Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-21
4 BOURGEOIS ROMANCE.

a
Handsome Nine. Bayard, in her black
dress and plainly braided hair, was sit
ting at her desk at the back Of the shop,
writing quietly in an immense brass
bound ledger, when her husband came
home. after having dene his commissions
for the morning. He stopped on the
threshold to grumble at his workmen for
taking so long to unload a wagon from
the Northern Railway, that was drawn
up by the pavement, filed with dozen
barrels o. glucose for the great chemist Of
DIE I.ue Eielle du Temple.
II have bad news for YOU" said Nine.
Bayard, wiping her pen in little pot OF
steal shaYiugs, as her husband came into
the glass cage. Poor VOisin is dead"
Icons nurse! All, poor woman! And
her little girl"'
THAT is tie saddest part Of it, my
dear. One Of poor FOisin's relatives
writes TO me that they are too poor TO
burden themselves with the child, and
that they will be obliged TO send her to
the asylum. Oh, those peasants!"
The druggist stood silent for moment,
pulling his thick brown beard; then, sud-
denly looking at his wife with kindly
eyes he said:
s'You know, Mimi, she is Icons foster
sister. If we were to take her"
THAT is what / thought" his hand
some wife answered, simply.
That is right!'' cried big Bayard,
STOPPING over his wife and kissing her on
the forehead, without troubling himself
about what his WOrkmen and shOpbOys
might think Of it. THAT is right! You
are a good woman, Mimi; we Will fetch
little NOrine home here, and she shall be
brought up with Leon. That won't ruin
US. And have just done a grand stroke
of business. We Will 60 to Argenteul
on sunday and fetch the child; it viii be
nice little excursion for US"
They were worthy people, the Bayards,
and an honor to the drug trade. Their
marriage had Joined two houses that mad
lonz been rivals; for Bayard was the
SON Of the ''SIlver Pestle," which had
aeen founded by his great grandfather, in
1856. in the Rue Nielle du Temple, and
he had married the heiress Of the "Offer-
ing % Esculapius" Of the Rue de Lom-
bards. an establishment which dated
back 10 the First Empire, as was duly set
forth by its sign-bOard, copied from
Guern's celebrated picture. Worthy
people! very worthy people! And there
were many more like them still in the old
Partisan commerce, whatever people
may say, keeping up the old traditions,
giving back the pain benit to the parish
church, going to the upper boxes at the
Opera COmique on Sundays, and innocent
OF the secret Of false weights. 1t was the
cure Of Blanc-ManteauX who had made
the match-he and his brother of Saint
Merri. The cure of Blanc-Manteaux had
administered extreme JUNCTION to Bayard,
the father, on his death bed, and it had
frightened him 10 see young man of %
weighed down BY the whole responsibility
OF such an important house as the ''Sil-
yer Pestle," a house famous for its ipe-
cacUanhas; and his cOnfrere Of Saint
Merri had been very anXiOns to establish
ATnrNg soil u 10 hslI
frmed. and whose father, old SimOnin of
the "Odering to Esculapius," famous for
its camphOrs, was one of his most solid
Pensioners. Their joint negotiations
Succeeded; the camphOr and the ipe-
cacuanha-tWO excellent specialities-
were united in the holy bonds of matri-
mOny; there was dinner and ball at
VefOur's; and for the last ten years Nine.
Bayard had worked quietly every day,
winter and summer, IN her glass cage
and with her pale brunette skin and her
simply-braided hair, was the ideal of all
the young shOpmen in the Sainte-CrOiX de
Ia BretOnnerIe quarter.
For a long time there had been a trouble
in this happy home, a cloud in the pure
sky-the Bayards had no heir; and il was
not till five years after their marriage
that little Leon made his appearance.
You may imagine how jOyfully he was
welcomed. Now they would be able to
L
these magic words: ''Bayard Il Son.
Only as the child arrived Just at the
understanding season, when Nine.
B3yard's presence in the shop was indis-
pensable, she could not think Of nursing
him herself She was obliged, too. to
give up the idea of taking nurse for him
at home. on account Of the unhealthy
atmosphere of this corner Of cid Paris,
and she was obliged to content herself
with a Journey to Argenteuu every Sun
day with her husband. TO see her son at
his nurses, Mother NOisiu, VINO was
overwhelmed, as one may suppose, with
coffee. sugar and other delicacies. At the
end Of eighteen months Mother VOisin
brought back the baby in splendid con-
ditiOn, and now, for the last two years, a
nursery maid, carefully chosen, had
taken the child out for an airing every
day, in the Square of the Tour St. JAG
Ques. and displayed the fine rosy cheeks
and dimples Of the future druggist to her
companions. SO that the good Bayards,
when they heard Of the death of Mother
VOisin could not bear to think of the little
girl who had been fed with the same milk
as their son being abandoned to public
charity, and they went to Argenteul to
fetch her.
Poor little Norine! For the fortnight
since her mother was laid in the grave
she had been taken in by a cousin, who
kept an inn and billiard-rOOm, and, al
though not years old, she was already
set TO wash the tumblers. u. and Nine.
Bayard thought her charming, with her
great eyes the color Of the summer sky,
and her luxuTiant fair hair that fell loose
from her ugly. black mourning can.
Leon, who had been brought down, too,
with his nurse, kissed his fOster-Sister;
and the cousin, who had boxed the orphans
ears that very morning for neglecting to
sweep out the hall, was as affected as il
losing Norine broke his heart. However,
he was cOmforted when his Partisan visi-
tors ordered a copious breakfast.
1t was a beautiful sunday in June.
They were in the country, aud they must
profit by the fresh air-sO Monsieur Bay
ard declared. And while handsome Nine.
Bavard pinned her petticOats around her
and went with the children and nurse to
gather wild flowers in a neighbOTing
field. the druggist, who was not proud.
offered the inu-keeper cousin a glass OF
vermOuth. and sat down with him bY the
MlIarj-table. which was covered with
dead lilies. They had luncheon in hot
and shadeless aTbOr. through which the
midday sun darted his merciless ravs.
But what of that-they had taken their
ease. and they were comfortable all the
same. Nine. Bayard bad tied her bonnet
to the trellis work, and her husband, in a
bOatmaC's straw hat that the inn-6eeper
had lent him. carved the duck. merrily.
Little Leon and NOTine, who had made
friends directly, emptied the salad bowl
OF cream cheese, and gamboled about in
the grass. After luncheon they went out
in a boat. and. intoxicated with the fresh
air and the country, the busy family who
lived in a street in Paris that was damn
even in the dog days, were determined 10
enjoy their rustic idyl TO the full.
Yes. there was q momeDt-as they
were coming back in the boat before a
delicious sunset, with little pink clouds
on a green ETOuud-Wlen Nine. Bayard.
grave Nine Bayard, who petrifed the
shOp-bOys with look, began 10 sing
well known air, Toward the Shores OF
France" keeping time with the splash OF
the oars, with which her husband was
rowing in his shirt sleeves. They dfned
in the same arbOr they had lunched in;
but this second meal was sadder: the
night moths which came and buried them
selves in the candles frightened the chill
dren. and Nine. BaYard, overcome with
fatigue, had hardly strength to guess the
simple riddles on her deseTt-plate.
No matter They had good day, and
when they came back, in a first-class car.
they felt they had done the thing
thoroughly. Nine. BayaTd, with her
head 1naufuur IN hgr hueIaD Gsc chor1Idor