The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1881-04-13

The soldier looked up and tried to
make out who was speaking to him.
You are Jean Chevaucheux, are YOU
not ?" asked my father.
"No," said the soldier, "I am Pierre
Puvioux."
And as if that name of Chevaucheux
had been the prick of a spur he resumed
his walk more rapidly, and was soon
lost in the obscurity. When my father
could no longer see him he could hear
the noise of his shoes on the road lead
ing to Mezieres.
"AhW said my father to himself,
"Chevaucheux most be sharp if he
means to catch up that man." And he
went straight to the room where Jean
had slept. He was already up and look
ing at his feet by the light of candle.
Victory p he cried when he saw nv
father; Il feel free and strong and 1
suffer no more. En- route p
And quickly" replied my father.
6 Puvioux has just passed through Re-
thel."
"PielTe Puvioux ?"
81 have just spoken to him. He
passed under our window, going along as
"Ah, mon Dieu p exclaimed Chevau-
cheux as if he had been struck down.
He repeated once more: "Ah, mon
Dieu !" Then he buckled on his KNAPP
sack and cried: "After all, what you
have told me gives me courage. Let me
be off"
In the room below my mother, already
up, was filling wallet with provisions
for Chevaucheux. But he refused He
was not hungry. Putting ON q pair of
my fathers shoes he started, blessing
my mother and leaning on my fathers
arm to take the first step.
Three or four years after this we had
heard no news of Chevaucheux. We
used often to talk of that evening when
the soldier had come into our house
bleeding and weary. What had become
OF him What had been the end of that
romance of love so strangely begun?
One day my father had to go to
AIezieres on business. He took me with
him. At Mezieres he wished to enter the
first BARRIERS shop that he saw to get
shaved. On the doorstep little child
was sitting with its legs apart and smil-
ing at the sun.
"Will you allow me to pass ?" asked
my father, laughing.
"No, l won't" replied the child with
little lisp.
AT that moment the door opened and
q man IN his shirt sleeves sappeared-the
father-and took the child up in his
arms, saying:
"Pierre ! Pierre do you want to drive
away the customers? 2"
recognized the voice and so did my
father. We looked at the barber. The
barber looked at us, 1t was Jean Che
vaucheux.
He laid the child down at once and held
out his hand. His face was all red and
beaming with pleasure.
"What, is it you? All and to think
that l have never written to you All!
you don't know. 1t is I who married
her; arrived first"
And rushing into the back shop: ''Mar-
guerite Marguerite! he cried. "Come,
come
He was wild with Joy. A young
woman appeared, blonde, pretty, blue
eyed, with penslve and gentle air,
little sad,
''You do not knowY said Chevau-
cheux to her. "It was this gentleman
who took care of me so we'll at Rethel
the night before arrived at your
fathers house. / have often
and often talked to you about him;
= this is the gentleman"
Marguerite fixed her large, calm eyes
upon us, saluted us and thanked us
softly; then, as her husband continued
to evoke the past, she looked at him
tenderly, with look that supplicated
and was not without reproach. But
Jean saw nothing.
"Ah, it is to you that L owe all my
happiness, monsieur! My child, my
little boy, look at him, my little Pierre
1t was my wife who wished that he
should have that name Isn't he fine
boy, and strongly built? And my shop
is going on first-rate. My wife, adore
her And all this owe to you - x = y
" And the otherY asked l. impru-
IDENTIFY.
"The other ?" said Cheyaucheux.
He curled his lower lip, did not see
that Marguerite turned her head away,
and answered.:
Pierre Puvioux? Poor fellow. He
arrived second, x and that very
evening--it made me cry, can tell you
that very evening he threw
himself into the river"