Connecticut western news., 1886-12-01


 them. Promise me, Herbelot, promise to bring me just one.'
 ''What could or any other man do under the circumstances. I loved my wife and she was ill, and the request was not SO unreasonable after all. So I promised and hurried from the room, the last thing I saw as l closed the door being my wife's great blue eyes, brilliant with eagerness, fixed upon my face.
 ''It was grand ball indeed, flowers everywhere, magnificent toilets and a splendid orchestra. Everybody was there, among them the Perfect and President of the Tribunal and the off cers of the garrison-in short, all the top of the basket. Nothing had been spared that would give eclat to the fete over which the wife and the daughter of the director, my chief, so gracefully pre- sided"
 Supper was served at midnight, the dancers passing from the ballroom di- rectly into the sa'le-a-manger, and gorgeous supper it was."
 ''I had scarcely entered the room when saw in most conspicuous posi- tion in the centre of the table, the cele- brated peaches from Chevlet's. Ar ranged in basket of the rarest china and delicately interspersed with vine leaves, they proudly dispensed their appetizing odors, the r:ch crimson and white of the velvet skins betraying at once the lusciousness of the favor."
 'sFrom the end of the table where the servants had placed me looked upon the dish with gaze as eager as my w fe's, picturing to myself the pleasure I should give her, if by lucky chance l could carry home specimen of the ex quisite fruit. Gradually. as I caressed them with my eyes, the desire to possess them assumed more determined form. decided that I would have not only one, but two of those beautiful peaches. But howl That was the question that puzzled me. The servants in attendance kept the strictest watch upon the basket, for M Taboraud, the director, had re- served to himself the pleasure of offering to privileged few this product of Cheviet's industry.
 ''From time to time, at sign from him, the head waiter would take Q peach, daintily cut it in two, and pre- sent the halves to the persons desig- mated. Igreedily watched the economi- cal arrangement, and tremblingly saw the pyramid grow smaller and smaller. However, when the feast was over and the guests recalled to the dancing hall by a prelude from the orchestra, the in structions had been so discreetly carried out that there still remained half dozen or so of the wonderful fruit lying embedded in their nest of leaves.
 'I went with the crowd, of course, but it was a false sortie, for I had pur- posely left my hat behind me-a tall stove pipe, which had occasioned me a world of trouble all through the evening. Under the pretext of regaining it could return to the salle, and perhaps, for I was we'll known to the domestics of the house, obtain peach. When I re-en- tered the room the walters were engaged in carrying to the pantry the remnants of the spread. At certain moment I found myself entirely alone and near the buffet, upon which had been placed the dish of fruit. There was not second to lose. approached the basket, and, quick as lightning, rolled two of the peaches into the crown of my hat, ad- roitly covering them with my hand. Carefully holding the hat against my breast I returned to the ballroom, m intention being to cross it quietly and slip away, like the English, and when once outside to run every step of the way home.
 It was not as easy to do this as had anticipated, for they were beginning the cotillon, and all around the grand salon there was double row of black coats and wall-fowers, surrounding third row formed by the chairs of the dancers and in the middle of this third ring a l great empty space in which the couples of the cotiilon would waltz. Cautiously in- sinuating myself between the groups | glided around the chairs with the noise. less flexibility of the serpent dreading al every step that some unwary elbow would strike the hat and dislodge the spells. could distinctly feel the toss ing about of the peaches as walked along.
 '.At last, after a deal of trouble an6 innumerable scares, 1 entered the space just opposite the door of entrance a! they were forming the ''coquet figure. A lady was ill the centre of the ring the gentlemen clustering in a circle around her. As you know, when tn cavalier presents himself with whom sh wishes to waltz, she places a hat whicl she holds in her hand upon his head ant away they go.
 sThe lady in the centre of the room was Mile. Tabaraud, the daughter of m chief. I had scarcely taken ste across the floor when she saw me ant came running toward me.
 "'You are just in the nick of time NJ. Herbelot,' said she; quick give u your hat And before 1 could escape. o
 stammer protest the hat was whiske' ] f-o,,, ,,,,r hand and those in fern al first a