
row morning. when I'm off for Lyons! Mon
Sleur Barbelard, you seem to me fresh and
hale I've brought you pair of furred slip
perS to wear IN prison"
Thank you, Monsieur john" laughed the
Your business is prosperous hOpe!'
Business is so so. said John BrokenShire.
There are times, in this country of yours.
when money can be hauled in with a ne, and
thers when ii has to be angied for, coin by
which are Shifty things EVERYWHERE
Politics comes of newspapers" remarked
HrattelOt: IF people would read more DO ok Z,
and fewer journals, it would be better for
trade
Not for my trade" said Barbelard, finishing
lis Klrsch. Here's to the spread of journal
ism!''
"Oh. you-youd like to be setting people by
the ears all the year round: but they'll lock
you up for longer than you like one of these
days. calculated the fieshy Madame Crate
mo, Madame. they won't lock him up for
longer than he likes he'll retire from the bust
ness M II he sees any signs Of that" retorted
checked them: "Hulio, you We're wrangiing
over that question last year, and the year be.
FORE" said he. 81 shall Be thinking myself at
Bat ipGPf sns xhs zSa asn
the sooner we sit down the better.'' ~
There's that goose in the kitchen squealing
g 1f sh @tb my dear
Ab yss Ss and dn So2%ie o Wh oang-dont
serve up the pudding in a soup-tureen, as you
dld year or two ago." prayed John Broken
Notmie laughed at this reminder of a by
gone failure In preparing the national English
dish. She tried to lend a helping hand to the
servant maid, who had been hired for the
and meanwhile our commercial friend laid
out ali the presents he had brought. No one
had been forgotten. No one-fOr the Crate
lots and Barbelards We're cd cronies of Bro
kenshire-and it was not in his nature to per-
petrate slips of memory. The sub-editOr got
his furred slippers; the printers foreman a
meerschaum pipe with a pound of Latakieh
bought While selling a stock of rifles to the
Turks in Asia Minor; Madame Barbeard had
a Norwich shawl that looked like cashmere
Madame GrattelOt had a piece of Lyon silk
that looked like what it WaS-frst-rate SUI
and no cheating about the dye. Then came
the turn of the children to be helped out OF
one OF those WOnderOuS tOy-bOxeS which Oul
Partisan ,Oy-shOps send out to develop the in
StlnctS Of luxury in the minds of French in
fancy. Victor was presented with a set of ar
ticulated soldiers, who made a mimic war in
defending cardboard fort land little Loulsette
was rendered happy with a silk clad doll tina,
could Shut its eyes and say MAMA" like a
very small child with a stomach ache. wish
could add the names of number of gaudy
children's books illustrated by my sprIghtlS
| friends, NM. Bertall and Grevin; but 1 HAD
scarcely time to examine these treasures then
Tor John BrOkenShire thrust something int
my own handS-a Russian leather purse an(
pretty full one too. AS he did so, he told me-
that he had been successful in dispOsing of a
whole sheaf of my verses.
This was grateful news that made me red
den.
And I've orders for a lot more, FRIEND
Poet said he, closing that fearful knife of hi
wi h a snap. "A publican at Nice wants yOl
to recommend his fried fish, and pastry cool
at Aries has notion that you can make hi!
cream tdrtS DODular'