The Penn's Grove record., 1884-01-05
SIESTA.

In an elegant bachelors apartment
in the Rue Castiglione sat a merry party
at dessert.
Senior Jose Francisco de Silvis was a
short, coal black Portuguese, of the sort
that come from Brazil with INCREDIBLE
wealth, live an incredible life in Paris,
and are particularly distinguished for
their most incredible acquaintance.
In the little party there IA scarcely
one who knew his neighbor. With
their host they had all picked up ae-
guaintance either at a ball, or at a
table-d'hote, or simply upon the street.
Senior de Silvis laughed and talked
loudly wherever he went, as rich
foreigners often do; and as he could not
reach up to the level of the Jockey
Club, he contented himself with what
he could find in the way of acquaint-
anses at once asked for their address,
and the next day Sent an invitation to a
little dinner.
He spoke all languages-even Ger
nan and it was plain that he was not
a little proud when he called across the
table "Mein lieber Herr Doctor, vie
gents linen ?n
There was indeed a real German doc
tor among them, his face buried in a
light red beard, and wearing that
Sedan smile which characterizes all
Teutons in Paris.
The temperature of the conversation
rose with the champagne; fluent French
and broken-backed French a~lternated
with Spanish and Portuguese. The
ladies lay back in their chairs and
laughed already they all knew each
other well enough not to feel any con
straint jokes and mots were launched
the table and passed from mouth
to mouth ; der liebe Doctor" alone
disputed seriously with his neighbor, a
French journalist wearing a red ribbon
at his button-hole.
And there was one other who was
not carried away with the general live
liuess. He sat at the right OF Made
moIselle Adele, who had on her left her
new lover, the fat Anatole, who had
eaten too many truffles.
During dinner Mademoiselle Adele
had tried, by many innocent little arti-
fees, to get a little life into her right
hand neighbor. But he remained
quiet, answering herpolitely but shortly
and in a low voice.
At first she took him for a Pole-one
of those dreadfully tiresome people who
go about posing IS martyrs; but she
soon saw that she was wrong, and that
yexed Mademoiselle Adele.
For it was one of her many special
ties to be able to classify at once all the
foreigners she came in contact with,
and she used to assert that she could
guess a mans nationality before he
had spoken ten words to him.
But this taclturn stranger puzzled her
d%readfully. If he had only been fair
She would have set him down at once as
an Englishman, for he talked like one.
But he had black hair, thick black
moustaches, and was of small, delicate
build. His fingers were remarkably
long, and he had a strange habit of
picking at his bread and playing with
his dessert fork.
He's a musician, :" whispered Made
moiselle Adele to her friend.
"Ah ~ answered Monsieur Anatole,
"I'm afraid l have eaten too many
Mademoiselle Adele whispered some
good advice into his ear, at which he
laughed and looked very much in love.
Meanwhile, she could not give up the
interesting stranger. After she had
tempted him to drink several glasses of
champagne, he became livelier and
talked more.
"Ah!" she cried, suddenly, II can
by your accent /; you are an Eng
ishman, after all -
The stranger blushed deeply, and an
swered quickly mo, madame |"
Mademoiselle Adele laughed. 81
beg your pardon" she said, ~ know
Americans are angry when you take
them for Englishnlen."
81 am not an American either, an
swered the stranger.
This was too much for Mademoiselle
Adele. She leaned over her plate, and
looked sulky, for she saw that Made
molselle Louison, who sat opposite, was
rejoicing in her discontinue.
The stranger understood it, too, and
added in a low voice, 81 AN an Irish
man, madame"
"Ahp' said Mademoiselle Adele,
with a grateful smile, for she was easily
appeased.
"Anatole an Irishman, what is
that 7" she whispered.
sit is the name they give the poor
people in England" he whispered, in
reply.
"Oh ! him !" and Mademoiselle
Adele raised her eyebrows, and cast a
shy glance at her right hand neighbor
her interest in him had subsidized sud-
denly.
DE SllViS' dinner was excellent. The
party had been long at table, and when
Monsieur Anatole thought of the oys-
tiers with which the feast had begun,
they appeared to him like a delightful
dream. OF the truflles; on the other
hand, his recollection was only too
clear.
The actual eating was over; only now
and then a hand was stretched out for
a wine glass, a little fruit, or a biscuit.
The blonde and sentimental Made
moiselle LOuison fell into reflections
over a grape, which she had let drop
into her champagne glass. Little clear
DcSdll " IOIul anu Cluig 10
the skin, and when it was quite covered
with the shining white peaSss they
buoyed the heavy grape UP through the
wine to the surface.
''See - said Mademoiselle Louison,
turning her swimming eyes toward the
journalist; ''see how white angels bear
a sinner to heaven |"
"Ah charming, Mademoiselle what
a sublime thought, cried the journal
list, enraptured.
NJ demoiselle Louison's sublime
thought went the round of the table,
and was a much admired. Only the
frivolous Adele whispered to her fat
lover, 1T would take a good many
angels to bear you, Anatole I"
In the meantime the journalist seized
the opportunity to gain the general at
tention. He was glad to escape from a
fatigulng political dispute with the
German doctor; and as he had a red
ribbon, and talked in the lofty news
paper style, every one listened to him.
He enlarged upon the fact that little
forces acting in unison can lift great
burdens, and thence he passed TO the
theme of the day, namely, the great
newspaper subscriptions for the Paris
ION NOR ond tho en- ffaroro bu tho AooIo