Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-12-18
THE EX-wIDOW HOVIUS,
By JULES CLARETIE.
1.-The Partisan I

1.-The Partisan
The one was named Hovius, think, the other
Jean Macrip.
A ,Corslcan. implacable and furious hatred
mad long divided tnem- Verona had It's Ca)I-
lets and Montagus, Florence its GleiphS AMI
GhiDelines; Paris-the Qlay5 of Paris have had
Jean Macrin and Mr. Hoviu5. Hovius had car
r1ed OF from Macrin an ElZeyir edition of Hor-
zee; Macrln had deprived HovtuS or an Adm
volume containing some tale or another OF
LoDgus, the title or which would interest you
but little If could remember lt TO tell 1t you
Let IL suffice you to know that Marin hate1
Hovius. and that Hovius In his bilious humor.
d. teIm1ned TO Illuminate his library Oh the day
OF the death OF his implacab,e rival.
ii.
Mr. Pierre Paul HovIus was walking, OF
rather statiOning, on the quay Toltalre one
day, DOOR hunting, nosing, ferretting. upset
after books.
Who has not seen the bibomaniacs In their
lncessant task? The eye watcnfu], the heal
bent forward, the hands greedy, painting win
hope and fear, pale with emotion, the pupils
dllated, the mouth half open; they lean over
the dusty cases OF the book dealers, rea Hug
hastily the titles OF the books Tor sale. aai 4
their most ard .ent wish Is suddenly realized If
they uneartn. In this mass Of Old worm eaten
paper, where so many glorieS moulder some
EDITION that they have eagerly sought for, their
eyes brighten, Tue color CONES INTO their pllid
cheeks. their bosom swells, and prouder than
Archlnedes. they cry, like he cried, proud and
Il nave found
III.
Master H0V1uS, AFFORDED In his researches his
nose almost rubb ng against the books paid no
attention to another person who Was HkeWls.
penGing over the boxes OF the dealer and fer
paper. But II Hov1us had looked at that per
son be WoulG certainly have recognized hun
Ior IL was his deadly rival. Jean Macrin, the
Longus-
You imagine TO yourself, am sure. nv two
bibl0maniacs as old. shaky aud dried up like
the oautlIul Baldour at the return OF her Peco-
pm. You are only half wrong. but Still you are
wrong. Hov1uS was indeed at least sixty years
OF age out he was Sttll stalwart man with a
Ioll a.! nough pale face, athletic shoulders, and
Gsrgantuan belly. But Macr1u was young
not pad looking, and eles mt as far as his paS,
sion allowed hun 10 be. In short, be was tnirty-
Two Years OF age, he had thirty-t Two teeth, aud
thlrty-I thousand francs income. or all that
he made little use except OF his income which
he store d up In twenty or thirty bookcases AS
ior BIS teeth and his youth, he ate little. aud
gave sui less proof that he knew how TO Dc
Young.
"
After having turned over a hundred pamph-
lets and as many bound books. our two coliec-
Tors drew themselves up almost at the same
moment, aud with a gesture that ueaut:-
There Is nothing for me there" they walked
towards each other unconsciouSiy. When tney
saw each other both started and drew back a
sep. ana tnen REFRESHING their unfrtendly ardor
they saluJed each other with a voice a. II of
honey mixed WITH vinegar:
= How are your they said
The characteristics OF these terrible batreds
IS G1SsimulatiOn.
~ am very well, thank you"
THAT is WE'LL"
- am very glad to hear it."
An. Dy the way. Monsieur Hovius the
Dallet OF The French and the Dutch In Brabant,
copy OF 1885 In l2mo-you know"
We'll said H0V1uS, with nagyard eve
Wei, have discovered IL, my dear rriend.r
indlscreeI?' a ~ ii0'
I'm a grocers shop. my excellent Hoyius
Just as the ignorant grocer was about to tear IL
up TO wrap up spices"
You are always lucky Macr.n.-
NO: no. scent things out that Is ALL"
ION. scent! call 1t luck / repeat tC. luck,
After all, my friend, Your discovery is not
very brilliant one"
Hem. hem! Is that really your oplnionq7
at my house the ballad OF Eustache Deschamns
Q4ahd rer'e'4drd notre Roy d. Parts2 1889, my
lad" A'1' '-'-
"Ah."
Ell? What do you think of that?r
81? What do think OF it? Why.
Nothing. Nothing! You are lucky, that is air.,
Ihereupon they separated, more irritated
than ever, and each one saying to himself:
Nv hat strange thing jealousy Is! He would
give Two fingers To have found what found.r
One month afterwards Hovius and Macr,n
met again.
'Wenl7 said Hovlus, what have YOU dis.
covered this time?"
oh oh! a lot OF things said Macrln, who
had found nothing.
"What do you cal a lot OF th,nrse-
well, CfeSar's Commentaries the edition of
TTiVulcius-Ovid's Fash go. An, and the ed1fio
lfttcepS OF the Ar6re deS B1taiies, IN 40, Ma
yence, 1895 :"
"Hon0I& Ronet's Arbres" asked Hoytus
Yes"
Eoylus burst out laugt;re.
Wen. stammered out Macrin, disconcarted.
what Is the matter with your
He looked at Hoy1us with stupid air. ana
Hovtus went on laughing.
Explain yourself"
40. "Ah; it is very simple said Hovius, when he
the eduto prtnceps OF the 4rbe des B1taVIes,
for the plain reason that l have that edition
mysei1 coTI3 r0r!or dfbo.. All. ali. ali, friend
And old Hovtus continued tn lauoh and
Macrln grew pale, then red then pale again,
then green 1t was a curious spectacle.
Macrin could net speak. 50 great WAC b,s
emotion. Laughter prevented Hovius from
uttering word. And SO they remained the
pair OF them, face to face, one like the incarna-
or sadness. To tell the truth neither had anv
good reason for his attitude.
"And yet must have that book ~ said Mao
rln TO himself as soon as he was alone In his
apartment. Yes, at any price that book mnst
belong to me. unique, splendid, and prlceIess
All on what enchanted grass has that HoyIus
been waiking?"
The possession OF the Ai5l,e deS B1tailIps be
came the fixed Idea OF the DibliomaDiac Macrin.
lie must aave the volume, he could not 1--we With
out II, Or rather that book was his lie and soul
He went TO see his adversary, HoVius. for he
was determined to SET eyes on that ANGEL;
quarto: Unfortunately to see Is not to have,
After having deyOured with his eyes the book
or HonOr6 Bonet but only through the glass
doors or the triumphant HoVius's book case
Macrfn returned home, more discouraged and
more IN love With the volume than ever.
VIII.
Inc SpreSSlble tortureS that the terrible poet
OF the Inferno had not foreSeen, InceSsanr
DESIRES never satisfied Immeasurable hut
powefleSS appeJiteS! CoRvulSiye raeeSt Such
was the life o. poor Jean Macrin when he knew
that the first edition OF the -frbrp des H1trjyes
was In the hands OF the Internal uoyfus
THAT Honort Bonet," he said to himself,
sometimes, mas composed, besides the 4rbre
DOCK called The SJhge dH Prieltr de y1{0n or
the AppdfutOn de JeltaH de Ae,tn and that hook
too must have first edition. an editiO D1i1cens
which Is 10 be found; but what Is IT comnared
with the treasure which has fallen into inc
hands OF that idiot Hovius? No! no, After fhe
Attire des BdtaIIeS, there are no LONGER env
books. All! how shall ever get possession Of
that precious pearl?"
He sought and sought but In vain II Was an
impossible problem which neither patience nor
genius could solve. Would Hoviris ever mart
VT no trh ha P's'e