The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-05-09

THE RED FLAG.
-BY-
M. E.
Author OF "Lady Audley's Secret"
etc. etc. etc.
This simple ana wholesome fare was en-.
hvened by the society Of Madame Michel, a
buxom black-cyed widow of six-and-twenty,
who had always the last news Of the quar-
ter, and . CHEEKY word for every conner, and
who found q great deal to say to this par
tlcular customer. She stood behind her
bright little counter, flashing her knitting
needles, or moved deity about the shop,
polishing aud arranging her pots and pans,
while CASTOR Mortemar breakfasted, and
that hour seemed to her always the bright,
est IN the day. BY the time he had lived
six months in the Rue Git Ie Ceur, they
were on very intimate terms. She used &c
upbraid him II he were five minutes later
than his usual hour, and she would pout and
look sorfowfni II he seemed in haste to de
part. Once she served him a better break
fast than he had ordered, and wanted tc
supply him with a dainty dish gratis; but
Monsieur Mortemar drew the line here. His
angry flush and naughty frown told the lit
tie widow that she had gone too far.
please to remember that 1 am a gentle
man and not q piQueassictte,'' he said, land
that l eat nothing I annot pay for"
Madame shrugged her shoulders, and sale
1t was hard she could not offer an on,elcttt
u points d'dspergCs to a friend if SHE
liked.
when l visit my friends I take what the,
choose to give me-" answered CASTOR cold
ly; but l have no friends in this part o
Paris"
Suzon Michel looked as black as thunder
and took the Journalists money In sulky 81
lence. She broke q jug before dinner-time
and was snappish to Ter customers all the
rest Of the day.
What Satan-like pridew she exclaimed
thinking Of her favorite patron; and thel
she muttered a remark which might hav,
found a place later in the columns of thu
Pere Duchene.
She cried when she wentto bed thatnight
cried and sobbed, and swore an oath or two
by way of solace, before she laid her heat
on her pillow, thinking that CASTOR Morte
maj would come no more to the little tahle
at the end Of the shop. But at the usua1
time he walked into her shop, and sat him
SELF down with an impertnrbable visage
ohe served MS coffee as carefully as ever
but SAID never a word. lie read a newspa
per while he breakfasted, paid, and went
without a WORD on MS part.
Next morning there was a bunch of daffo
dis on the little table, a bunch OF yellow
bloom lighting up the shadowy corner
Suzon had trudged to the aower.market be
fore she opened her shop, to buy thes,
spring flowers for the man she loved. Yes
she loved HIM, and meant to marry him !
she could. he was a gentleman. II sh'
cdndute qc dndtue But what OF that
Did not the gutter throne 1t yonder on tn
side OF the Seine, IN the bois, In the Par
M~onceau-the gutter made glorious in silk
anu ea.iits, uii,.ls huieu HORSES
$500 NJ, ,hIt ~ wi. W. suo n.S y. ways
y ! AZ oaIe 80 nas "ss o's II ~
".a :, . 49,. 10y So .no {
: ~ ~ VOC poo
au 80 ~ s".ie., an
ia. n,ns ~ 80. Mo "puto y
" ~. WV ." " ~. "nsh II
- ~ ~ ~ auu u"
ne. W. nv p"oio iuiiue'
lie s''iileu ~ sign. ei the nist mowers o
spring, ioohi.s w "I .ne WHOM, saw Una
she WAS siiililis too' Ah i!ei suilen gloon
had Welteu ~ s'sheo MN. DIG was SO gla
ne haa not ioIsaheh nef shop. ferhaps
wouiu nave iuft iler even liofe IMAM III
desertloh 10 nave known no" ~insignl1lcar
q figure she maze Ill his NE, ana now littl
ne mao thousht ABOUT yesterday dispute.
he aSkeu Ier tlle news, anu her Whol
FACE peaMeo AT tiie souho OF MS voice. Sh
prattieu away saiis AoI we iesI Oh tNe houl
ana CONSIDERED every othet customer an II
truoeF "iilc Hasloh SAL at Ills littic taple.
You ought TO put up q piacard in you
window, with '1ielache" upon 1t, whc
!. Monsieur is here" said a grumpy porter, I
whom she had served a pat of butter wit
scant civility, and whose keen eyes saw tn
state of affairs.
This kind of thing vent on for more thu
a year. Now and again. when CASTOR wa
in luck and had made n few francs mo
than his ordinary earnings from the new
papers, he rewarded the little widows n
tcntions BY taking her to n theatre. and ri
ing her an ice or a sumner in The P,ssao
,Jouffroy before he escorted her home Il
treated her en- orand n on these q
c%asions, and these evenings were to Suzo
Michel as nights spent in paradise: hours
dream about for weeks after the, were pon
to long for with n passionate LONGING Y,
they brought her no nearer to the man !,
loved or to The realisation of her homes. N,
a word was ever spoken of love or marrias
When thew parted on the stems of the cyeu
eric. while The bells of Notre Dame wei
Ginning one of the quarters after midniph
they we're as far apart as ever. If she W;
ever to be Madame Mortemor the offer
marriage must come from her own Inns s
ION thought. and she wou,d NOT have sb,1r
from telling the man of her CHOICE of tbo
snu. little investments, and hcr willin
ness to shpre her rconomies Win hi,
Feminine dcIicacy won,d not have hind.r,
such an avowal: b,t there was something
the man himself which sealed hcy lins
CASTOR was rs cold M ice ne calm ne >,
HE. He had That amjahln %lanvnorof sncn,
and manner which clever ynung mon n
ant to affect until II hccomes a sarnna ~
tire. He talked like n man who b,d liv,
, 49,