Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-03-29
THE BOLD BUTCHER BOY.
A Partisan Romance That Set Every.
body Laughing.


dblCubluu Va OuO guy Il dAAoiduoi wiz
love to laugh, and don't care much
who or what they laugh at, As il
rather makes Gambetta a trife ridicu,
lOus, the enjoyment is intensified. The
actors live in Lille, the Pittsburg Of
France, the largest of the northern
cities outside Of Paris. Here a coun-
try youth engaged as a butcher boy.
whom the journals describe as "un
grand beatt garcon,p in the intervals
of his cutting and eleaving, put in an
hour or two at the variety theater, and
fell madly in love with Mile Armand,
one of the black-eyed, 1.-THE lined
beauties of the Partisan stage. The
intervals of this fine, bold, good
looking boys steak-carving and bone
cutting were filled with epistolary de-
v%Ctions to the pretty mademoiselle, to
whom he protested his love and des-
pair. He wasted all the by no means
munifcent salary bestowed upon the
Office of butcher boy he adored his
divinity nightly from the lofty atti-
tude of the fourth gallery at the ex-
pense of fifteen cents. He impover-
ished his purse in the purchase of
yiolets and bonbons to throw at the
feet of Mile Armand have forgot
ten the name, but it don't matter
whom, save that she was gay and pref
ty, and sang enchantingly through
her nose, and kicked behind
her with an abandon of which
to tell is impossible if one
has not seen. 1t is enough that she
fascinated the airy Imagination of this
sentimental butcher. He began to
pay court vigorously, as only a French
man can, writing the seductive actress
all sorts of expressions of Gallic
devotion, and each note winding up
with the declaration hat he was going
to blow-what the poor lad fondly
imagined-his brains out. He repre-
sented himself as a nobleman. He
had probably been reading the novels
of Dumas, and modelled his epistles,
SO far as phraseology went, upon these
exciting and "Aamboyante" models.
MademOiselle wa evidently more
struck with the title than the descrip-
ton of the beau %garcon's" appear
ance, and she sent him what the
priests servant, Pat, would call emo
tional but evasiye answers. The time
came, however, when the gay butcher
found more money was necessary for
the pursuit Of his inamOrata than the
slender proceeds that the patron"
(boss) was able to pay. Inspired by
that fund of ali Frenchy Imagination,
the novels of Dumas, Eugene Sue and
Balsac, he fixed upon the celebrating
expedient of a threat against the life
of Gambetta, and wrote hal aston
ished statesman an anonymous note TO
the effect if before a certain day $4,000
francs were not lodged to his credit in
a certain modest drinking shop in the
good city Of Lille, he, the anonymous,
who was at the head of a fierce of 100
dsspcradoes, and bound to ayenge the
misfortunes of the empire, and hun
gcring particularly for the blood Of
the one-eyed dictator, would, in the
dead of night, when the world was
asleep and the gendarmes dancing at
the "Bullier's," seize him-Gambetta
and deprive him of his life. You
need not think" wrote the blood thirs-
ty youth, that you can escape. My
means are unfailing, my processes
mysterious, my men uRerring. Your
life Is not worth the naming if, before
II o'clock Of the coming 24th of the
month, the packet addressed to the
name which | here i%nclose, is not de-
posted with the Widow-it don't
matter whom-the corner of such and
such street, Lille. Gambetta, who
has received in his time a good many
threatening letters, from one sort or
another, of persons-political, annoy
nous, as well as personal--paid no
attention to this sinister document,
merely thrOwingit over TO the secretary
with a laugh, The latter, however,
much more impressed withth gravity
Of his situation, In the case of so
bloOdthirsty a correspondent, able to
command so many ferociOgs men,
thought fit to put tho message in the
hands Of the police. These worthless,
delighted with a mission SO important
as that of saving the life of the chief
Of the Republican forces, put all the
complicated machinery Of the most
complicated department of human
affairs into motion, and the enamored
butcher soon found himself enmeshed
in their taloqs. AZ l9o'clQck on the
night designated in his letter of warn
ing, he visited the designated wine
shop of madame, the widow, and, sure
enough, at the address named, was a
great square package, indicatiua that
the trembling Gambetta had pur-
chased his life for the fifty thousand
francs which were to crowa the
butcher boys love, Taking the pack.
age hGstily under his arm he tore
~hqmeward in a delirium Of anticipa-
ton, and, in the very a%ngoniQE ef re-
alization, he was suwiisGd by the
police who had followed him. He was
tOfthwith carried off to prison, the
package being merely an invention Of
the chief Of police to make aaIe Of
the right man. Takel hefOre the court
the frightened lad made a clean breast
Of his amour" TO the no small Ids.
gust Of the actress, who found.
her occupation entirely gone
the " wis ldllois OYerw elmint
the gay d~emoiselle with ri diculc
over her conquest. Even the proverbl
ial gravity Of a French cOurt-anC
there is nothing so grave-cQuld p0t
resist the cQmiGal ~sBee,acle Of the
lalge, red faced youth blubbering out
his frightened explanation Of what he
4 called his HGntaisie.' He told the