Wichita eagle., 1888-02-02
The aaiehita Dai1u Eagle Thursday gor February

the other three pieces of twenty sous each
thirteen francs in ala little more than was
necessary to purchase that pipe of Bigeard's.
| Just to think Of it gave me a spasm Of the
heart. Holding the francs in the palm OF
| my hand gazed upon them like one magnet
| lied, little by little a diabolical idea slowly
forming in my brain. Why should not that
money-grandfather's money-become my
money. But if l took it, which had not yet
admitted to myself that Imeant to do, would
not grandfather be sure to discover it,
An evil thought never travels alone, and
| the notion Of taking this money was soon
| followed by one even more perverse. If
did take the money now in my hand, could
not so arrange it that grandfather would
suppose he had lost it himself! A little hole
in the pocket, A tiny rip in the hem-the
money must inevitably fall through-voila,
could assist in the result myself. opened
my knife-the stuff was thin-in two strokes
the work was done. But to carry the ras-
cality to an end l slipped the pieces through
the hole to assure myself that what imag-
ined could really occur. Then l waited in
an agony Of terror for grandfather's return.
At IL o'clock, when he came in again to
dress himself for dinner, some difference in
the weight of the waistcoat must have at
tracted his attention, for as he lifted it to
draw it over his shoulders he stopped sud-
denly and ran his fingers into his pockets. l
was speechless-transfxed with fright-as
saw the stupefaction of my kind old parent
when his fingers passed completely through
the stuff and emergedthrouga the rent in the
hem
''Sacre die, he shouted, "is it thus thou car
est for my thingsF turning angrily upon my
aunt, at that moment entering the room to
set the table. Behold, through this and
through thee have lost my money. Instead of
nodding over thy rosary thou hadst better at
tend to thy business and mend the holes in
my clothes"
The fact that my aunt and not myself re-
ceived the hailstorm of my grandfathers dis
pleasure, in no wise lessened the stings of
conscience for loved her dearly, but that
wonderful pipe of Bigeard's drew me like a
lover, and at the thought of being able to
possess it | hardened my heart to everything
At o'clock, when | came from school, it
became my property, and grandfathers sill
yer was in the clutches of the Jew. Buying
tobacco and matches with the thirteenth
franc, took the road through the unculti-
waited fields between the vineyards and the
woods of Jure.
Marching along, stopping from time to
time to finger the pipe in my pocket, l was
filled with delight. could smoke at last,
really smoke, for now that golden bowl Of
seafoam was mine.
Arrived at the end of the waste land, I
seated myself in the edge of the wood, and,
softly couched upon a bed of moss in the
shade of a spreading poplar commenced to
fill my pipe. Vineyard upon vineyard of
L., l. A. L 1
at my feet, the river sparkled in the sun
shine, the larks warbled above my head l
was perfectly happy and had not even
twinge of remorse.
The bowl filed lighted it with solemnity
and voluptuously drew my first Whit What
excellent tobacco! What pearly smoke /
fiercely blew up toward tie dappled sky!
Miroufle was right, it was sweet as honey.
Nevertheless, at the end of quarter of an
hour my enthusiasm had abated little. 1t
seemed to me that my hand was growing
heavy and that L had singular uneasness,
accompanied by contractions at the pit of
the stomach. laid my pipe upon the moss
beside me, hoping that it would pass away,
but it did not pass away. My head whrled;
my eyes watered: / was dying with frightful
nausea, and had only time to throw myself
Ileb OH Uile STOulu WAS Tldlcu1OuSly SICK,
vomiting again and again. The punish
ment had begun.
When the crisis had passed pocketed my
pipe heroically, and still staggering with
weakness took the road toward home was
not very brilliant youth, but | thought to
myself: ''1f this is the honey in that bowl OF
amber, it's bitter enough, truly"
1t seemed to me that the entire family had
ina
entered it on my return, my grandfather
reading, my father filtering drug, and Aunt
Honorine mending the famous vest.
Goodness, Claude, but you are pale! Are
you sick!" Aunt Honorine cried as she saw
me enter
NO aunt" | replied "At least not now"
and began to stammer.
"At least not now" repeated my father,
wonderingly. "What do you mean? Come
here. Come nearer" as 1 hesitated ''Pouf.
How you smell of tobacco, Why, you've |
been smoking, sir" and suddenly Selling me
by the arm he dragged me toward him with |
such savage violence that the pipe came half |
way out of my pocket He saw it and he !
knew it,
Ills Bigeard's pipe" he shouted .'the |
pipe of that miserable bankrupt. Where |
did you get it and with what money? An |
swer, | tell you, answer" and he shook me |
like plum tree.
More dead than alive, | appealed with |
looks of distress, to my aunt and my grand |
father. They We're speeches. with aston |
ishment.
Calm yourself, my son." grandfather |
said at last; calm yourself. The money
was mine. ! had the weakness to give it to
him am the one in fault"
You, my father, you encourage vice like
that: It's monstrous! As for YOU YOU
good for naught," turning upon me angrily,
$50 to thy chamber and keep to it, sir. For
this days work you so to bed supperless,n
and in frenzy of rage my father threw tie
pipe upon the floor and ground it into a
thousand pieces
A quarter of an hour after had gone to
my quarters beneath the roof the door
opened and Grandfather Pechion entered
the room.
Claude, my child" he began, with sor-
rowful gravity ''do not think that you have
deceived me III the least. | know how the
vest was ripped and where the money has
gone. / had pity on You only because your
father was capable of killing you had he
discovered the truth. You have committed
a theft, my son, and if ever YOU should be
tempted TO do SO again remember that TO
save you your grandfather lied-lied, my
boy, and at my age | am now your ac-
complete in robbery
| threw myself on his breasu-I could not
speak for grief and shame-but he knew by
the violence OF my sobS and my kisses wet
with tears that the lesson had gone home
and that | would never do SO again-no,
never.-From the French of A Thennet by