Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-10-03
THE STORY OF AN ASS.

| Elysees, powdered them with white like
n arquis of the old regime.
In the Avenue Montaigu it was close
upon in the morning; the sun shone
through the fog like a ball of fire, but
| threw out no warming beams, ana the
| breeze was sharp and cruel on that poor
| struggling world.
One saw passing rapidly along the avenue
women with yelled 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
a lover from the door; the kiss of an inno-
| Ger t, even, would have frozen en- route.
/ too, passed in haste, like all the world,
while close beside me ragpicker, pale and
| careworn, led by the bride a forlorn little
| ass that had the air of being at least hun
| Gre1 years old and dragged painfully poor
| lit e cart, full of the trash and the cast
| offs Of the quarter-scraps, broken bottles,
| discarded papers, disdained bouquets, worn
| out saucepans, skillets, crusts of bread,
| billet doux-in word, the thousand moth
| ings that make up the fortune Of ragpick-
| ers.
Tie woman had made good collection
| in her run of the night, but the ass was at
the end of its endurance.
As | drew near the little wagonette
| name caught my eye suddenly among the
crunlp pied papers, the name OF Mile. Gen
evieve, the name precisely of the demoiselle
| from whose house had Just come Was
| it, perchance, that Nile Genevievee
| l did not need her portrait To be sure that
it was she-I, who had seen her only the
night before, 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 GO too much, however, to genuine
comedy to be caught by shams like these.
| Nevertheless, though ii 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 my cigar With"
| She regarded me with a surprised air,
| but as an honest woman, who did not de-
| sire to take advantage of the situation, re-
| sponded simply:
Help yourself, monsieurr and prof
| fered NE a match.
carelessly dropped a sou piece into her
| hand ald turned away, the letter with me.
| Word FOR word behold il:
| Permit me to say, my friend, that for
several weeks past | have found you very
| peculiar, posing, it seems 10 me, for one Of
! the Eleven Thousand Virgins of ancient
fame. warn You, therefore, that the end
approach hes; you will respond by offering
me cup of tea this very evening. or
seek tie 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 Narignac.
But why, asked myself, why was this
letter thrown thus in the trash of the rub
| bish car? a letter that myself had seen
at Geneyieve's house within twenty-four
hours? Did it mean-but what mattered
what it meant? l 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 hao abruptly stopped short as if re-
solved lever to move again; his legs
| swayed under him, and he hung his head
sorrowfUily, as an ass meditating, who pre-
saged his last hour.
The sight broke my heart stopped
short with him.
A ragman would have beaten the ass to
reaniInate his failing strength, cursed and
| reviled him: the woman, on the contrary,
| regarded the poor beast with a compass
sionate ar, the gaze of mother, a wife,
or sister. The ass also regarded her, his
eye eloquent, saying plainly: 1T is finishedl
The end i here. have struggled for thee
| Lti OIIc1A4N L nave ItASSEt lIlc tdN anu
nightswita bout ever complaining, because
have con prehe nded that thy misery was
greater than mine. Thou hast been good
to me; thou hast refused me neither food
nor caresses; thou hast even stolen for me
the hay of thy neighbor; thou hast given
me the hall OF thy bed Of straw. But die
of agony"
The woman stroked the ass always, talk
ing to him softly, tenderly reasoning with
him.
Come, come, my dear Pierrot, surely
thou wouldst not leave me herev' said she;
and she stepped to the side of the little
vehicle and took out and threw aside the
basket of broken glass and bottles.
Now con e." said she, as if he had under
| stood her; this time thou wilt be able to
walk, Pierrot."
And She placed herself in readiness at
the wheel, but the ass did not stir. No, he
knew that lie had not the strength to go
on to Saint Ouen, his last country, his last
station, as it were, in misery.
But, how then shall we ever arrive,
Pierrot?" his mistress pursued pleadingly.
The wagon could draw myself, true; but
thou, thou, Pierrot, thou wouldst never be
| willing that I should shame thee by fasten-
ing and dra yging thee at the tail of the
cart!'
The ass raised an ear, but that was all.
! was going to speak to the ragpicker
and the ass, when she turned quickly and
ran to a neigh boring cabaret. The animal
followed her with his eyes with vague,
wistful uneasiness. 1t seemed as if he
were afraid of dying there without his mis-
tress.
Poor little beasti so small that at a dis
tance you would have taken him for a
Pyrenees dog, he had literally grown gray
in harness; here and there only some tufts
of whitish hair in the name. on the tail and
under the stomach. But they would never
more need to shave him as they shave
horses of high degree and position, SO well
had pain and &c done the work for them.
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