Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-08-24
THE PELLETS OF BREAD.

I'LL uuull1 " VI OAtAAAS'
Paul C-was a "jolly good iel-
low," so every one said. Thirty
years old, perhaps, Partisan in
every sense OF the word, with that
courageous nature, lively and a lit
| tie inclined to teasing, that is the
characteristic of the children of
Paris. Nevertheless, he had an
excellent heart, and was ready to
throw himself into the fire if neces'
sary for the very one whom an in
slant before he had made the tar
get for his jests.
1t was at R, that pretty lit
tie neighboring city to Puy, that
Paul found himself one morning
for pleasure and the drinking Of
certain healthful waters, for R,
as every one knows, is a charming
Summer resort, and filled during
the summer at least with a crowd
of suests. Paul and his friend Ed
Guard Duchense, we're at the same
hotel and took their meals together
at the table d'hote, where they had
for a neighbOr in front of them an
Enghshman known to be very rich
and very eccentric, and whose life,
they said, was but a series OF end
less journeyings around the world.
If Paul betrayed himself a Paris
Ian in every act and feature, so 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 English
man that 1t is possible to imagine.
More than once Paul had caught
himself smiling at the impassable
visage of Sir Arthur Jacobsen, for
such was this strangers name.
This evening then, when the events
occurred that l am going to tell
you of, and, by the way, the even
ing of departure of the two young
men, as the dinner was drawing to
close, exhilarated doubtless by
the champagne they had taken,
Paul amused himself while talking
to Edousrd in rolling balls of bread
crumbs and launching them be-
tween thumb and finger, as school
children launch balls OF paper, at
his neighbor, the Englishman. II
was thoughtless, not to say rude,
exhibition on the part of Paul, but
then Paul was not quite himself
and the temptation was for the mo-
ment irresistible.
AS the first pellet struck the arm
| of Sir Arthur Jacobson he slowly
turned his clear eyes upon Paul
and his companion, but his broad
physlognomy lost nothing of its
habitual placidity. One would have
supposed even that he had seen
and comprehended nothing, had II
not been for the fact that with al
air Of the utmost indifference and
phlegm he lifted the morsel OF
bread crumb and slipped it into
the pocket of his vest still, how
ever, without utterIng a syllable
The bearing of this man wal
we'll calculated to excite the teas
ing humOr OF the Partisan, anC
scarcely a moment had elapsed
since the launching OF the first pei
let when a second followed it, and
, taking the same direction as th,
first, went to flatten itself upon hi
shoulder, and like the other h
travel the road to Sir Arthur
pocket. Angered a little by thil
, systematic imperviousness, an(
, cert ainly tor the time being blinC
, to the insult and Inconvenience
r that such pleasantly had for its oh
ject, Paul believed 1T his duty h
repeat his pellet for the third time
8 1t struck his Wis Wis upon tn
forehead Immediately between tn
eyebrows. And still he receives
% it with neither a movement nor
sign, though the walters at the Ia
BILE could scarcely repress the hilaI
ity on seeing him with the sam
stOical gravity lit his hand, II
move it and send 1t to JOIN it's CON
rades in his pocket.
This amusement, In bad taste a
!. you are bound to admit, had Taste
i; long enough, and as the guest
weIe quitting the table Sir Arthu
. rose and followed their example
and Paul and his friend, the
heads decidedly heavy with win
got up IN turn and went to smOk
a cigar on the terrace. Hardl.
r however, had they made their al
pearance there than Paul foun
9 himself confronted By his reoeT
j victim, who regarded him full i
the face and in excellent Frenc
stated that he desired to speak I
o him moment.
"You must certainly understand