The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-09-19
THE STORY OF AN ASS.

The frost silveredthe trees of the Champ,
Elysees, powdered them with white like 9
marquis of the old regime.
In the Avenue Moptaigu 1t was close
upon 9 in the morning; the sun shone
through the fog like ball of fire, but
threw out no warming beams, and the
! breeze was sharp and cruel on that poor
struggling werld.
One saw passing rapidly along the avenue
women with veiled faces and men with
bowed heads, like vessels whose prows dip
under the blasts of the furious hurricane.
| One would have turned neither dog nor
q lover from the door; the kiss of an inno-
cent, even, would have frozen en- route.
l, too, passed in haste, like all the world,
while close beside me ragpicker, pale and
careworn, led by the bride forlorn little
ass that had the air of being at least hun
dred years old and dragged painfully poor
| little cart, full of the trash and the cast
offs of the quarter-scraps, broken bottles,
discardedpapers, disdained bouquets, worn
out saucepans, skillets, crusts of bread,
billet doux-in a word, the thousand moth
ings that make up the fortune of ragpick-
ers
The woman had made good collection
the end of its endurance
As | drew near the little wagonette a
name caught my eye suddenly among the
crnmpled papers, u name Of Mile. Gen.
svieve, the name precisely of the demoiselle
from whose house had just come Was
it, perchance, that Mile. Genevieve2
| / did not need her portrait to be sure that
it was she-I. who had seen her only the
night bsfore, dazzling with beauty, all
daubed with red and white and with her
hair in the latest fashion and her comedy
ways, for really she seemed to adore me
|, who 60 too much, however, to genuine
comedy to be caught by shams like these.
Nevertheless, though it was but a scrap,
| dared not help myself to that tempting
letter; it was the ragpicker's property.
Madame" said to her, will you give
me bit of paper to light m cigar with?"
She regarded me with urprised air
but as an honest woman, who did not de-
sire to take advantage of the situation, re-
Sponded simply;
"Help yourself monsieuri" aud prof
fered me match.
carelessly dropped a sou piece into her
hand and turned away, the letter with me-
Word for word behold it:
Permit me to say, my friend, that for
several weeks past have found you very
peculiar, posing, it seems to me, for one of
the Eleven Thousand Virgins of ancient
fame warn you, therefore, that the end
approaches; you will respond by offering
me cup of tea this very evening, or l
seek the hospitality of your charming
neighbor, for | shall dance attendance on
you no longer"
And this epistle was signed with the
name of our mutual friend de Marignac.
But why, asked myself, why was this
letter thrown thus in the trash of the rub
bish cart9 A letter that myself had seen
at Genevieve's house within twenty-four
hoursf Did it mean-but what mattered
what it meanti was going to turn about
and return to her house to see for myself
what it meant, when the ass diverted me,
happily, from so stupid step.
He had abruptly stopped short, as il re-
solved never to move again; his legs
swayed under him, and he hung his head
sorrowfully, as an ass meditating, who pre-
saged his last hour
The sight broke my heart; | stopped |
short with him.
ragman would have beaten the ass to |
his failing strength, cursed and !
reviled him, the woman, on the contrary, |
the poor beast with a compass
slonate air, the gaze of mother, a wife, !
or sister. The ass also regarded her, his
eye eloquent, saying plainly: at is fnishedl
The end is here. have struggled for thee
1eroicAlly. 1 have passed the days and
nights without ever complaining, because
have eomprehended that thy misery was
greater than mine. Thou hast been good
% me; thou hast refused me neither food
lor caresses; thou hast even stolen for me
he hay of thy neighbor, thou hast given
ne the half of thy bed OF straw But die
II agony"
The woman stroked the ass always, talk
ng TO him softly. tenderly reasoning with
liIn.
Come. come, my dear Pierrot, surely
hou wouldst not leave me herel' said she;
ND she stepped to the sIie of the little
IeAicle and took out and threw aside the
'asket Of broken glass and bottles.
Now come" said she, as if he had under
TODD her; this time thou wilt be aole to
Falk, Pierrot"
And she placed herself in readiness at
be wheel but the ass did not stir. No, he
new that be had not the strength to so
z 70 Saint Oaen, his LAST country. his last
tatlon, as 1t were, in misery.
But, how then shall we ever arrive
'lerrot;" his mistress pursued pleadingly.
The wagon could draw myself, true; but
hou, thou, Pierrot, thou wouldst never be
Tliiing that should shame thee by fasten.
ng and dragging thee at the tail of the
artP'
The ass raised an ear, but that was all.
WAS going 70 speak TO the rarpjcker
nd the ass, when she turned quickly and
~ to neighboring cabaret The animal
ollowed her with his eyes with vague
lstful uneaslneSs Il seemed as If he {
ERE afraid OF dying there without his mis-
-eyS
Poor little oeaStl so small that at a dis
Inee you would have taken him for a
yreuees dog. be had literally grown eray
harness: here and there only some tufts !
whitiSh hair IN the mane on the tafi and
nder the stomach. But they would never :
ore need To shave him as they shave !
orSeS of high etscErer zof r,rS,fSc,, -. III