The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1886-03-17

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enthusiasm, Of noisy hilatilg, Of
animal spirits without speaking
Of the return at midnightohcrowd
ed platforms, with girls whom We
lift into the cars, friends separated,
calling from one end Of train TO
the other, aud fellows playing a
horn upon the roof
And the eevenings Of my aslonish.
ing companion we're not less full Of
adventure than his holidays. Col
lar and elbow wrestling in a tent
under the red light Of torches, be.
tween him, simple amateur, and
Dubois, the iron man in person
rat chases near the mouth Of 4ewers
with dogs as fierce as tigers-san-
culinary encounters at night in The
most dangerous quarters with ruff
fans and npse-eaters-wsrs the
mos! Insignificant episodes Of his
nightly career. Nor do | dare re.
late other adventures Of a more In
timate character, from which, as
the writers Of IN earlier day would
say in noble style, a pen the least
timorOus would recoil with horror.
However painful i! may be to
confess an unworthy sentiment, l
um obliged to say that my admira.
tion for Mourtrier was not unmix.
ed with regret and bitterness, per.
haps with envy. But the recita.
tion Of his most marvelousexploits
had never awakened in me the
least feeling of incredibly, and
Archille MeuLrier easily touk his
place in my mind among heroes
aud demigods, between RolaAd and
pirithnuS
II.
AT this time | was q great wan.
derer in the suburbs, and occu.
pied the leisure of my summer
evenings by solitary walks in those
distant regions, as unknown to the
Parisians of boulyevards us the
country Of the Caribbees, and Of
whose somber charm | endeavered
later to tell in verse.
An evening in July, hot and
dusty, at the hour when the first
gas.lighty we're beginning TO twink
lie in the misty twilight, l was
walking slowly from vaugiratd,
through one of those long and de.
pressing suburban streets lined on
each side by houses of unequal
height, whose porters and portress-
es in shirt sleeves aud calico sat on
the steps and imagined that they
were taking the fresh air. Hardly
anyone passing in the whole street;
perhaps a maSon,. white with plas.
ter, a sergeant de vile, a child car.
rying home a four.pound loaf larger
than himself, or u young girl hur.
rying on in hat and cloak with a
leather bag on her arm, and every
quarter hour the bali empty ON
nibus coming back 10 its place of
departure with the heavy trot of
its tired horses.
Stumbling now and then on the
pavement, for asphalt is an un.
known luxury in these places, |
went down The streets, tasting all
the charms of a stroller. Sume.
times stopped before an enclosure
to watch throughthe broken boards
the fading glories Of the setting
sun, and the black silhouettes Of
the chimneys thrown against a
grecnish sky, Sometimes through
an open window on the ground
floor | caught sight Of an interior
picturesque and familiar; here a
jolly looking laundress holding her
tlat'irOn to her cheek; there work.
men sitting at tables and smoking
in the ground floor of a cabaret,
while an old Bohemian, standing
before them, sang something about
liberty, accompanying himself on
an old guitar.
Suddenly l stopped.
One Of these personal pictures
caught my eye by its domestic and
charming simplicity. She looked
so happy and peaceful in her sim.
ple little room, the dear old lady in
her black dress aud widow, cap,
leaning back in an easy chair GOV.
cred with green Utrecht velvet,
and sitting quietly with her hands
folded in her lap. Everything
around her was so old, and seemed
to have been preserved, less thro.
ugh a wise economy than on &C
count Of hallowed memories, since
the honeymoon with monsiero Of the
b;,b coo,,,lovi,n - r.s.l, -.