Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1891-01-15

his parents looked at him in an ecstasy
OF ioy. He was short, thickset young
fellow, with a ruddy complexion, a
heavy expression of face and pro-
vincial bearing. The Durames, how
ever, thought him perfect, and admired
his every word and gesture, while he
treated them with slightly contemptu-
Gus condescension, regarding them as
good, honest pair; though of course his
interiors. Through force of habit he
still called them papa and mamma, but
he was secretly resolved to drift away
from them as soon as possible to seek
his real father, who was gentleman,
and he imagined that he felt within him
the instincts and aspirations of class
very different from that to which his
foster-parents belonged.
One morning while Victor and Cesar
inc were drinking their coffee, and Mar
Gel was seated at the window smoking
his cigar, carriage and pair stopped at
the gateway, and gentleman stepped
out. As he entered the room it's occu-
pants looked at him in silence, and at
last he said gaily:
'Well, do you not remember me!'
Then. without waiting for a reply, he
turned to the young man and asked,
Are you not Marcel %
eyes, sir, / am Marcel" answered
the person addressed, rising from his
chair, edo you wish to see me, Monsieur,
Monsieur"
'De Berville," added the stranger,
and at that moment Victor Durame OK
claimed in tone of dlsmay.
"Mercitul heavens! 1t is the father
Cesarine muttered under her breath,
eyes, it is the fatherW and she started
with wild eyes at the new conner rs If he
were II horrible phantom.
"What do you want ' cried victor
hotly, "you said you would never come
back"
81 have changed my plans replied
Monsieur de Bervile quietly. Il have
come for my son. Marcel, you Will go
with me, will you not?"
The young man had expected differ
ent scene from this; he had pictured to
himself a dramatic meeting with his
unknown father, sudden instructive
recognition such as he had seen in the
theater. For a few minutes he stood rs
if petrfied, but on hearing the gentle
mans question he exclaimed:
Gather, father, | have found you at
last !" and threw himself into Monsieur
de Bervile's arms.
every well, my son; / sec that we
will understand each other" said the
father, with smile; "get your hat and
coat; you will not need anything else
Cesarine rushed between them, cry
ing: -,
you shall not take away my son ~
but the gentleman, looking proudly at
Marcel, replied:
"You mean my son, good woman"
The mother had opened her lips to
explain everything, when her husband
siIenced her with a warning glance,
and then she said hesitatngy:
GLOW are we to know, sir, that you
are the father of our Marcel? What
proof"
"Here are the receipts you gave the
notary when he paid you every quar-
ter" interrupted de Berville, taking u
package of papers from his pocket, and
Duramc was silenced.
While Marcel went to get his hat and
coat, the gentleman thinking these poor
people had grown attached to his child,
said softly:
*! was very sorry to hear of your own
sons death"
Eyes, we lost our child" sighed the
father, and then Marcel returned, hat
in hand, kissed his supposed toster-pa-
rents, saying:
Good bye; | shall write to YOU, |
promise, and followed the stranger out
of the house.
Victor and Cesarine stood as if spell
bound, listening until the sound of the
carriage wheels had died away. Then
the husband turned and caught sight of
III envelope lying on tue table. He
opened it and explained.
Look, look, it is money; 5000 francs,
Cesarine -
But the mother made no answer.
She had covered her face and was sob
bing wildly. Victor's eyes filled, the
money fell to the floor UNDECIDED, and
there in the silent house the childless
parents sat weeping.