Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-09-30
A BORROWED FARE.

M. Aristides Dufour, retired mercer, a
widower with n daughter, is seated in
his dining room, near a set table, at
which from time to time he throws a
despairing glance. He holds his paper
before him, but it is scarcely probable
that he reads it, for he has held it upside
down for a good minute and has not yet
discovered his mistake. Behind his
green spectacles, the ex-mercer's impa-
tent, p~reoccupied glance falls ten times
to the minute on the old china cuckoo
clock, which, without ~hurrying, without
tagging, goes on its quiet way and re-
peats its m~onotonous tic-tac. Then the
above mentioned glance falls again on
the tureen in which the soup is growing
cold. And the glance grows tender, as
his nostrils are assailed by the appetizing
vapors that escape from beneath the lid.
There are two covers at the table, and
two chairs extend their backs invitingly
to the diners. NJ. Dufour is waiting for
some one, some one who makes him
wait. But, like the late Louis XIV,
whom he resembles, perhaps, in this
particular alone, the ex-mercer does not
enjoy this, especially when the compan-
ion of his vigil is a repast which has
nothing TO gain from such a delay.
Promptness at table, as in business, is his
hobby; he is no longer in business, the
worthy man, but he still eats. Break
fast and dinner are, to him, so many
notes Of hand, coming in at fixed hours,
and which he must honor as he would
his signature. At those hours NJ. Aris-
tides Dufour fills his stomach. dutifully,
conscientiously, with the same pune
tuality that he formerly observed in
emptying his strong box on the 18th and
Both days of the month.
And when you know that the cuckoo
clock is on the point Of sounding half,
past O, you can form an approximate
idea of the violent state in which NJ.
Aristides Dufour, retired mercer, wild
over with a single daughter, found him
self at the opening of this veracious his
tory; and especially since he has been
waiting for his daughter before sitting
down to table, since five minutes before
6 O'Clock.
Never since NJ. Dufour retired from
business Chat is to say, since he had the
misfortune to lose his incompatible wife,
Nine. Celine Dufour, born Robichon,
who was, at the same time, his clerk and
his partner had such a catastrophe fallen
upon his peaceful house. Not to have
tasted his dessert at half-past 6!-for
that hour Gas about to strike, it was
striking, ii had struck. Half-past @.
The little door of the rustic clock has
opened wide, the mocking bird, Tapping
his wings, has hurled out his cuckoo
in a particularly ~ironical voice.
To see, for forty-five minutes past, an
excellent soup losing all its good quail
ties at a few feet away, and, in the bar.
gain, not TO know what good Of bad hi,
dear little Charlotte was doing-it was q
cruel torture, in which TO anguish Of
the heart was added cramps of the
stomach. Never had NJ. Dufour been SC
near TO comprehending a suicides mo.
tives. His glance, now become a little
wild, wandered over the table, vaguely
seeking among the knives, the forks and
the spoons the instrument with which hC
would put an end to this horrible sus.
pense.
At this moment Gertrude, the old ser
want, monsieur cook and mademoiselle'i
maid, a veritable female factotum, enters
grumbling, into the dining room.
NJ. Dufour, his patience and hi
strength exhausted, has let fall his paper
His two plump, soft hands, hanging a
the extremities of his swinging arms
look as If they too wanted TO fall off.
swell, sir" snaps Gertrude.
swell, Gertrude" signs the unfortu
nate man.
.Hadn't / better take back the soupl'
"Do you think so, Gertrudel Chariot,
cannot fail TO come in in u moment. /
is even quite surprising that she is no
here now. When did she 20 out, an,
where has she gomez
''Mademoiselle left at 4 o'clock, rs SIN
always docs, TO take her piano lesson
The lesson lasts an hour. Half an hou
10 go, rs much 10 come back, Made
moiseile should have been able 10 return
o. Is her custom, at @ O'clock"
"And il is thirty-fiye minutes past O.
"At this hour, you know, the omnibu
70 often fulr'-
''Deuce take the omnibus!'
"Or mademoiSelle, encouraged by th
fine weather, may have wanted TO take
little walk and come back on foot by tn
Rue de Ia PAX. And there are man,
dressmnkers', many jewelers. shops
many things 70 see in the Rue de La Pal
Cor young people,"
.Aiay the devil fly away with dresses
and jewels, and young people too, whei
they are US late as thisl I'D like 10 knoN
what there can be TO see at dinner lime
"A hungry stomach has no cars,' no
should il have eyes"
"skYithout reckoning tho lovers, Oh
coxcombs who follow pretty passers.by
whispering in their ears a lot Of silly"-
"Psbaw, I'm easy enough on tina
score. Loyersl You're joking, Gertrude
Charlotte 10 q good girl, thank heaven
She knows how to put q whippersnappe
IN his place IL there be need. ShO ha
hoon broa,ght AN in tho American faaI