The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-02-11
pale again, then green-it was : curious
spectacle.

pale again, then green-it was ! curiou
| spectacle.
Macrin could not speak, SO great wa
his emotion. Laughter prevented Ho
wins from uttering word. And SO the,
remained, the pair of them, face to face
one like the incarnation Of gaiety, the
other like the gloomy statue of sadness
To tell the truth neither hsd any gooG
reason for his attitude
And yet must have that book, said
Macrin to himself as soon as he was alone
in his apartment. Yes, at any price
that book must belong to me, unique
| splendid, and priceless. All! on what
enchanted grass has that Hovius been
walkng?"
The possession of the Arbre des Ba-
tailles became the fixed idea of the bibli-
omaniac Macrin. He must have the vol
ume, he could not live without it, or
4 rather that book was his life and soul.
He went to see his adversary, Hovius,
for he was determined to set eyes on that
angelic quarto. Unfortunately to see is
4 not to have! After having devoured with
his eyes the book of Honore Bonet, but
only through the glass doors of the tri-
umphant Hovius's book case. Macrin
returned home, more discouraged and
more In love with the volume than ever.
! VIII.
Inexpressible tortures that the terrible
poet of the Inferno had not foreseen! In
cessant desires never satisfied Immeas
| urable but powerless appetitesl Convul-
| sive rages Such was the life of poor
Jean Macrin when he knew that the first
edition of the Arbre des Batailles was in
the hands of the internal Hovius.
That Honore Bonet, he said to him
self sometimes, sshas composed, beside
| the Arbre, book called the Songe du
Prieur de Salon OF, the Apparition de
Jehan de Meun and that book too must
have first edition, an editia princeps,
which is to be found but what is it COM
pared with the treasure which has fallen
into the hands of that idiot Hovius Mol.
no! After the Arbre des Batailles, there
are no longer any books! All! how shall
/ ever get possession Of that precious
pearl r.
He sought and sought, but in vain; it
was an impossible problem which neither
patience nor genius could solve. Would
HoviNs ever part with the object winch
ne considered to be rarer than white
GROW It would be foolish to think so.
Bus Hhat was n. be done
There wae.i is true, o very simple
kW6F Of getpng the book, and that was to
take IL By f0rs1. That thought, too, had
crossed Macrin's mind.
TX.
Matters were at this stage when Hovius
died Macrin had already remarked that
be had i bio neck. One night an attack
ol.apoplexy carried of the indefatigable
When Maori hears. the news hes
started and thought fm1ne ediately of the
Arbre des Batailles The ksc-v vs-s
seemed to open to- him, for certainly
Hovius' widow would have her late hus-
bands library sold, and then even il he
had to sacrifice part of his property he
would become the possessor of Honore
Bonet's book.
The widow Hovius did indeed have a
sale, and the books of the late Hovius,
catalogued by himself, were brought to
the hammer in the Sale Sylyestre in the
rue des Bons Enfants. The sale lasted
six successive evenings. But the unfor-
tunate Macrin did not appear amongst
the buyers. As soon as the catalogue
was published he saw that the editio
princeps of the Arbre des Batailles did
not figure in the sale, and immediately
he went to the widow Hovius to ask the
cause.
1T is because my husband made me
swear never to part with that book, re-
piled the old lady.
Macrin grew thin and yellow. From
From night to night he became more and
more melancholy. Sometimes he would
walk up and down under the windows Of
the widow Hovius, and look at them with
an expression which made many think
that he was lover spying the abode Of
his mistress.
One day the widow Hovius told him
that there was way to settle the matter.
Macrin became almost wild with Joy.
He pressed her to explain herself; but
she refused, and he left as usual, with q
sore heart and his eyes full of tears.
His only consolation was to rhyme alex
andrines in honor of the editio princeps.
ssAfter all, Dame Hovius, you must ex-
plain to me that means of which you
spoke"
.You insist upon it ?" said the old
lady. "Well, that means is to marry
me? ?"
'sMarry you! your" ).
"Mel I have sworn that the book
should never belong to any but my hus
band Now, if you become my hus-
band-''
MARRY you?"
sOnce more, yes. You refuse?
ssI? Ohr' cried Macrin, II accept, I
shall be delighted.-Is that all All !!
why did you not say SO sooner Marry
you?-Let us get married at once, Mother
Hovius let us get married at once.
And with these words he began to
dance and smother widow Hovius with
his kisses, until the good lady's face be-
came the color of winelees.
XII.
On the 18th of June of the year 49,
Mr.. Jean Macrin married. in the presence
of the Mayor and the cure, the widow
Marguerite Hoyins,
All day long he was pale, agitated
restless and impatient, for he was anx-
iously waiting for the hour of midnight,
4 It was at that hour in default of other
things, that his wife was at last to grant
him possession of the edito princeps. the
sole ambition Of this strange husband
Macrin kept looking at the clock,
| which advanced too slowly for his wishes.