The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-03-03

close; the spring, nowhere in the world
so charming as in Paris, was showering
its ecstacies upon Us, and the examine
tions were at hand-were past, indeed,
and NJ. Paul had justified his own pre-
dictions and failed. How his wife
would have borne the shock but for her
wig it is impossible to surmise. There
it was, however, an ever-present re-
minder of PauPs greatness and tri-
umphant evidence of the incompctency
of his Judges. The equanimity with
which the young man bore his disaster
was but another proof of his superior
desert. His wife lavished all sorts of
attentions upon him to alleviate his
supposed secret suffering, planning ev-
cry kind of agreeable diversion for the
summer after they should have paid
their duty-visit to Madame Mere at
Metz. For this latter journey they
were only awaiting the arrival of some
relatives, who were to take me in
charge. and who were now daily ex-
pected.
We were returning home from the
Buttes Chaamont on q lovely summer
evening through the squalid quarter
which environs that beautiful park,
Mile. Picard being also of the party,
when we came upon that most rare
sight in Paris, burning house. 1t was
q wretched little tenement on the out
skirts of an open common. The police
and firemen were already upon the
spot; q Gordon had been formed TO
keep away intruders and to pass buck
cts of water, after the clumsy fashion
which still prevails-or did at that
time prevail-iu that city. Much of the
furniture had been removed, and the
tenants stood by watching with many
CALCULATIONS of sorrow the destruction
of their home.
At the moment when our carriage
had drawn as near as the police would
permit. little old woman came run
ming up the street and rushed, painting.
at the Gordon, fiercely endeavoring to
break through to the burning building.
"My darling. my little pet!' she
shrieked; ''she is there--there in the
mansard! Let me save herr A thrill
of horror shook US all as the building
was seen to rock and threatened to fall.
my Finette!' she screamed again.
wringing her hands. "Save her, save
ucEs mcSSlcukS, 1OI tuC loNC VA x1CoNCus
A groan burst from the bystanders.
" "ImPossibler' they cried; "no one can
save her now"
Paul sprang from the carriage. '.Let
me gor he shouted wildly. "Are you
men, to stand there and let an innocent
creature burn to deathp" He tore
through the crowd and dashed into the
burning house, regardless of our
,,ro.x x,s cd sc tha c.tt. - tho ,,,l;o.
who vainly sought to detain him.
There was crash. echoed by a heavy
groan from all around; the roof had
fallen in. A part of. the attic was re-
vealed. .sTherei therer' cried the
woman. ''in the cradle! laid her there
to sleep before 1 went out" ~ D..
"My God! the poor innocent! It is
rocking itself in the CRADLE" said one
of the men, and all the women burst inoo
tears; for we could indeed see the era
die rocking violently and little white
head raising itself from time to time.
Then o volume of smoke rolled before
us. PAUL. oh. PAUL. where was he?
We hid our faces in agony.
A loud shout burst from the men:
Behold him! He has caught up q
blanketi He envelops the little one!
He springs to the balcony of the next
house! Ah, bravo, bravor' and a hun
dred arms are outstretched, hundred
plaudits rend the air, as Paul, all smoke
begrimed and blinded, but guarding the
precious treasure most carefully, lets
himself down from crevice to crevice
and reaches the ground in safety. He
hastens to the sobbing little woman, he
extends to her the blanket which en-
velops her darling. Amid re-echoed
benedictions splitting and spluttering
is heard, streak of white darts from
the blanket, and Mimi. with glaring
eyes and gnashing teeth and tail erect,
alights in our carriage.
"My Finette, my darling, my little
one! Saved, savedr' cries the little old
woman, springing after her upon the
You ridiculous old creaturer' ex-
claims the police sergeant; '.is it for
this you have periled o mans ifeP"
"But, monsieur, have no one else,
and she has been such q comfort to me
since she came. one night last winter,
to my door. Would you have let her
burn to death?"
"But she belongs to me-" interrupted
Mile. Picard; and indeed Minis de-
lighted purrings and rubbings against
her face confirmed her words.
The matter was, of course, referred
to q inge de pair, and terminated in
Mile. Picard's regaining delighted pos
session of her pet The ldwoman was
amply rewarded for her goodness to the
truant, and we were at last at liberty te
drive home. r-,-.r -.
ITO think that it should have been
that beast, of all othersr' whispered NJ.
Paul to me, while his wife and Mile.
Picard recounted and recapitulated his
wondrous deeds all the way home.
'And now, at last, the whole world
will know of Paul heroism," concluded
Nine. Blanchard as we descended at
our door. "for tomorrow morning il
will appear in all the newspaper" y
Louise Seymour Houghton, in Lippincotr s
Mn01zi,7e