The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-08-28

| who during i've years had acted a mothers
part to little Desirel TO come and keephouse
| for u.s. There was unfortunately, one fatal
objection. Desires tiny play fellow, the
little girl child with the hair, Angelfque,
had now grown to be beautiful young wo-
man of twenty-six. and we were three cap
tains-two OF rs vieux loups de mer, and AL
of us unmarried. So we were Obliged to sDb-
NIT, in the way of femme de menage, 70
the kindly tyranny of La Mere Gigotte, a
good cid woman of the neighbcrhood who
had known our mother. raf rrad
''Scores of times since herseventeenth year
had Angelique Babouf been asked to wed.
The most advantageous parts had been pro-
posed to her; but she always answered, with
a smile and blush that she would never
leave her mother. Nor do / think used to
add Madane Veuve BsbRuf, that when
am dead, Angelique will take husband.
Cest une sainte file, et.je crois qu'elle
entrera en- religion II was, indeed, bab-
itually bruited about that AngeIeue
Babeuf intended to become nun; and it
is certain that the Able Verjus, of the Pro-
Vencal missionary preachers, was continu-
ally at the widow Bab@Ufs house, and in
gloomy confabulation with AngeIique In
fact the neighbors whispered that the Able
(who had had prodigi0us success in persuad-
ing young girls to enter into religion) was
by no means disposed to wait for Madame
Veuve Bab@ufs death before he induced
ADRelQue 10 turn nun. lnere was no time
like the present, the Abbe VeTjus thought, i
suppose. He was tall, bony, sour-faced man,
with the largest shovel-hat that ever saw
off the stage at the Opera house at Valentia,
where they sometimes play the Barber of
Seville" and where there used to be- capital
Don Basile. Nobody liked the Abbe Verjus
except the women, and they were afraid of
him. am sure he was no fayorite with the
regular cure OF the parish, M. PAbbe Bon
temps-a capital fellow as cures go, bon
enfant sill en- fut-who took his wine like a
man, didn't mind game at tric-trac now
and then, and never bullied his Catholic
parishions, nor preached against US because
we were Protestants. / suspect that he
| looked on the grim vissged missionary
priest as an Interloper who was fishing with
out warrant in his waters, and trying to
catch the most delicate of his trout. He
had known Angelique since her baby hood,
just.as he had known our desire; and unless
| am very much mistaken, he had far dif-
| ferent views for the daughter of the widow
| Babeuf than those entertained by the mis-
| sionary.
"We three captains had long been the
| good-humored laughing stock and the merry
| reprosch of our quarter for the reason that
| we obstinately remained bachelors. We were
| called the Incorrigibles,' the Tnhexibles;
| CaptalH Horace at AZ, or with Captain Paul
| at 40 as with our youngest, scarcely yet 80.
Desire Ssnsamour,' Desire des Femmes,
DESIRE Ceur-en-tole' such were the mali
cious nicknames conferred on him by saucy
girls and spiteful old maids. Things became
serious Every time Paul and L came home
| from q voyage and chanced to meet, we con-
| ferred gravely among ourselves on the mat
! rimonial question; and we never failed TO
agree wita each other that, although We our
| selves might be incorrigible, indefensible,
| infiexible old bachelors, 1T was Desires s
| bounden duty no more to scandalize society
and aggravate the girls, but to get married
while there was yet hope of somebody being
| glad to have him. This, am glad to say,
| was also the opinion of NJ. Fable Bontemps.
| This was the grave and earnest judgment of
our minister, NJ. lie Pssteur Pauvage. This.
| expressed in stronger and hOmelier Ian
gaage was what our femme de menage, La
| Mere Gigotte, thought.
Sac a papier mes bons messieurs,' this
worthy dame would say, planning her hands
| on her hips. am growing old, and blind,
and deaf and before lose both my eyes and
( my ears | want to see the face of pretty
| girl, and to hear the voice of children in this
| house. 1 want some one to call madame,
| and who will scold me for not putting
| enoHh leeks in the Pot-au-feu- want a
| newDesire to dandle on my knee. / want
to feel little hands pulling my apron. and to
| hear little feet pattering after me when go
/ to the cupboard where the confitures allons
donc Captain Horace; allons done Captain
| Paul. III Captain Desire doesn't chose a wife
before Easter, shall begin to think he has
got one already-s black one somewhere Ia.
bas among the Chinese or the Hottentots.
1--WE were all very fond of La Mere
| Gigotte, and allowed ber to talk k.what ram
bling nonsense she chose; but we felt that
| in this case the words she had spoken were
/ the words of wisdom. / soon afterwards
wrote from Naples very strong but very
affectionate letter to Desire; and Captain
Paul subsequently penned him a strong one
from ConsIantinople. In less than a month
IL chanced that Paul aud both found our
selves at Marseilles with a whole eight days
1 leave before us; and before we had been SO
hours st home, back came Desire from Al
| giers and Tunis with fortnights leave to
the good. Now or neverr said / to Captain
| Paul. s8
| "We threw out graphing irons and boarded
| him at once, tribord ct babord. We ran into
him as with the ram of one of those new
fashioned ironclads, of which will not deny
that / am not passionately fond. We sue
ceeded, after long and furious combat in
| getting Desire to agree to the proposition
that one of US must be married; but he OBJ
| siinately refused to exercise his right as the
youngest and best looking of us, to be mar.
| ried first. If it is to be DONE laughing, let
| us toss up. Pile on facet Head or tail! ALI
to put down together. Three five franc
pieces and the odd man to win, and be mar.
| ried as soon as ever he can persuade some
body TO have him..
II have an adherence of teasing, which
leads to drinking absinthe, to reading the
| Rappel, and to other crimes; and besides, I
was averse from leaving to blind chance the
question of beloved brothers happiness.
| But Captain Paul gave me q nudge and
slightly pressed his right foot on my left one.
/ kept silent, knowing Paul to be discreet
and iudicious parsonage.
Agreed cried my discreet brother. "a
demain la partie. Well toss to morrow after
| dinner, and La Mere Gigotte shall see fair
play We left Desire to himself after this;
and in few minutes Paul told me that he
| was going to Marseilles. He had some busi-
ness, he said. with Isreal Schmoorz the
money changer of the Rue st. Ferreol
"'You may as well get me change, bro
| ther, said Tor this confounded Italian pa
per money. l want some five franc pieces
for my next voyage
Precisely replied Paul; Il, too want
some five franc pieces and must change some
Turkish medjidies.' He looked remarkably
| knowing as be went down town did Cantain