The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1891-02-19
A PLANT FROM PICARDY

A midwinter night, and bitter, bittei
cold Not % much snow, but = wind
which had an arctic anger In H. Il stunE
ths fncs like Vitriol, and frozs the blood
and almost made fellow cry out, a. II hs
were In pain like.
Three Of US. Just common newspaper 70
pcrters, were scurrying through Mail
strest, half running. 20 get 10 a warm
plaza We had been ct work mp town, try,
tnE 20 end certain facts about a man who
bad BEEN mysteriously murdered In the
Tsn6erloin precinCt-Johnuy Spellman, the
soeksy.
Wei, the City Hall park WAS bleak
enough The wind shrieked across Il, and
shs hall, with its old white marble steps,
stood over yUnder, pallid, chastity Not 9
human being in sight Nobody would stay
out Of doors such n night.
The lights In the tall buildings in Park
rev and In the low entrance Ia HitchcOck's
ever blessed old crliar coffee house were
happy, CHEEKY beacons
ID was late, well on toward midnight
That made US hurry all the more
Even Uncle Sans tagged out old horses
and wagons which forever wait in the Mail
street alley behind that grim stone coping,
where big bags Of mail matter for all parts
% the world are bundled IN and out, had
disappeared out Of the cold There was no
sound Of the mail clerks voice calling OF
the hagA
. We reached the middle Of the Mail street
block. We were on the north side Of the
street. I ran In the rear Of the PROGRESSION.
! Out Of the shadows Of the park came a
maa. In . voice which upon that night
wind wa the most piteous sound I ever
heard he cried, stretching cut one hand in
aguppliant way:
~Parlez Francois, mOnsieurI"
! lt was . strange, courteous question %
come wailing amid the bowling 81 a storm.
turned and then stopped Then in hon
est amusement and pity said, MY Godi
yee." had learned some French IN boy
hood. then had bought drinks for a Paris
boulevsrdier, and fulfilled the dubious lin
guistie requirements Of New jersey col
leGA ] had q deep seated love for the
krunch people and a deal Of fondness for
The French tongue.
There In that wretched night, when I
beard that question, saw the honest peas
ants-almple, sturdy fOlk-tOiling afield In
TAR Provence. | saw the Breton fisher,
singing - be patched his nets on the shore
81 ths dear old sea ! saw gay Paris and
ths sweet valley of the Loire. And here,
aloha clad thinly, WAS = son Of that
Franco. Q stranger in a great, selfish city;
IN great, strange and selfish land, upona
night when no mortal ought to have
shown his nose out Of doors.
3 He was Just asking learned Il in his
6rst lonely questiOn-iust asking for some
ons % give him helping hand-a syllable
% direction
The two other reporters went pelting
atonG. ! looked at the wanderer. A man
% forty, maybe. Old, To begin life anew
ne Wes above medium height, little
seoopSd In the shoulders, ON account uf the
eoto perhaps tie was oNerUoatless. hare
naHced, and carried small parcel under
ne arm Over his bead was drawn tight
hnls cap sueh as football players wear.
hS Wotul story he told me, stand
tne toers In the open on that awful night
Wisa Ine sparse nakes nying all about us
hs bad come that day on the Bre;agne.
u 80 ead been 6een very stormy; A Eel
noly o. garlic, bad taken all his money.
IS e1esA containing his worldly poses
ssoos g mao leit al Castle Garden-that
oeIors tne oarge once days HIS wife
&c tHo enlioren-oh! such pretty chill
n-Wep ~ nome IN Flcardy. lie was
eunNy mo tnirsty no one tut an hon
- nan osegihg IN the streets OF New
AosA NooIo ADMIT that he was thirsty.
mnon Exporters are not hahitually |
70 90 had sixty ave cents ] gave |
y AL % him. told him about the rich
po.a9aiines o. oeei and heNns- Then l d.
reoesd him TO ten oent lodging house
1nso, PeaniiesH ! hurried on after my
eonpAniona lexpeeted to walk all the
70 twenty hrst street. But then ]
20 rosea 10 the flights IN the fall and
Ssaenea ~ ana was equal to IT.
700 pies you IN French sounds well
zoe nercs night wind
soia the fellows when overlook them