St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-13
THE TWO PEACHES.
W a Ther. Changed "a Poor Clerk


of TWENTY-FIVE years was at banquet given
bv the college at which we had taken our
diplomas.
Vital Herbelot had altered wonderfully
since the DAYS when we were schoolmates
! had left him young timid, dressed like a
| fop and excessively modest in demeanOr.
! as it was proper clerk should be who
! had vet to make his way in
the office where fortune had placed
| him. The man before me now was burly,
| stout old fellow. his face and neck Drowned
! by the sun. with bright eve, loud voice
| and the short, brusque manner OF man
accustomed to command-ln short, tue
easy comfortable mien of a well-to-d DO citi-
zen.
What are you doing. HerhelotP" sad
| to him as we chatted between the courses.
Still in the administrations"
I'm the administration? l should say
not" he responded Didn't you know that
| had given it up? Pm cutivatOr. Half
a league from here, at Chauteraine. I've a
farm which brings Inc i'll round sum.
, Come home with me and taste my Bur
gundy."
"Youa.Af..er! You, the son and grand
son of a line Of bureaucrats, the model
clerk the prospective ambassador! How
did it happen?"
After the banquet III tell you. Great
changes are frequently produced by the
| lightest causes. | gave up my profession
for two peaches"
Two peacnesr" cried, astounded
YES. two peaches: neither more nor less;
but have patience: wait until we are at
Chauteraine and you shall know all
about it,"
A half hour later we quilted the banquet
| ing room, and lighting cigars began our
walk to the farm. 1t was warm afternoon
at the end of August, but the road was we'll
shaded and gentle breeze blowing from
the direction of the river prevented our suf-
| fering from the heat.
| You know" sail Herbelot, beginning
his story, - that in my youth | was roll
ing ball. without decided preference for
any profession, but my father, an old en-
| pioye himself. could See nothing cOmpar-
able to a career in public office. AS soon,
| therefore as | had received my diploma
nothing would content him but that too
must 10 low in the ancestral footsteps. As
| said before. with no prediction for a
special vocation. | willingly consented and
entered upon the route of bureaucracy.
industrious. educated and disciplined
the wishes of my super ors, it was not long
before was favorably noticed by the chief
and | rapidly conquered my first official
grade. At this epoch | married young
and beautiful girl, good and atfectionate
but entirely W tnout fOrtune-a grave fault
| in the ewes of the world in which lived.
| My fir ends were positive that no good could
come of it, and openly quoted the prOveib:
| If the husband brings the breakfast the
wife must supply the dinner
las far as we were concerned neither
of US had enou III for the scanliest supper
| counting out the official salary. Perhaps
| it was reckless, but my wife was an excel
| lent manager, and as we lived nlodestly,
with the strictrst economy. local society
ceased tn rail at our imprudence and still
received US.
My chief, however. was a very rich
man, but cont nued in the treadmill of ad
miniStratve work because he loved it, and
also because it gave him an excuse for law
| sh hospitality. He was particularly fond
| of throwing open his doors to society, and
every now and then invited the clerks
| from the Office to attend these entertain
ments.
Il had far rather have remained at home
| with my wife, who had become very deli
cate soon after marriage. but was forced.
whether or no. to attend the drectorial
receptions, for we were bound to anluse
ourselves according to order
Just at the time when my wife's health
had failed her most completely. invitations
were issued from the direct0rial mansion
for grand bali. and in spite of myself
was compelled again to don dress coat.
AS the hour approached for starting for the
affair my wife. who was celebrating the
knot of my neckte, said to me:
Don't forget, fierbeiOt, to look at every
| thing. so that you can tell me all about it;
and. by the way. | saw from the paper
that NJ. lie Director has order ed the greatest
lot of deIicacies from Cheviet's. among
them hot house peaches. Ii you love ME
you'll bring me one"
''Ml dear child" demonstrated. ''that
isn't to be- done. 1t is impossible. Think
how difficult it would be for a gentleman in
dress coat to pocket a peach and escape
being SEEM" But the more | objected the
more determined she became in the fancy.
Nothing could be- simpler in the midst Of the
coming and gong than to take a peach as if
| for myself.
- Perhaps it is childish she declared
but cannot help it. Since I've heard
them talking of Cheyiet's peaches I've had
| the greatest desire to taste them. Promise
NE, HerbelOt, promise to bring me just
| one
What could l or any other man do
under the circumstances =? | loved my
wife and she was i'll, and the request was
! not so unreasonable, after all. So
| promised and hurried from the room, the
| last thing | saw as ! closed the door being
my witeS great blue eyes, brilliant with
eagerness. liked upon my face.
1t was grand ball. indeed, flowers
everywhere, magnificent toilets and splen-
did orchestra. Everybody was there.
among them the project and president of
| the tr bunal and officers of the garr;sOn-in
short, all the top of the basket. Nothing
had been spared that would give eclat to the
fete over which the wife aud daughter of
the director, my chief, so gracefully pre-
sided.
Supper was served at midnight. the
| dancers passing from the BALLROOM directly
into the saile-a- manger, and q gorgeous
| supper it was.
81 had scarcely entered the room when
saw in most conspicuous position in the
| center of The table the celebrated peaches
from Cheviet's. Arranged in basket OF the
Iarest china and delicately 'nterspersed
with vine leaves they proudly dispensed
their appelizing odOrs, the rich crimson
and white of the velvet skins betraying at
once the lusciousness of the flavor.
From the end of the table where the
servants had placed me | looted upon the
dish with gaze as eager as my wife's
picturing to myself the pleasure l should
give her, if by a lucky chance could
carry home a specimen OF the exquisite
fruit. Gradually, as carressed them with
my eyes, the desire to possess them assumed
a more determined form. | decided that |
would have not only one. but two of
| those beautiful peaches. But how? That
I.LI. +t.o+ r,tt1zlaI mn