New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-10-22
BONBO CROU.

fHAvE been well acquainted with
mountebank. It is not of . politician
that I wish to tell you, but only Of :
common acrobat. Why should I not
have known him! AS Sancho saws. one
should have friends everywhere.
This mountebank is dead, and
I am going to tell You his story. It is
commonplace enough, when all said;
but this mountebank, in dying, uttered
. sublime word. It was the grain Of
gold in the heap Of sand.
Pierre Bourset was born at Soulitre,
. little village near Mans. His father
was cooper. At five one is not an
aristocrat, and have had many
pleasant game with little Pierre. In
time it became necessary to 20 to
Paris TO college, and after that I could
vacations. We were no longer to-
gether, but we were not lest to each
others sight.
As for Pierre, he grew big, went to
the common school, became . good
workman like his father, and toward
his nineteenth year nothing would do
but he must fall in love with the cures
niece, very pretty girl, on my word.
But it was not for him that two bright
black eyes beamed, and that beat . lit
tie heart whose futterings agitated =
young bosom divinely nodded.
All these treasures were reserved for
the village teacher. When Pierre
learned not only that he was not loved,
but that his charmer loved another, the
unhappy boy became mad, and two
days before the wedding might he sought
quarrel with his happy rival. A
struggle followed, and the poor tutor,
cut with knife, fell never to rise
again.
1t was on that occasion that for
the first time gained knowledge of
the quality Of French justice, The
case was very simple, was it notP The
affair occurred in the presence Of ten
witnesses, and, for that matter, Pierre
avowed ali that one could ask, even
reconciliation. which was entirely un-
necessary. Well, the magistrate found
grounds for sending the prisoner to
Jail for six months! That was aston
ishing enough, but what was more SO
was that Pierre, defended by young
lawyer who made his debut as an advo-
cate in this case, was acquitted on the
trial.
Once more free, Pierre did not 20
back to Soulitre. He disappeared with
out ever communicating with his rela-
tives. In the summer, when I again
saw his father, I said to him, "Have
you received letterP'' "No," an
swered poor Boursot. Afterward I did
not ask him the question, so a. not to
revive grief which time was healing.
Ten years afterward I was walking
one Sunday in the Place de Ia Bastile,
when saw about one hundred persons
gathered around q mountebank, who
was dancing on rope stretched on two
rickety stakes in the ground. drew
near, and what struck me most was q
woman covered with bits of tinsel,
which would have been happy to be
considered bangles. A wooden bowl
in her hand, this woman made the
round of the crowd, butthe sous seemed
few. / never saw such monster as
that woman. She was bumped like
Punchinello; her enormous head was
sunk into her neck; her short legs and
long arms made her look just like q
spider. She had gone about half
through the crowd when the mounte-
bank suddenly ceased his gyrations,
hesitated an instant, then bowed,
jumped to the ground and cried out:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the perform
ance Is ended General applause fol-
lowed, in the midst of which left the
place and went on my way. I had not
gone hundred steps before was &C.
costed by the mountebank, who had
tried to hide his costume beneath q
large cloak. .
" Monsieur doesn't recollect mep'' he
"No," / replied.
IL am Pierre Boursot, and would
very much like to talk to Monsieur q
little, but this spot is not convenient.
If Monsieur should be willing to give
me his address I would come to see him
tomorrow morning. I have laborer's
suit
I hesitated q moment, then I made
an appointment with him at my resi-
dence at nine the next morning.
Pierre Boursot was prompt, and, as
he had told me, his get-up would not
have disclosed to any one the nature Of
his calling.
"gi i've me some news of my father and
mother. Are they still livingp' And,
on my answering affirmatively, he ad-
ded: "Ah, poor people! How l would
like to embrace themp'
why do you deny yourself that
pleasurep''
"Because of the past and also of the
preseSt," he replied, hanging his head;
"but what could I dop Aftor my
crime it was impossible for me to re-
turn to the village. wished to work
to resume my trade-but whenever
applied for employment they asked me
who l was and where I was from.
Then, in place of answering, / ran of.
I feared that by question after question
they would lead me to avow my crime.
One day, when everybody had refused
me aims, dying Of hunger. encoun-
tered at the gate Of Limoges q family
of mountebanks in the act Of preparing
their evening meal. The chief was in
dreadful passion. The assistant had
ded, carrying off their cash-box. What
would you have, sirp The hope of get
ting some supper, the idea OF earning
9 living, fright at the existence which
I had been leading for two months
all this overcame in my mind the dis
gust which might have had for such a
calling. and offered myself in place Of
the unfaithful ASSISTANT sa
.'You know nothing Of the trade
said the illustrious Pharamond, the
Terror Of the South, as his placards
styled him; .but you are very well
made STRIPPING, and one could make