News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-05-15
a Lovers Dilemma.
HOW he TOOK THR BREAD OUT OF THE
MOUTHS oF BAKERS CUSTOMERS.

HOW he TOOK THR BREAD OUT OF THE
MoUfHS oF a BAKERS CUSTOMERS.
1faiisi ated from the French for the Phila Call.
ouparlin-en-B Bigarrau was by all odds
die most wearisome town in the whole
department of the Garonne- Inferieure.
Among its s, 500 inhabitants it con-
tanned only eight pretty girls, a fact
that disgusted all the young men living
within its limits.
One Of these eight pretty girls was
Berthe, daughter of NJ. Agenor Malen-
frond, one of the two rival bakers of the
town. Berthe was sweet Is. and would
have had plenty of adorers had not her
father pitilessly driven away all the
young men who had ever ventured to
pay her even the slightest attention. NJ.
Malenfrond had amassed considerable
money, and did not wish his daughter
= to become the wife of a gallant without
a sou.
Stanislas Coquelard, the town notary's
youthful clerk, was gifted with senti-
Dental soul. He had just reached that
age when the heart opens to love as the
corolla of flower TO the kisses of the
breeze. Stanislas thought that Pou-
parlin should furnish him with other
happiness than contemplating the broad
meadows during the day and listening to
the song of the nightingales during the
night.
1t was toward the close of April, and,
while he conscientiously copied the no
tary's documents, the young clerk
thought of the charming Berthe, and
wondered what he could do to get into
the good graces of her hard-hearted
father, who, by the way, was a widower
Stanislas had read in the young girls
eyes that she was dissatisfied with her
Dot, and firmly believed that she would
not be averse to accepting his heart and
hand if ever he got an opportunity to
offer them to her.
Stanislas. Coquelard was twenty, and
had abundant faith an the belief that his
time would come.
The netary's, house was situated oppo-
site the bakery, and occasionally the
clerk had exchanged through the win
dows more than one furtive glance with
Ehe pretty Berthe.
1-sct5 naoIpssis on -tls way 40 80 no.
tary's, he. stopped at the bakery and
bought sou loaf of Berthe, as he paid |
for it, he rolled his eyes after the fashion
of young man who is desperately |
smitten and intends that the object of
his alteration shall know it.
On her side, the bakers daughter was
far from regarding Stanislas in a way to
him.
Such state of things could not last
very long without producing the usual
result.
The baker made his bread during the
day, then went to bed and did not rise
until it was time to begin baking, to-
ward half-past ten at night.
One evening the clerk, taking advan-
tage of the moment when NJ. Malen-
frond was still slumbering while await
ing the hour at which his nocturnal toll
was to commence, fell at Berthe's feet
and began speech, to which he added
the most expressive pantomime. He
ended by asking her to marry him.
Berthe, unused to such masculine eIo-
quence, was melted, and in low voice
consented to unite her destiny to his.
Stanislas, greatly affected, kissed Ber-
the several times so enthusiastically that
he awakened NJ Malenfrond, who slept
in a chamber over the back shop.
The baker listened. and thought he
recognized the hand of his apprentice,
who had been sick for a week. Over
ioyed. he leaped out of bed, crying;
"Wait little, my boy, and I'll help
you knead the bread I'm coming
down -
The lovers stared at each other in con-
sternation. At that instant the stairs
creaked beneath the bakers heavy tread.
How was Stanislas to escape? The
stairway was between the shop and the
room in which were the two turtle
doves
There was not second to be lost,
Berthe, who had a good head, extin-
guished the lamp and whispered to the
terrified Stanislas:
''Hide yourself quickly in that chest
over there and don't be afraid. I'll take
care of everything !'
Coquelard followed her recommenda-
ton and felt his way along the wall ia,
the direction Berthe had indicated with
a rapid gesture. In the darkness he
missed the chest but encountered the
dough trough; he felt lid beneath his
fingers, lifted it, and, as nimbly as |
squirrel in danger, Ieaped into the box.
He came down amid the dough with a |
thud, but he had the presence of mind to |
draw the lid over him.
At that moment the baker entered the |
apartment.
'Sacrebieu l'' growled he, "there is no
light here ~
Berthe instantly replied:
"Its the fault of this wretched lamp. / |
tried to turn up the wick, but it went
ont. That lazy Nicole must have for
gotten to pnt oil in it r.
A two minutes search ensued; then
came the scratching of matches, and the
lamp was lighted again.
"What % exclaimed NJ. MaIenfrond. |
care you alone? Why, l thought heard
some one a kneading a little while ago p
''You had the nightmare, father r'
answered the daughter, soothingly. |
''Why, who on earth could be here |
Gervais, our apprentices, is still sick and !
won't be out of bed for a week to come"
''Then didn't hear right. But now
I'm up I'll go TO work -
And the baker, rubbing his bends to
get them in working trim, went to the
dough trough and raised the lid.
At that moment great elammy hand
arose from the depths of box, hurting
hagments of soft dough in every direc-