Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-16
THE WEDDING JOURNEY
JULES SIMON, MEMBER OF THE FRENCH ACADEMY,
Ex-PREMER ETc


the University at Paris: the professors
whose ambition it is to cease being profess
sors, and while they are such, to be profess
sors as little as possible; and those who are
proud of and delighted with their functions,
and whose horizon is bounded by their
classroom. might 90 on to say that the
second sort are blockheads and the first
fools; but you will Immediately want to
know to which category L belonged. Take
it that / was q fool, and let Us say no more
about iti 1t was not so with NJ. Taupin.
Among ourselves we used to call HIM NJ.
Taupin. and even those who thee'd and
thou'd him did not address him otherwise
How do yeu do. NJ. Taupin? He would
always answer: Very well, because he en-
joyeu robust health, and an optimism even
more robust than his health. I fancy he
woG1d have thought himself well if he had
had fever or neuralgia; but he never had the
most trifing indisposition. He was plump,
fresh and ruddy, always smiling, always
lively Happiness in person was NJ. Tau
pinl And vet he did his five hours class
teaching day at the Stanislas College. 1t
was the fifth form where they pound away
steadily at Cornelius Nepos, which you find
so deadly dull. For that he was paid 166
francs so centimes a month. That was the
outcome o. his three years spent at the Nor
NAL School, and of his degree Of Agrege de
grammaire / was then M. Cousins assist
ant at the Sorbonne. He deeply pitied me
for only having fitted through the career of
scholastic instruction. Secondary lnstruc-
tion," he said, pursing his cheeks, 'is the
best of all instruction" and so forth. He
was nv best friend.
Every day we went long walks together
after dinner at FIicoteaux's for our 20 cen
times head. He used to tell me the great
events of his lie. The composition en- ver-
sion had LETT something to be desired; but
The couposition en- theme of April 10 was,
Derbaps the biggest thing of the wear. That
Young Guibouret was fellow of great prom
ise. There was an admirable touch of Latin
itv in his stylel "The fellow has some
phrases,' be would say, (which make me
envious" .
1t befell that, one whole week long, my
friend Taupin seemed to be quite changed.
He was absent-minded; wandered; hardly so
much as mentioned his pupil Guibeuret and
his pupils rival TsberiRu. One day he
gave me notice that he would be unable to
dine with me on the morrow, having an
invitation from the family of one of his
pupils Here was noveltyi 1 asked for
names but he got out of it by circumlocu-
tion. 1 cracked joke or two which were
coldly received. "W hat is the matter with
him, then?" thought L During my walk
for the first time g solitary one-I never
ceased meditating on this event. On the
morrow of the great day he turned up at
Flicoteaux's, in a pair OF 29-sou gloves, a
clean shirt and well-blacked boots. He
saw that contemplated him in astonlsh-
ment.
IAN right" he said to me, blushing to
the ears. 81 will tell you all about it as we
walk along" During all dinner time he
never said word, and l, too, was speech
less.
"He is going to get married, thought.
"But how on earth did it come about?" I
couldn't imagine M. Taupin addressing a
word to a woman who was not the mother of
spupiL
But pupils have sisters as well as mothers.
He taught GuIbouret.- Oh! out Of sheer
friendIiness, for Madame Cubic Iret hardly
managed to make both ends meet, with her
two children, out of the little pension allowed
to her out Of the funds OF the Church OF
Saint Suipice where her husband had been
chapel master. The two women were pro-
foundly grateful to him. Ultimately they
got attached to him, because it was impossi-
bic not to love that good soul when you saw
him at close quarters. He had no relations
He had never known his mother. His
father had died while he held the scholar
shio at the Stanislas College, for he was
child Of the house, where his whole life had
been spent. When he entered the Normal
School, it was at the Stanislas College that
he spent his leave days, taking his meals
with the ushers, and accompanying them in
the school walks. After he got his fellow
ship be had been offered a fifth form at
Rouen, but ne had preferred to enter the
Stanislas College as an elementary master.
Gradually he had reached his post OF fifth
form pro essor, which he held TO be his mar
shal's baton. The idea of entering one of
the lycees had never struck him; such pro-
motion would have doubled his salary: but
to leave Stanislss was, for him, to leave the
paternal root. The porter, the classroom
Servant were his friends, the director was
sort Of father to him. Big and little among
the scholars ran after him in the street to
greet NJ. Taupin, and to get hand-shake or
a friendly pat on the cheek, according to
their age. All he wanted was home.
will take nv oath that Mademoiselle
Guibouret made some advances, for he was
quite incapable of so much as looking at her
before obtaining permission. Once at lib
erty he became, 1 have no doubt, as full of
chatter as magpie- He kept Mademoiselle
Guibouret posted up in every incident of
sician, being the daughter of a chapel mas
ter; and-a surprising thing in a Normalian
and grammarian-he had genuine talent
for the vioioncello. 1 suppose they played
duets, and the result was that they got mar
ried.
He was q, brave fellow, was my friend
Taupin. He found himself at a bound at
the head of family, and of q needy family,
too. His 166 francs would have all their
work cut out to satisfy so many wants To
be sure, Charles Guibouret was very strong
in composition; but he was still only in the
fifth form. From that to becoming, in his
turn, fiith-form professor at the Stanislas
College was far cry. The two sweethearts
made up their minds that Leon should try
and give Latin lessons, and Leonie piano or
singing lessons. They saw the future
through such rose-colored spectacles that
they talked OF indulging in a wedding trip.
Mamma made all kinds of objections.
They were going to make a foolish start!
Fancy NJ. Taupln asking for leave! They
had an answer for everything. 1t should
only be q short trip, the leave should only
last three days. They would put up at the
smallest inn. This should be their first aud
last freak. Briefly, it was decided that they
should spend three days at Rouen. I leave
you to imagine what pleasant journey it
was. They had never had so long a tete-a-
tere. Neither of them had ever Travelled so
far before. They discovered the beauties of
nature on both sides at once.
1t was night when they arrived. They
were guided by little Normand who took
them to little inn through labyrinth of
narrow streets.
They had made a hearty breakfast at
Paris to save the expense Of dinner. 1t
was only 8 o'clock. To begin with, they
thought they would go and have look at
the town. They were advised to make for
u. Onni Rnialdien and 70 rat,,rr mat The