Clarksville evening chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn) 1886-1890, 1888-11-27
THE PELLETS OF BREAD.

Paul c. was 'jolly good fellow"
so every one said. Thirty yeais old, per-
haps, a Partisan In every sense Of the
word, with that courageous n3ture, lively
and little inclined to teasing that Is the
characteristic of the children Of Paris.
Nevertheless, he had an exec Tent heart,
and was ready to throw himself into the
flrei if necessary for the very one whom
an instant before he had made the target
for his jests.
1t was at R, that pretty little
neighboring city to Puy, tina. Paul found
himself one morning for pleasure and the
drinking oficertain healthfui waters, for
R, as every one knows, ie a charming
summer resort, and filled during the sum-
mer at least with a crowd Of, guests. Paul
and his friend Edouard Duchesne, were
at the same hotel and took their meals
together at the table d'hcts, where they
had for neighbor in front of them an
Englishman known to be very rich and
very eccentric, and whose life, they said
was but o series of endless journeyings
around the world.
If Paul betrayed himself Partisan in
every act and feature, 50 did the stranger
betray the nativity of his melancholy
country. Short of stature and fat, the
face broad and ruddy, the skull bald and
shining, the beard blonde, the eyes blue
as corn flowers, he was truly the most
perfect type of an Englishman that it is
possible to imagine. More than once
Paul had caught himself smiling at the
impossible visage of Sir Arthur jacobson,
for such was this strangers name This
evening, then, when the events occurred
that am going to tell you of, and, by
the way, the evening of departure of the
two young men, as the dinner was draw
ing to o close, exhilarated doubtless by
the champagne they had taken, Paul
amused himself while talking to Edouard
in rolling balls of bread crumbs and
launching them between thumb and
finger, as school children launch balls Of
paper, at his neighbor, the Englishnlan.
1t was q thoughtless, not to say rude, OK
hib;tion on the part Of Paul, but then
Paul was not quite himself, and the
temptation was for the moment irrcsist-
IDLE.
AS the first pellet struck tho arm Of
Sir Arthur jacobson he slowly turned
his clear eyes upon Paul and his COM
panion, but his bread physiognomy lost
nothing of its habitual placidity, One
would have supposed even thatshe had
seen and comprehended nothing, had it
not been for the fact that with an air Of
the utmost indifference and phlegn lie
lifted the morsel of bread crumb and
slipped it into the pocket of his vest;
still, however, without uttering sylla-
bic.
Tho bearing Of this man was we'll cal
culated to EXCITE the teasing humor Of
the Partisan, and scarcely moment had
elapsed since the launching of the first
pellet when second followed it, and,
taking the same direction as the first,
went TO tlatten itself upon his shoulder,
and like the other to travel tho road to
Sir Arthur's pocket. Angercd little by
this systematic imperviousness, and GER
tainly for the time being blind to the in
suit and Inconvenience that such pleas
antry had for its object, Paul believed it
his duty to repeat his pellet for the third
time. 1t struck lis Wis Wis upon tho
forehead Immediately between the eye
brows. And still he received it with
neither n movement nor sign, though
the walters at the table could scarcely
repress their hilarity on seeing him with
the same stoical gravity lift his hand, re-
move it and send it to join is comrades
in his pocket.
This amusement, in bad taste as you
arc bound to admit, had lasted long
enough, and as the guests were quitting
the table Sir Arthur rose and followed
their example, and Paul and his friend,
their heads decidedly heavy with wine,
got up i'll turn and went to smoke a cigar
on the terrace. Hardly, however, had
they made their appearance there
than Paul found himself confronted
by his recent victim, who regarded
him full III the face and in excellent
French stated that he desired 10 speak
30 him a moment.
You must certainly understand, mon
sicur," said he, THAT the play to Which
you delivered yourself a while ago con-
stitutcs Il serious afTront, of which | dc.
mand the reason. Moreover, as q gal
liant man you also see that you must &C.
cord me, without my forcing il, tie
rcrara:ion that is my right
Precisely, my lord; l see, and am
at your service.
Tomorrow morning. then, monsieur,
at O'Clock, behind the park"
1.-THE conditions9"
''Pistols--thirty paccs-au wise. In
an hour my seconds viii wait upon yours.
! havo the honor, monsieur, to salute
YOU"
(Which proves once mere. my dear
Paul" said Edcuard, when the stranger
had turned on his heel, ''that it does not
10 to trust to appearance. Who would
have supposed that devil CT little nan
so tCuchy on q point CT homer? He takes
the thing, in my opinion, too seriously"
Eth, par Dieu, he has reason, " replied
Paul, in whose brain the freshness oc tie
air had brought about c:.iGt.:-y ic2e-
ton. II have committed . c,riUGs ard
an offensive stupidity; it j. Jus: that
take the CO. equences. Eut ! truce TO
words; corr with ne to the house Cf II.
D., who , know slightly ard whom
l shall ask be my second witness"
Promptly Il the hour appointed next
morning ! , Il and his seconds and Sir
Arthur JAG. son and his seconds arrived