The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-03-21
A NEW pAR1sIAN PROFESSION
[Galignani,s Messenger.l

me no excuse for saying so much as 'for the time of the year it is unusually warm" At length the porter called out "Ser- quinyl Ten minutes wait; passengers for Havre and Rouen change here" The lady seemed to become anxious. Monsieur" she said suddenly, ad- dressing me, "are we far from Lisieux P "About ten leagues think, Madame" answered her with my most agreeable smile.
 "Do you know, Monsieur, whether le Val Richer can be seen from the train ?" Monsieur Guiz ots property |"
 "Yes, Monsieur"
 don't think so, Madame"
 "No? On, l am so sorry r
 "You would have liked to see the house of that illustrious man p
 (" 1 would give anything in the world to have a look at it."
 "You knew him, perhaps T'
 "No; l never saw him in my lite." "You must allow me to express some surprise, then, at an admiration more natural in historian or politician than in lady"
 But don't admire him at all."
 "Ohp
 "On the contrary, it is my opinion that Monsieur Guizot did a great deal of harm"
 "lndeed, Madame ?"
 "Well, yes; but for him the revolution of l848 would never have taken place, and Louis Philippe, or his grandson at least, would still be on the throne, and we should all be quiet"
 May be indiscTeet enough in such a case to ask why, having no sympathy with the illustrious deceased, you should feel such regret at not being able to see his house2"
 "Most certainly will tell you why," and she added with an air of bewitching frankness-"it is because Monsieur Guizots was such an excellent death"
 From simple surprise became mysti- fed. My companion noted this, and smiling, went on
 Yes, Monsieur, a very excellent death it brought us thousand francs" "Oh, but that was very kind of him." replied.
 felt was getting idiotic.
 :" A thousand francs and perhaps more yet. My husband was so pleased"
 "Oh, your husband vas"
 Delighted"
 "And very naturally"
 l" should think so for very long time we had not had such a good death"
 "Ol!"
 "Yes-for some deaths that promise very we'll indeed, turn out to be nothing at all"
 Really, really"
 assure you it happens ust as tell you; either they die suddenly, and then there is no time to prepare them !; or they are six months about it, and then they are so very much prepared that there is no longer any interest in them"
 l looked at my fellow-traveller her face was calm, her eyes limpid, her golden hair shining in the suns rays. She was charming. Nothing in her be- trayed madness; 1 drew back mortified, asking myself what could be the ghastly business of this household which earned thousand francs by preparing the se- lected dead. A sudden inspiration flashed through my brain.
 "Your husband must be an embalm- CT" exclaimed.
 The lady was in fits of laughter. l felt much embarrassed.
 @My husband, assure you, is not at all what you think, Monsieur"
 "Oh, but there is nothing objection able in the business"
 Certainly not, and to tell the truth, my husbands business, in another way, is not so very unlike Dr. Gannals.
 In another way2'
 "Yes 1; my husband is a necrologist." don't understand"
 "A necrologist-a moral embalmer." am more puzzled than ever."
 Mon Dieul but it is very simple. You must have remarked that whenever a man of note dies all the newspapers publish on the day of his death a long article about him. The next day another and perhaps third. The first deals with generalities his birth, his youth, his family, his debut In life, whether in poll tics, science, literature, or art the share he took in this or that affair ; how he be. came celebrated his last illness, and his death.
 "The next day the anecdotal article appears the manias of the man-his oddities, sayings. and everything of that kind.
 In the third, with an account of the funeral, comes in higher style panegy- ric or the reverse. One speaks of the in. fiuence he has had in his day, and the article finishes with a few details of his lite only known before to his most inti- mate friends.
 We'll, has 1t never struck you how rapidly these articles must have been worked up and thrown of?
 SThese articles which strike you as re-sec. specimens os French facility, are impromptus worked up at leisure, like those ot Mascarille; they are prepared months-years beforehand"
 May venture to ask if this interest ing profession was your husbands dis eovey?"
 "Well, not quite the real inventor was Jules Lecomte, the chronicler. When Rachel, with weak lung, was sent by the doctors to Cannes, Lecomte thought she would not return, and he prepared \