Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-10-27
DOMINIC'S FEE.

Among the persons who were in the
habit of regularly frequenting the we'll
known Cafe de Foy in the Palais Royal,
in the year 49,, was little old man,
very carefully dressed, although his cos
tune constituted = real anachronism. His
head was enveloped in a warm Welsh
wig, with long, thick queue depending
from it, which appeared, when viewed
from behind, to resemble full-grown
cabbage, with the s,em still dangling
from its circumference. His pantaloons
were of black cloth, and were met mid
way down his stumpy legs by long Hes
sian boots, garnished with tassels, and
bright as the surface of polished mirror;
a long green waistcoat fell downward in
folds so as to cover III part round and
well-developcd paunch; loose and capa-
cious coat of a deep maroon color, dec
grated with large bright metal buttons,
and forcibly reminding one of the era of
the republic, hung ever the shoulders;
and hat, beveled off into a sugar-loaf
form, surmouutcd the wig, and completed
his e9uipnaont-----a-----
After ALL however, this costume was
nothing very extraordinary, or indeed
very different from that of the hun
dreds of Anticipated men who about
this epoch were to be seen swarming
forth in fine weather, like host of
innocent green frogs basking in the sun
after a spring shower The little old
man in question visited the Cafe de
Foy every morning precisely at one
o'clock, called for cup of coffee with
cream, and roll Of bread, which he
IL III
circular slices. 1t was necessary, how
ever, that this bread should be stale, and
as they knew the particular fancy of the
old gentleman in this respect, roll was
| carefully reserved for each days con-
sumption, and put aside for his break fast
the following morning. From this prac-
tice the old man became known among
the different walters by the sobriquet Of
"the man who always ate stale bread"
The old gentleman's state of existence
was so uniform, and his movements so
| regular, us to resemble in no small de-
gree, those of an automation. He en-
tered the cafe every morning without
looking to the right or the left, and pro-
cecded directly to little round table,
isolated and small, and for these reasons,
nearly always unoccupied. After being
served with his breakfast, he invariably
distracted two out of the five pieces OF
sugar which lay beside his cup, and con-
veyed them into the dexter pocket of his
green waistcoat; he next proceeded to
butter in succession each of the numer-
Gus morsels of bread, adding, il mis-
take not, precisely the same number OF
grains of salt to each, and then ate his
breakfast, cautiously abstaining from
looking at any of the journals or pcriodi-
calls.
Some of the ardent politicians who fire..
quented the place expressed establishment
and contempt mt this last habit, and re.
garded the little old man as very van
dial, careless of the honor and interests o
his country, The more judicious, anC
among them myself, were of different
opinion; we considered him, for pre-
cisely the same reasons, a very paragon
of prudence and wisdom. lnattentive tC
both parties, 1.-THE man who always ate
stale bread" pursued the quiet tenor O.
his way without change.
One day, toward the close OF the yea
49,, the old man quilted the cafe with
out paying for his breakfast; but.as IN
L ODotlNutlOu III ~ OViuSsy ~ "h
supposed that he had forgotten it, ant
would remember it the next morning
The coffee-house keeper, however, reck
oned without his host in this supposi
ton, for the next day. and the next dn.
and the next, 1.-The man who always at
stale bread" regularly pocketed his tw'
Jumps of sugar. beat his accustomed
march, pulled up his Hessian boots, ant
did all that he had been accustomed l.
do, with the exception of paying hi
bill.
! This change in his usual practice con
| tinued for q week, and at the end O
which time the proprietor of the coffee
house, ignorant OF the name or residenc
Of his debtor, determined upon present
Ing him with bill, the more especial
as the little man gave no explanation Q
his conduct, or made any allusion to thi
remarkable change in his ancient habits
Dominic, the chief waiter of the es
adjustment, had become accustomed {
the old man in consequence of the littl
trouble he gave, and his quiet and gent
demeanor. Dominic imagined, from th
circumstances of his not diminishing tn
expense of his breakfast, that the goo
pan was merely laboring under som
tsmporary embarrassment, so that, partl
! from calculation and partly from goo