Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-07-15
THREE MERRY ARTISTS.

pears to be little difference We have the
| opera, the BOiS the salons and all the other
| formal and brilliant diversions; but the
Americans the Russians, the English ! no
| have filled Paris buy their amusement from
us. and our pleasure is the pleasure Of the
| Snowman. But the greatest change, one that
all can Sce, is in the Latin quarter. The
| pretty, pleasure-loving grlsette> are trans
| formed into calculating cOcUtteS; the happy,
careless students have given way to crowd
Of sombre digs" and the life Of the CON
| cierge wearIeS him for its very freSi"m
| from the prankS of his reckless ludgerS Were
| Henri Murger to come back now, he would
buy pan of charcoal and be waited ON its
vapory wings 10 the land where Musette and
/ Mimi awaited him.
Sorieul was one of the last of these BOhe-
mians. He was ostenSihly an artist, but his
| nights were spent iE riotlng, and his dayS-in
the morning he recovered from the previous
night, in the afternoon he prepared for the
evening He had large studio filed with
studies, sketches, half FINISHED pictures, but
its principal use was Us hanqueting hall
| Here he would gather together some score or
so of couples from the neighborhool, illumi-
nate the room with tapcrs, and entertain the
company with songs, orationS, dancing-anv
thing that entered their heads. Then, when
the tapers OF refreshments had given out and
| the company retired to their several lodgings,
| he would retain a few choice spirits and
spend the remainder of the night drinking
| punch-he was a capital fist at a punch-and
| performing whatever eXtravagant act the
| potations inspired.
On one of these occasions he had kept hut
| two friends to hear him company through
| the night lie Pottavin and Voltage, both
| artists like himself As WAS their custom
they retired to the small room adjoining the
| studio, hrewed their punch, smoked their
| pipes, talked, sang and finally became very
drunk. In fact, by the time the purple flames
| Of the third brew were giving to their flushed
| faces distorted and rather CHASTITY appear
| ance, lie Pottevin was the only man who
knew what he was doing They were holding
q violent discussion about the merits of the
imperial army, interspersed with occasional
snatches Of those stirring songs that had en-
livened many a camp fire.
Presently Sorieul got TO praising the uni
form of the various corps, and suddenly spring
ing TO his feet he took from the huge chest in
which he kept his artists paraphernalia a
complete husSar's uniform and proceeded to
array himself in it. He next commanded
lie Pottevin to tog himself out as grena-
der: and as that worthy refused, the two
laid hold of him, pulled off his clothes, and
introduced him into the enormous uniform
in which he being small man. seemed
quite lost Voltage fished out a CuirasSiers
suit and put it on SOrieul now put them
through a number of complicated and en-
tirely new evolutions. Tiring of this, how
ever, he reverted to the original idea
"As we are soldiers, said he, let US drink
like soldiers"
A punch was accordingly brewed and they
had half finished it when all at once Le
Pottevin, who in spite of his deep potatiOns
was almost master of himself, Silenced the
Others with a gesture, and after a few seconds
he said, in whisper:
Listen | am surs I heard a nOisC in the
next room" Then rising unsteadily to his
feet, he cried, "A spy"
Going to a trophy of arms which decorated
the wall he proceeded TO equip the trio ac-
cording 81 their uniforms. Voltage had a
sort of carbine and a saber; lie Pottevin an
immense muSket with villainOus looking
bayonet, and SOrieul, not finding what he
wanted, armed himself with a great hOrS'
pistol, which he showed into his belt, and q
battle axe, which he brandished around
turiously. With great caution the door Of
the studio was opened and they advanced
into the suspected territory.
When they reached the center of the large
room, cumbered up with its variety of curl
Gus and incongruous articles, such as one
finds only in an artists studio or the property
room Of theatre, Sorieul said:
Il declare myself general. Now let us hold
a council of war. You, the cuirassiers, shall
cut off the enemy's retreat, that is 10 say
L HI
be my escort"
Voltage executed the movement ordered and
then rejoined the main body of the troops,
which were engaged in a reconnaissance.
Just as Voltage was looking behind a large
Japanese screen, he heard terrific hubbub
in the other side of the room. He hurried
over, still carrying a candle in his hand, and
found that lie Pottevin, with single mighty
Il rust had transfixed the body of a lay
fsure with his bayonet Sorieul was batter
Ilgit over the head with his axe. The mis-
AXE being discovered, the general gave the
command: "Let us be prudent" and the re-
connoiSsance was resumed.
For al least twenty minutes they had been
vummaging around the dark corsers, without
success, when lie Pottevin bethOught him of
the closet Cautiously opening the door,
Voltage advanced his light and peered into
the darkness. He sprang back, terrified
man was in there, living man, who had
stared at him with wild and haggard eyes.
He instantly slammed the door to and
double locked it, and they held new cQun-
Gil. The opinions were widely different
Sorieul suggested that they suffocate him by
blowing smoke through the key hole; IL
Pottevin proposed TO besiege him, and bring
him out by starvation; Voltage wanted TO lay
a train Of gunpowder and blow up the closet
lie Pottevin's advice prevailed, however, and
while he. mounted guard, with his long mus
ket over his shoulder, the other two went
after the remainder Of the punch and the
pipes. Then the trio sat down before the
locked door, lit their pipes and drank TO the
successful issue Of the siege
At the end of half an hour Sorieul grew
impatient
We'll, 1 for one want a sight of the
enemy" he declared. shall we assault his
position and carry it by force!n
Bravo cried Voltage, and each seized his
arms. The door was thrown open, and
Sorieul, cooking his pistol-which had not
been loaded for years-precipitated himself
OH the enemy. Voltage and lie Pottevin fol-
lowed him, yelling at the top Of their voices.
There was a great scuffling IN the dark,
and at the end of five minutes of confusion
they brought out into the light all old sneak
thief, squalid, bent and white-haired. They
tied his hands and feet and showed him into a
chair, he meantime saying not a word.
This man Is spy. We must court
martial him." said Sorieul, with great
sOlemnity.
The Others were so permeated with punch /.
that the proposition seemed perfectly natural |.
to them.
lie Pottevin was charged with the prisoners /
defense, and Voltage with sustaining the ac-
cusation. After an elaborate trial, i'll which .
they displayed great eloquence and knowledge |
Of international law, the prisoner was CON
demned to death, with but one dissenting .
voice in the tribunal, that of his defender.
Now We must execute him." said Sorieul;
and then, remembering an important cere-
mOny: This man must not die, however,
without the consolation Of religion. Where |
il the army chaDlainR