Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-17
TIE CUCKOO'S SONG.

Translated irons the French by Stella c.
Aikens.
Ten o'clock had Just struck IN all the
clocks of the little town of H In the
canton of Berne. and metallic undula-
ting seemed still to vibrate in the air,
prolonging itself from house tc house,
from str eet to street, TO indicate that the
morning was advancing. The streets
were crowded with passers-by, work
men, peasants, laborers and 1dlers, rich
and poor. This little town was but a
great capital on small scale. The
merchants uncovered their goods and
removed the dust of the night. The Cos
sips passed from one door to another in
the midst OF the universal activity, and
each one on crying good morning, said a
little evil of one, great deal of another,
and thouSht still more of his interlocu-
ter-so you see it was the whole of So
ciety in diminutive.
''Ten o'clockr' cried the big, brawny
butcher Herman-whose sponge, vigor-
ously welded, was making the slabs OF
white marble brilliant where were ranged
the quarters of beef and mutton.
''Ten o'clock and our neighbor Samuel
Stauffer still sleeps! It is astonishingi"
His face, tinged with red fibrils. with its
heavy, square chin and pale blue eyes,
expressed in fact complete aniazement.
"That's SO; you're right" responded
the grocer, who came out on his door
step twisting long cornet Of paper and
leaning forward little in order to pene-
trate more materially into the phenome-
non which had curved and elevated the
brows of butcher like the arches of a
bridge. "The broker has not raised one
of his shutters yet, and nothing seems to
be moving in his house; yet his domestic,
Jean Muller, is habituslly an early riser,
and this Is the first time that I have ever
risen before him."
this morning2 Perhaps the storm of last
night hindered his sleeping and he is
making up for it now"
"Oh, what storm it was!" remark
ed the grocer. 81 scarcely closed my
eyes; the shutters ratified and their hing
es creaked. and bang, chimney tum-
bled into my court. / have rarely heard
such high wind since I have been in
business here"
without counting" added the butch
er, "the thunder, hail and rain, one could
almost say Satan was conducting a
dance" And he accumulated his little
joke with a loud laugh, which shook his
stomach and shoulders so that the fat on
his chin had terrible commissions.
"Hush! Herman, never SAL that II
Is an evil omen. believe meP'
"Oh what superstitious fellow you
are, friend Bloch! One must have a
laugh, now aud them
Il admit that subject of conversation
is always repugnant to me; fer every
time that hideous name is mentioned,
there is misfortune lurking somewhere u
The laugh OF the butcher increased at
the sight of the pale face of his compan-
ion:
''Well, well, you are timid. I will be
still, for you will finish by thinking me
Scape-goat-bu what can old Samuel
be dolng2'
"Let US rap at his door. What do you
say?"
The grocer indicated with his fingers,
without budging, the house of Samuel
and the butcher, without speaking, di
rected his steps toward the little shop.
It had two floors surmounted bv an
attic, and seemed 20 bury among the
other buildings its pointed roof, coNSsed
with tiles, and to conceal with wdEa
and patched air, the shop which occns
pied the whole of the ground floor. The
wooden shutters solidly fixed by large
bars of iron, and the front door with its
tight bolts, kept an unaccustomed ST.
lence. On the foorsabove, the blinds
stopped up the windows dramatically.
and this house with its eyes closed in the
midst OF the morning hustle assumed an
ominous aspect. On the roof the wealth
er-vane turned by the wind emitted every
now and then mournful cry, that re-
sembled the moan of a seagull across the
hurricane which agitates the sea.
The butcher struck the bars with his
fist, and listened 10 the echo transmitted
by the solitary knock through the CORR
doris of the house. He waited a few
minutes, then knocked again, and called
loudly with his strong voice. No an
swer. A vague terror stole into his
breast and made his heart beat with
quickened motions.
mo answerl" cried Bloch to him from
afar,
Then he advanced slowly, pushed by
curiosity only exceeded by his alarm.
sit is extraordinary! I cannot explain
it. How is it that neither Samuel nor
his servant answer to my call. Could
they both be dead? Bloch, l think it is
our duty TO summon the chief of police.
I will send one ofmy boys. Wait here"
When the chief of police arrived, &C.
companie6 with his men,a surgeon and
locksmiIh, he was obliged to traverse
dense crowd which increased every min
ute, surging around like the waters of
river overlooking its banks, and showing
in eager desire to penetrate the secret.
The lock was extracted in few minutes
and the door opened.
Everything lent to the mystery. The
obscurity gave TO the heteroclitic objects
fantastic shapes. Samuel Stauffer bought
and sold everything, furniture, artistic
collections, novelties, antiques, silver
goods and kitchen utensils-each was an
article of trade with him. A thick dust