The Dickinson press., 1884-09-13
A BOURGEOIS ROMANCE.

By Francois Coppee.
Handsome Madame Bayard, in her
black dress and plainly braided hair,
was sitting at her desk at the back of
the shop, writing quietly in an immense
brass-bounG ledger, when her husband
came home, after having done his COM
missions for the morning. He stoppedon
the threshold to grumble at his workmen
for taking SO long q time to unload a
wagon from the Northern Railway, that
was drawn up by the pavement, filled
with a dozen barrels of glucose for the
great chemist of the Rue Vieille du Tenn
pie.
II have bad news for you," said Mad
anne Bayard, wiping her pen in a little
pot of steel shavings, as her husband
came into the glass cage. "Poor Voisin
is dead"
"Leon's nurse! All, poor woman!
And her little girl"
"That is the saddest part of it, my
dear. One of poor Voisin'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 mo-
ment, pulling his thick blonde beard
then, suddenly looking at his wife with
kindly eyes, he said:
"You know, Mimi, she is Icons fos-
ter.sister. If we were to take herr
"That is what 1 thought" his hand
some wife answered, simply.
"That it right" cried big Bayard,
STOPPING over his wife and kissing her
on the forehead, without troubling him
self about what his workmen and shop
boys might think of it. "That is right!
You are q good woman, Mimi; we will
fetch little Norine home here, and she
shall be brought up with Leon. That
won't ruin us. AndI have just done q
grand stroke of business. We will GO
to Argenteuil Sunday and fetch the
child; it will be o nice little excursion
for U.S."
They were worthy people, the Bay
ards, and an honor to the drug trade.
Their marriage had joined two houses
that had long lived rivals: for Bayard
was the "son" of the "Silver Pestle, ~
which had been founded by his great.
grandfather, 1856, in the Rue Vieille
du Temple, and he had married the
heiress of the "Offering to Esculapius, y
of the Rue DIES Lombards, an establish
ment which dated back to the first En-.
pire, as was duly set forth by it's sign
board, copied from Guerin's celebrated
picture. Worthy people! very worthy
> people! And there were many more
like them still in the old Partisan com
merce, whatever people may say, keep
ing 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 anteaux who
had made the match-he and his
brother of Santa Merri. The cure
of Blanc anteaux had administered
extreme JUNCTION to Bayard tile ia.
Their on his death bed, and il
had frightened him to see o young
man of twenty-five weighed down by
the whole responsibility of such an i'm.
portant house as the "Silver Pestle,"
house famous for it's ipecacuanhas: anc
his confrere of Saint-Merri had beer
very anxious to establish Mademoisell.
Simonin, whom he had confirmed, an6
whose father, old Simonin of the "Of
ing to Esculapius," famous for its cam
phors, was one of his most solid parish
toner's. Their joint negotiations sue
ceeded; the camphor and the ipecacu
anha-two excellent specialties-wer'
united in the holy bonds Of matrimony
there was a dinner and aball at Vefour's
and for the last ten years Madame Bay
ard had worked quietly every day, win
Ter and summer. in her glass cage; and
with her pale brunette skin a dher sim
ply braided hair, was the ideal of al
the young shopmen in tho Sainte- Croi.
de Ia B%retonnerie quarter.
For q long time there had been
trouble IN this happy home, a cloui
in the pure sky; the Bavard's had NJ
heir; and it was not till five years afte,
their marriage that little Leon mad,
his appearance. You may imagine how
joyfully he.was welcomed. Now the,
would be able to write some day, unde,
the ''Silver Pestle," these magic word:
"Bayard g. Son." Only as the chill,
arrived just at the isinglass-meltins
season, when Madame Bayard's pres
nee in the shop was indispensable, sh'
could not think OF nursing him herself
She, was obliged, too, to give up tin
idea OF taking a nurse for him at home
on account of the unhealthy atmospher,
of this corner of old Paris, and she wa
obliged to content herself with q jour
ney to Argenteuil every Sunday, witt
her husband, 20 see her son athis nurses
Mother Voison, who was overwhelmed
as n may suppose, with coffee, sugar
and other delicacies. At the en-,
of eighteen months Mother Voiso.
brought back the baby in splendi,
condition, ann now, for the las
two years, a nursery-maid, car
fully chosen, had taken the chill
out for an airing every day in til
Square of the Tour Saint. jacques, an
displayed the fine rosy cheeks and dim
pies of the future druggist to Eer com
panions. So that the good Bayards
when they heard of the.death of Mothe
Voisin, could not bear to think of til
little girl who had been fed with tn
same milk as their son being abandone
to public charity, and they went t
Argenteuil to fetch her.
Poor little Norine! For the for
ninbt since her mother vas laid in I'll