Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-03-18

table q hote, and beg you to be my guest
there"
The Professor would not listen TO il. "we
eat together in order TO be together" said he
mot for the sake Of showing each other a
courtesy. When see strangers about me
can not talk with you at ease besides, l
must confess that my stomach can no longer
bear hotel cooking. So do me the favor Of
revoking your invitation. You owe me no
formal courtesy, and don't care to accept
one from you. Eat with me tomorrow, and
the next day, and every day. You could give
me no greater pleasure, for am all alone"
The Colonel, who was no sponge, was long
in being persuaded. Then he decided to eat
the next day with Tisson.
Two weeks passed. During this time the
Colonel and the Professor had seen each other
for several hours each day, and the old bach
elor had eaten with the widower something
like dozen times. Then, one evening, when
the coffee had been brought on after dinner
and old Pascal had left the room and Ooste
had lit his short-pipe, he coughed, and after
a short Introductory oath, made the following
lengthy remarks, which be had been prepar-
ing for week:
That is all fine and good, Isidor, but IT can
no. last for ever"
"WhatY"
II live better just now than ever have be.
fore but the board doesn't suit me, after
ALL"
"whyr"
"When was lieutenant, my dinner cost
me sixty francs q month as captain, paid
eighty. Since | was promoted to major
and that is long row Of years-I have laid
aside from my pay, for eating and drinking,
from one hundred and twenty to one hundred
and fifty francs a month. l must retain these
old customs IL l want to keep contented. And,
| II you can find no means for me TO spend
| m in I phan hos a.
| give up eating with you"
''You are not in your right mind"
| Now, have been thinking how hard that
would be for me, and fatter myself that you
would also miss me, IL l should suddenly dis
| appear from your table"
"On that you can swear your biggest
oath"
"And therefore want to make you rea-
sonable proposition"
long pause A new and stronger ft Of
coughing from the Colonel.
well, proceed, said the Professor, quiet
ly. II zee what you mean to say. Allow
me to tell you, Casimir, that that is really
childish"
'very well, Isidor; but childish or not,
shall insist upon 1t. And il you think as
much Of me as l Of you-if you are not afraid
to make me- in q measure, a member Of your
family-so-so beg you to agree to my prop
osition."
The Professor resisted for a long while
He advanced the most telling arguments to
persuade the Colonel 10 remain simply his |
guest but he would not be converted and |
at last the Professor gave way
lyon were always All obstinate boy, and |
the best tempered Of US two" said he $50 |
your will be done after tomorrow you pay
your board"
But the discussion was not ended with this |
Coste wanted TO pay too much-Tisson de |
manded too little. At last they agreed to |
leave II to the arbitration of Pascal, who had |
been in the house thirty years, and was re- |
garded by the Professor as q member of the |
family.
The old servant, who kept the entire house
hold III model order, was what is called in |
France Une mattress. femme, who could give |
a clear, sensible answer to every question ad |
dressed to her. After a brief talk with her
II was ascertained that NJ. risson would suf. |
fer no loss and make no profit il the Colonel
paid him one hundred and twenty francs for
his share at the table. This price was at last
agreed upon by both parties, and thus was
ended the long and lively discussion. From
that day there began for the lonely old men
new, glad life, that made them youthful once
more, caused them TO forget the burden of
age, life that naught should trouble for years.
The Professor had only little the Colonel
nothing at all to do. Every day the two we're
together for hours. Then they went together
upon the Peron and the EsplAnade, the prin-
cipal promenades Of Montpelier, or sat in the
Professors library and in the Coloners arbor,
or played an almost endless round of the
pleasant game called "le mail" so popular in
southern France. They passed the evening
in their club, where they met their regular
partners in whist, and where both were glad
ly welcomed and highly respected guests.
They became accustomed to each other like
old people from whom life recedes more and
more, who are loved by few and who love few,
who arc able to interest themselves in only a
little circle, and who only care for each other.
They soon came TO be indispensable to each
other. Tsson was uneasy il Ooste came five
minutes late TO meal and every morning
the Colonel had long and confidential inter-
view with Pascal, in order to learn whether
''the master" had slept well, whether he had
not coughed and whether his morning coffee
had agreed with him. He was regular at
tendant at his friends university lectures
his venerable head, his attentive, earnest face,
were soon familiar to the whole university
and the young students took liking to him
and deferentially made room for him when he
appeared in the lecture room. After the lec-
tuTe the Colonel had talk with the Professor
about what he had heard, and sought enlight-
ment on certain difficult points, the Professor
answering with pleased pride From time TO
/
tation "Aled jGcsd est" ''dulce est pro
pdtrid mOri" ''errdFe huMdnuBa est" sin
UiR0 UeritGs," and the like, in order to show
that he too had learned something and then
the learned Professor smiled kindly and with
some embarrassment and quickly changed the
subject. But when the old soldier spoke of
his campaigns, then he might talk for hours
without interruption from the Professor ex-
cept by encouraging questions. The friend
ship of the two old gentlemen became pro-
verbal the only persons who found no
pleasure in this touching relation were the
two pious daughters of the Professor, who
complained with bitter-sweet mien that mon
sieur, the Colonel Coste, used blasphemous
words in their presence and infected the whole
house with his pipe. "But our father likes
anything that the Colonel says and does"
they added. LET us hope that he may not
regret II"
The first remark was not entirely correct.
The Professor was far from approving the
opinions and conduct Of his friend in all re-
spects. Tisson was a firm Catholic and, |
like most members of good society in south
ern France, a jealous Legitimist. Coste, on
the other hand very seldom went to church,
possessed an inexhaustible treasure of light
stories in which monks. nuns, and priests,
were not always treated with the respect
which Tisson claimed for them and In his
political sentiments was Liberal with ten
dency toward republicanism. Tisson joking
ly called Coste "ChArras," and Coste answer
ed with "Polignac." Their discussions,
which were not unfrequent, and often very
animated, usually ended by one of the dis
putants recollecting that game of "mail" or
whist was waiting for them. Then the ex-
cited countenance Of the other straightway
became tranquil each seized hat and stick,
and they went their way toward the club or
Oours du Mail, contentedly chatting, as if
their mutual harmony had not been disturbed
for a moment
The fearful year of 1s7O-'71, "l'annee ter
rible, brought all superficial disputes be-
tween the Professor and the Colonel 10 an
and Roth Wara oood warm haapkad ,,afr;