Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1880-08-05

had too many admirers
''Psor mother She and | were not SUI
perior. and We grew angry We couldn't tel
him all the people said at first, and indeed he
would not have believed us if we had We
were trying hard all this tine to stop the leak
made in the resources of our house by what
had given the young couple. We wanted
them at first to leave the money in our bust
ness-to row in the same boat with US. The
business was excellent, it would have made
good returns We knew 80 well how to man
age it. But they would not. They were de
voted to art. They had country residence
an allpartemest on the Boulevard Haussman
handsome liyeries, they gave splendid dinners
madame had her admirers as | told you, anG
al last one day -
''Ah! monsieur lie conmissaire, | don't
know if You have children, but if you have
put them ints the police, do anything with
them rather than try to get them govern,
ment employment, for then somehow when
they get it they seem of more importance than
their parents. Yet may be am wrong, only
don't marry them to pianistes-d let them
learn 70 play the piano.
-"Ofe morning my son came Seeing how
things were going-I mean what people said
about his wife-we did not go there often. ]
had tried to give him some advice. | had
gone so far as to tell him that was afraid his
wife was little extravagant, and even that
thought he ought to look after her more, He
did not like my interference. He repeated
my observations to his wife, who, ever after
that, looked back at her husbands parents. SO
that the truth was we had never seen her for
six months and hardly him. 1t was great
sorrow to my old woman and me- We used
to 60 at night. after dark, and walk about the
Boulevard near their house and try to see
them. 1t was all the pleasure we had left ex.
cepting to work hard, for we thought he might
want some day what we could put away for
him.
well, as | told you, one morning he came
to our house, 1o wac pale AS death.
"Oh, heavens? we thought, he has found
out something about his wife, poor thing.
sand we both began to Cry before he had
said a word.
Never mind, my boy said at last al
most choked as spoke. Has she eloped J.
is she gomez
"Gone Who? My wife? No indeed, father
she is equal to the emergency. She will stay
by me. Her devotion to me is as great as her
love. She is seeing all who CALI dare not.
She is my comforter. She does not shrink
from the poverty before U.S. She told me so.
she will give music lessons in secret She
viii work for me until find means to work
for her. We shall succeed in getting on our
feet again, we know we shall but just for she
present 1t is dreadful. She and | are the vic
tins of the whole train of circumstances
swell, the long and short OF it was that
they were utterly ruined They had spent
their last cent and owed enormous sums
Their furniture was seized and so on, but our
dear boy would have it that their misfortunes
we're all his fault. He justified his wife, nay
more, he gloriied, he exalted her.
"What could we do? What would you have
done yourself, monsieur lie commissaire ?"
Tie magistrate was going on with the cases
OF other persons arrested during the night.
He did not appear to pay any attention to the
old man. who sat in a corner talking in low
voice to him. He made no answer Poor
Duanont who had looked up in his face with
eyes that were still haggard and bloodshot
from the late effects of drink, looked at him
for moment in silence, then nodding, as if
he had received an encouraging reply, he con-
rinued.-
Yes, yes. | see; you would have tried to
comfort the poor prodigal when he came back
to his father. Money troubles seldom kill
l hurried to all the creditors, | stopped all
suits. | made arrangements, l paid the most
pressing debts, | got everything settled. 1t
cost US very heavily for we were getting old
This terrible crash withdrew capital from our
own business, and in that there now began to
be serious competition. Younger men, whose
whole souls were in their work, followed our
lead. They got desiges that were more eccen-
trio, seats that were more comfortable, more
Engish-that rage for initiating the English
broke up my poor old house. My son ought
to have carried it on himself, but he WOULDN'T
hear of it.
eve did say few things to his wife about
this time. All, me! recoilect what pain
full scene we had-She, |, and my poor old
woman He was not present. She confessed
she had done wrong, that she had had faults,
but she called them only trifes. She promis-
ed she would do better, would be economical,
steady, good housekeeper; that she would
not put artist notions into our bows head, that
she would change her skin in short. just as the
snakes do in springtme.
'Ah, me! if snakes do change their skins,
there is always the snake underneath them.
"Well, l won't intrude upon you, monsieur
lie commissaire. You seem very sorry for me.
| am very grateful, but know your time is
valuable. I'll be brief. Besides, as you are a
man of experience, you eau guess the rest.
My son set up newspaper. He is such a
clever man ! He saw that there was need of a
new organ for the expression of the public
sentiments. had always been conservative
friend of the government. Only leave me
peacet to attend to my business. [ used to say,
and hurrah for any one, and vote for the
Grand Turk to represent US as deputy from
the Department of the Seine. But my son
showed me that there has to be an opposition
if we want to--Never mind. to please him
became Red Republican. My wife and l,
though we had never been bigots, had been
accustomed all our lives to 60 to church, on
holy days; we took our turn in sending bread
In for church purposes; we never forgot what
we owed to the brothers who had helped us at
our first start but when my son became a
free freethinker-well, you know, of course.
we followed his example, that is, we gave up
thinking about religion at ALL
Nothing was OF any use. In politics one
must either conquer or be crushed. 1t is no
dishonor not to succeed. My sou was defeat
ed. His newspaper only brought him deeper
into debt; there were new leaks and fresh
drains. The only difference it seemed to
make was that there were always Red Re-
publicans hanging round my daughter-in laws
piano instead Of fast young men of fashion
and bankers as before.
We had to sell our business to help them on
the second time. We did not regret it, Was
he not our only son Parents ought to spend
and to be spent for their children He made
many sacrifices to his political opinions which
were not obligatory. 1t did seem rather hard
it's true when we found ourselves without EN-
.ploynlent in our old age, but we were salts.
fed. Wehad given him his inheritance be.
forehand. He was to pay us an annuity
We went out to Saint Maur, we took little
house. we raised peaches. Then that devilish
fourth of September found US, and then came
the war
"Poor fellow lit was not his fault that in
the general ruin of his country he could not
pay us our allowance. We came back to Par.
is. Bad luck seemed to pursue him. Not.
outstanding his talent and his activity moth.
ing succeeded that he put his hand to. At
last he sat to work to run theatre He was
manager, but somehow he did not seem to ge,
on We hired one little room in the Rue St.
Jacques. Every now and then Henry sent US
few sous, he robbed himself to help us. he
loved us still We managed to live. My poor
ofd woman did chores tried to find some
thing to do. Sometimes he came to see US
but always secretly, for by this time his wife
hated nv old woman and me- She said al