The Portland daily press., 1879-03-22
Passing a Present Around.
NEW YORK WORLD.

NEW YORK WORLD.
1t was new years day, and Cyprien, armed
with resolution, lightly descended from his
sixth story and Fastening to the nearest
grocers said:-
"a pound of sweetmeats, if you please?,'
"What price?" asked the man with the
scoop.
Cyprien was poor little clerk who
had just made his debut in the dry goods line
and enjoyed salary OF so francs a month.
Never had his pocket book seem as light as it
Was this new-year's day, and with sadness he
replied
II would not care to spend more than two
francs"
''Say half pound of the four-franc ones ?'
"A half pound will not make very large
package"
''Then take a pound of the two franc
Ones"
"Are they good?'
"They are precisely the same," said the
grocer, with burst of confidence, and hay-
ing weighed pound of them he placed them
in lilac cornucopia, inscribed in letters of
gold .Bonbons Fms" then fastened the
precious package with bit of sky-blue rib
bon.
Cypr!tn bore it upstairs, and taking pen
and paper wrote with trembling hand:-
Pardon dear angel, the method l take of
conveying to you the avowal which has long
burned and trembled on my lips. Let this
little note whisper to you how much I love
you"
This missive he folded and lefolded till he
had gotten it into small compass; then he
0nRDp0 the DapkaUa a of ha
meats to maze room for the note, slipped the
latter into the yawning gull, tied up tue pack
age and opening his door waited patiently
about till Mile Cesarine, the third floors
maid. did appear.
Soon as he heard the familiar patter of her
little boots on the stairs, he FASTENED toward
her,
"Mademoiselle, could not allow the new
year to pass without Offering your
Here his emotion overpowered him and
his throat got dry.
"You are very good, Monsieur Cyprien,, ,
said the lady's maid, taking the package, and
looking him in the face she seemed to wait
for bin to say something else. But he did
not dare to, and with hoarse croak, "Some-
body's coming, think" fled to his Alpine
nights.
swell, of all the stupds"-said Mile Cesar
inc, as little piqued she entered the room.
Then she looked at the inscription and felt
the package.
'.Lezenges, I think" she said.
Tue concierge had just given her another
package for her mistress, Nine de Sant-Exu-
pere. This she examined also, and easily
guessed its contents.
"Marrons glaces from the baron," she said,
''and II there is one sort of candy l have a
preference for ii is tor marrons glaces."
And the traitress, removing the baron's card
from beneath the pink ribbon that tied his
package, placed it under the blue ribbon that
fastened Cyprien's, and handed the latter to
Mime de Saint-Exupere.
well. the baron has not squandered his
patrimony on riotous confectionery this
year." said her mistress, as SIZE crunch
ed one of the two-francs-a pound bonbons
inns where in the name of the woman
with the iron jaw, did he get these goodies !?
Here, Cesarine, give me that empty silk bag
from Boissier's," and into the natty recepta-
ce inscribed with the swell contectoDer's
name she emptied Cyprien's poor candies.
take this to my dress-maker, Nine Gal
oubet. ought to give her little boy some
thing, and this will do.''
~.
1t was Mme Galoubet's little bows father,
grave and thoughtful man, who opened the
door ana received the package
81 know of nothing so silly and reprehen-
sIbls," said he when Mile. Cesarine had de-
parted, s'as this custom of sending sweet
meats to children to destroy their teeth and
impair their digestion" Then as he seri-
ously rolled one of them as comparatively
sweet morsel under his tongue, he continued
his soliloquy: 81 am really under obligations
to the Beaufourres; they have asked us to
dinner twice this winter. This package
comes from quite swell house; it would
tickle the Beaufourres Immensely, and Beau
fourre can be very useful to me-"
No sooner said than done, and moment
after he bad left Cyprien's suga-- plums at NJ
Beaufourre's door. NJ Beaufourre came in.
"Oho," said Beaufourre, gayly; "bonbons
for the old lady, eh?'' and as he had sweet
tooth he helped himself to one, then to an
other, and be was about to take third when
his fingers brought out small piece of paper
folded into small compass.
he opened it and read in stupefied sur
prise, "Pardon, dear angel, the method /
take, "etc.
"Great heavensw gasped NJ Beaufourre,
turning in succession, like Coston signal,
servant girl.
''This was sent by M Galoubet?"
"M Galoubet brought it himself and gave
it TO me with his own hands"
"And said it was for your mistress?"
sand said it was for my Mistress"
All sorts of wild and fell imaginings tray
ersed the miserable mans brain. Should he
wait the traitors return and hurl him from
the window; or denounce him to the police;
or go 10 him and cut out bis black heart; or
what?
Finally, calmer reason asserted her SWAY,
and hQ rpgolUQd eaDds hoaly IN ba ofoI
his treacherous gift in such manner that he
would understand that his peIfdy had been
discovered.
Fastening the parcel up again with few
erish and trembling hand, M Beaufourre
sum noned bis nephew, youth OF 16, who
was payir him a holiday visit, aud giving
him the package, said
Emile, you will carry this package 10 NJ
Galoubet, give it into his own hands and no
one else.s, and tell him it comes from me-
from me-! He will understand what that
means"
"Wel, this is rum go-uncle sending M
Galouoet a package Of candy" said the
youth, as he departed on his Grand.
He had nearly reached his destination
when whom should be stumble upon but The
whole family of the Plumbers, father, moth
er, two aunts, daughter and little niece.
vi.
"Ah, Master Emilio. the same to you and
many of them. Why do we never see you
nowadays? And how a-e your uncle, and
your cousin, and your aunt?"
81 am quite sure you were not going TO call
on u.s." said M Plumier.
"On the contrary, quite the reverse"
stammered the youth, blushing red ON fipd-
ing himself face to face with the fair Mile.
Laure PIumie4; 81 was just going"
''To bring US some candy," cried Nine.
Plumber; ''please don't; Pm sick of the
word.
81 beg your pardon" said Master Emile,
redder than ever, "but had hoped Mile.