Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1884-05-10
A LOVERS DILEMMA.
Translated from the French.

lTOm tuc IIOuCu.
Pouparlin-en-Bigarrau was by all odds
the most wearisome town in the whole
department of the Garonne-Inferieure.
Among its $500 inhabitants it contain
ed only eight pretty girls, fact that
disgusted all the young men living with
in its limits.
One of these eight pretty girls was Ber-
The, daughter of NJ. Agenor Malenfrond,
one of the two rival bakers of the town.
Berthe was sweet 16, and would have had
plenty of adorers had hot her fcther pit
ilessly driven away all the young men
who had ever ventrred to pay her even
the slightest attention. M. Malenfrond
had amassed considerable money, and
did not wish his daughter to become the
wife of gallant without a sou.
Stanislas Coquelard, the town notary's
youthful clerk, was gifted with senti-
mental 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 Poupar-
lin should furnish him with other hap
piness than contemplating the broad
meadows during the day and listenting
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 in the
good graces of her hard-hearted father,
who, by the way, was a widower. STAN
islas had read in tEe young girl's.eyss
that she was dissatisfied with her lot,
ard firmly believed that she would not
be averse to accepting bis heart and
hand if ever he got an opportunity to Of
fer them to her.
Stanislas Coquelard was twenty, and
had abundant faith in the belief that his
time would come.
The notary's house was situated oppo-
site the bakery, and occasionally the clerk
had exchanged through the windows
more than one furtive glance with the
pretty Berthe.
Every morning, on his way to the 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 smit-
ten and intends that the object of his ad-
Grafton shall know it.
On her side, the bakers daughter was
far from regarding Stanislas in 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 toward
half past 10 at night.
One evening the clerk, taking advan.
tage ofthe moment when M. Malenfrond
was still slumbering while awaiting the
hour at which his nocturnal toll was to
fell at Berthe's feet and be-
gan a speech, to which he added the
most expressive pantomime. he ended
by asking her to marry him.
Berthe, unused to such masculine elo-
quence, was melted, and in low voice
to unite her destiny to his.
Stanislas, greatly affected, kissed Ber-
the several times 80 enthusiastically that
he awakened NJ. Malenfrond, who slept
in chamber over the back shop.
The baker listened, and thought he re-
cognized the hand of his apprentice, who
had been sick for week. OveUoyed he
Jumped out of bed, crying:
"Wait little, my boy, and I'll help
you knead the breadl I'm coming
DOWN.
The lovers stared at each other in con.
At that instant the stairs