Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-02-05
The Toad Market OF Paris.

Bv the Jardin des Pantes, in the old and
quaint quarter of st. Marcel, Paris, you
will find, every Wednesday morning, from
spring to autumn, very curious market
place. From seven TO nine A. NJ, your
attention is called 10 an open space Of
ground, separated by a boarding from the
street by IA noise like unto that which greets
the ears OF tired Senators when the sun of
day is meeting the twilight hour, and all
frogdom on the banks of the Washington
canal is chorously joyous and loud We
approach this market place SO full of simp-
licity and sound. Young men in blue
airs, big finger rings, dandy boots, greasy
hair-parted down the middle-and prim
moustaches, are the vendors. In one hand
they hold little stick, and when the
sounds alluded to grow heathenish, whack!
goes the stick on the top of barrel whence
these dIabolical noises emanate, and silence
reigns The toads are momentarily dumb.
We know there is a great deal of unlovable
2o9'ment arrayed against toads, yet toads
are full of love sentiment. a toad carries
all its young in most loving and senti-
mental manner, and why should not like
beget like, if there be any truth in the doc
trinc Of Aristotle? Much bad blood and
malignlty is got up against toads. This
one of the young men in blouse tells me, in
foppish, philosophical way. Barrels
of toads Think of it Barrels packed like
barrels of potatoes! ''Selling at francs
40 to i francs dozen, prime toads nice
toads!" Who buys them? Vegetable gar
deners Why For the reason that toads
devour the insects that otherwise would de-
your the vegetables Who devours the
toadsi Contrary 10 some ideas-not the
French people But toads are being sold
now, not devoured, and ii is with the sell
ling we are interested. How do they vend
them} Young man in blouse bares his arm
and thrusts his open hand into the Shiny
swim and brings up two, three or four gym
nastic tOads, wriggling and writhing. lie
points out their merits and delivers them in
a box by the dozen to the eager market
gardener who takes his choice and pays his
price. The buying and selling is done eX-
pcdtiouSly and quietly. The license reve-
nue. to the Government is great, while the
profit to the vendors Is greater, arising from
this other peculiar Partisan baseness, the
selling of toads. | addressed myself to one
of the merchants: Permit me to ask if you
have been long in this business ~ Merch
ant looks at me and laconically replies:
Born in it :" Then / resume and say, en-
couragingly: ''You know good deal about
it!' lie looks at me again and replies:
"All." | am uneasy as TO his feelings,
therefore change the attack by asking:
'Does il pay well? p BE deigns not to look
at me now, but replies: ''It does!" "Do
you suffer much loss by death by packing
the toads all of a mass in barrel ~ 81 do
not !" ''Is it expensive to cultivate them ~
1T is ~ Glow do you care for them and
propagate them? p ave don't care much,
and they propagate themselves!" Where"
marshes and rockeries!' ''Do you ever
feed them ~ Never !" ''How do you
live?" "Pretty WE'LL" ''Have you a large
supply?' Too large!" l look upon him
as the concentrated assemblage of many
toads, and leave him.