The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1878-04-30

But in 1893 everything in THISTLE was
out of its usual course, and poor Pauls
notion, which five years later or earlier
wsuld have made him the talk of Mar
settles, had a complete success.
The toll and exposure of such love
making became SO great that Paul lost
all his flesh and his Vitality. Hislpur-
pose was to die of loye, and he wasin
fair way Of accomplishment. His eyes
were becoming hollow: bis nose, which
was by'nature very handsome, was get
ting too large for his other features; his
cheeks we're falling in; his legs were get
ting shaky; his heart in which there
burned ten fames) was like brazier.
When he began the ladies saw in him a
man of cheerful countenance, rather too
stout, perhaps, but we'll proportional,
graceful and well-bred in his manners,
we'll dressed and we'll fed. But every
thing about him dropped in ruin by de-
grees. His state of mind appeared to
have it's influence upon everythin &
Each of the ten ladies felt proud Of the
ravages that her charms had made upon
her adorer. Each thought herself of
course his only love. The idea that
Paul repeated nine times every day the
part each saw him act before her house
never entered their imaginations. JAN
guard had chosen loves who lived at
some distance from each other. To sum
up all, the state of solitude and general
mistrust in which everybody lived ia
vored this tenfold lover.
At last some one denounced him to the
revolutionary tribunal. The man who
had sent in his name to Brutus accom-
panied by memorandum was sort of
club orator, who lived on the first floor
of the house in which our hero had a
room. Paul was 30 preoccupied with the
disturbed state of his affections that he
had failed to perceive that this formida-
BILE fellow-lod ger logged his footsteps
one day when he was on his daily round.
Before that happened, however, nearly
three months of his life had been spent
in state of enchantment. And he had
not altogether limited himself to ten acts
of tender pantomine; his feelings had
also been set down in words Each night,
after dark, by the light of his solitary
lamp, Paul took ten sheets of paper,
seized his pen and wrote ten letters,
folded them with care and skill and in
the morning put them into his pocket.
Paul Janquard, merchant, the most deroted
of men," As each note was without any
address, Paul pulled them out at ran
dom, and, after having shown one tt
each lady at the window for moment,
laid it on the doorstep and at once disap'
peared.
~ X
We left him breathless, pale, hall
fainting on a bench beside the old ser.
want who had told him of the arrest Of
Madame .Arnaud., When Paul came N
himself he was so weak that he burst
into tears; then, striking himself on the
forehead, he exclaimed; "Alas! alas
can they all, then, for my sake, have beer
put in PRISON." He rose up like mad
man; superhuman strength seemed to
animate his weakened frame; he rushed
to v ards the great prison; his head swan
his heart was ready to burst; his features
were distorted! He was too excited to
reflect that he might be bringing ruin on
himself and on the ten poor women whom
he loved. The forms of the five whom
he loved best seemed floating before his
eyes, with their faces bathed in tears;
defled by the rude touch of revolution
airy officials and about to pass into the
rougher grasp of the executioner. He
rushed up to the strong gate of the great
prison; his face was red, his breath was
short; he seized the knocker and knocked
violently.
The subordinates of Brutus that night
had made a splendid haul. PauPs ten
fair women had been taken out Of their
beds and had been forced to dress and 90
to prison. Early in the morning the
president of the revolutionary tribunal
(who had ordered the jailer 10 put them
in one room came in to see him, and
frightened them out of their wits in the
sinister way in which he looked at them
like wild beast glazing at his vic
tins.
"Well, eitoyenais," he said in his clear,
high voice, "and how do you employ
your time at home?" :;
One of them replied: "Citizen, we
take care of our households ~
eyes; and you. stand at the windows
when you hear anybody whistling in the
street," added Brutus meaningiy.
The Oldest of the Ladies might be 30,
the youngest II. They looked at each
other after this speech with frightened
air. man,.
At last the boldest, Madame Arnaud,
the young widow, who was about twenty
six, ventured to say, "What harm can
there be in looking out of the window
It can have nothing to do with conspir-
ing against the republic"
IL have received" continued Brutus,
in his most solemn tones, "certain infor-
nation concerning each of you. know
that you are all royalist, and that you
have each sworn not to be married or re-
married, as the case may be, till the re-
public shall have been overthrow.
mean to see you married, every ore OF
you; but married after my. fashion. Do
you hear meT * {.
They were defenseless women. The
terrible words of Brutus rightly seemed
to them their death doom. Trembling
under the influence of his inhuman
irony, which chilled their very souls,
they huddled together in their prison
chamber with an instinct of in some way
gaining protection from each other.
Brutus breathed hard and snapped his
little eyes. He was enjoying their dis
tress and confusion. - -.
"Come, citos ennes," he said. "You
are very pretty, and l find am getting
foolishly soft-hearted as I gaze at you.
So, if any of you can find husband all
ready to take her, will set her at lib
erty and pardon her at once. Now
understands: Those Of you who can
a. L. ,sA I'll