The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-08-31
THEBARON'SPRESENT


Baron de CroiX-Martel, as be put tho fin
ishing stroke to his toilet, and contemplated
ms well wnxed iron gray mustacbe with
less satisfaction than he would probably
have felt had not his mind been otherwise
preoccupied.
Zone short December day." he went ON
after pause, land every likely place al
ready explored twice over except the ouay.
wonder who the idiot was who first in
vented New Years gifts! Not ono Of my
ancestors, I'll engage. The Croix-Alartels
date from the Crusades, and dare say
have been guilty OF follies enough since
then, but I won't do them the injustice OF
surprising that they ever threw away more
money than they could possibly help"
With this comforting reflection the
baron took up his hat. gloves and cane
and sailed forth from his little apartment
In the Rue Godot on tho errand for which
he was bound
Our hero was a bachelor, not SO much
from choice as from his inability hitherto
to discover Il suitable party Tall. thin and
just turned fifty. he was sufficiently good
tempered when nothing occurred to put
him out OF humor, and as notorious a
1niscr as ever existed since the days OF
Harpagon and John Elves Without 90
ing so fur rs some of his particular friends,
Garvarni's famous type, the gentleman
qui coupait les lizards ell quatre, it NAV
safely be said that whenever he could in
dulBe in his favorito weakness without
compromising himself he invariably did
SO, and adhered strictly to the time hon
ored maxim of taking care of the pence
and letting the pounds take care OF them
selves.
But perhaps of all the disagreeahle ne
cessities to which he waS periodically COM
PEELED TO submit, the most obnoxious TO h;s
feelings was the obligation of complying
with the Ito him) utterly inexplics,l,le Gus
tom of celebrating tho advent of Ney
Years day by distribution OF etpennes;
drain on his purse which, although he
took care to coniine his liberality within
the narrowest limits was. even in its noti
lied form. inexpressibly painful to him.
Tho twenty franc piece he fels bound to
odfer his concierge caused him an annual
Iang, and the guordon OF two francs To the
waTter OF the little restaurant whore ho
was Ill the habit of dining when not in
vited elsewhere lay heavy ON his oonscience
even after appropriatinR TO his o<Yn uso-
which no one but himself ever dreamed N
doing-the cigar tied up with pink ribbon
presented to him AZ q reminder and in
tended by it's owner to be offered in turn to
every customer in the room.
These, however, were minor grievances
compared with what he was suffering on
the last day of the year of grace, 1874, and
only those who knew him could by any
possibility understand or appreciate his
mental perplexity ON the morning of his
introduction to tho reader.
In the course of the preceding six months
be had made the acquaintance of thv
Countess de FraDchimont, Belgian wild
ow with two daughters. who had re-
Gently settled in Paris, and was according
TO report, in possession of a handsome for
tune. Naturally partial to society when
it cost him nothing, he had by degrees be-
come habitual frequenter of her pretty
apartments in the Rue de Marignan, and
had established himself there to a certain
extent as / ami de Ia maison.
Whether he entertained any Interior
views respecting either mother or daugh-
tiers we are not In a position to state; il no
did he kept his own counsel. and all that
can be limited on the subject ia that he
might have done worse.
Nine de Franchimont was barely forty.
and did not look her age; as for Mile.
Berthe, the brunette, and Mile Louisa the
blond. they were both charming, and per
fectly aware OF the fact. In this pleasant
circle the baron soon made himself entirely
at home. When he did not dine there, and
we may be sure that he never refused An
invitation unless he had better one in
prospect, he generally dropped In OF an
evening, or occupied a spare scat in their
box at the opera
This continued intimacy, with its many
contingent advantages, be had hitherto
enjoyed without scruple; but the time was
ut hand when, in accordance with Partisan
ha t,,1; t,o
must be adequately returned. New Years
day was approaching with rapid strides.
and his offering on the occasion must, as
he dolefully acknowledged. be proportion
ately liberal.
For days and weeks he had wandered
from place to place like perturbed spirit
in quest OF some object suitable for his
purpose. He had dived into obscure pas-
sages and emerged at the other end with
the dlsheartening consciousness of failure
and had pored over the stock of half the
curiosity shops In the capital without I'M
earthing n single pearl of price within the
limits of his own. Bonbons were of
course out of the question. even if the
tariff OF Messrs. BOLSTER and Gouache per-
mitted such an investment of his money.
and as for jewelry, the bare idea made him
shudder.
In short, the worthy baron was at bis
wits end. and as last resource resolved
to explore the refuge Of the destitute, the
quay from the Pont Royal to the Pont
DIES Arts. whittier we may as we'll follow
him.
He had already exhausted the Quai Vol
taire and the Quai Malaquais. and was ON
the point OF retracing his steps, when the
recollection Of an old bric-a-brac establish
ment in the adjoining Rue de Seine struck
him as hitherto uninspected locality.
Taking therefore the turn opposite the
MaZarim library, be aneedily discoyared