Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-09-22
TIE CAPTAINS VICES.

S'NAAAs wv N<iAIkslASLlS anu ILL SS
wounds-installed himself when he was
retired on a pension, matters not. But
a house on the outskirts, where two
captive cows lowed and fowls and
ducks passed and repassed through the
gateway, he placed himself. 1t so hap
pened that it was a fixed habit of the
captain to spend much time at the
cafe. 1t was there that he satisfied at
the same time the three vices which
reigned supreme in his heart-tObacco.
abSinthe and cards. His first care after
having settled himself was, therefore.
to find an establishment which he could
frequent and there enjoy his favorite
pastime. So after having gone the
rounds of the village without finding
anything to suit him, he stopped at
last to regard with the eye of a connis-
seur the Cafe Prosper, situated at a
corner of The Place de Marche and the
Rue de IL Pavoisse. Eight days later
he became one of the pillars of the
Cafe Prosper.
Perfect happiness exists nowhere, and
Captain Mercadier, who believed that
he had found it at the cafe, soon re-
covered from his illusion.
For one thing, on Monday, the mar
ket day, the Cafe Prosper was unten-
antable. From early morning it was
overrun with truck peddlers, farmers,
and poultymen. Heavy men with
harsh voices, red necks, and great
whips in their hands, wearing blue
blOuses and otter skin caps, bargaining
over their cups, stamping their feet,
striking their fists, familiar with the
servant, and bungling at billiards..
Now, one Monday morning, when he
was resting quietly at home, being sure
that the cafe would be much too full
and busy, the mild radiance of the
autumn sun persuaded him to go
down and sit upon the stone seat by
the side of the house.
Depressed, and smoking a damp cigar,
he was sitting there when he saw COM
ing down the end of the street-which
was only a badly-paYed lane leading
out into the country a little girl of
or 10 driving before her a half-dozen
geese.
AS the captain looked carelessly at
the child he saw that she had a wood
en- leg. There was nothing fraternal in
the heart of the soldier. 1t was that
of a hardened bachelor.
But the sight of that particular in
trinity, which recalled to him the sad
spectacle of wounds and amputations,
touched on that account the old war
riOr. He almost felt a contraction at
the heart at the sight of that sorry lit
the creature half clothed in her latter
ed petticoats and old chemise bravely
running along behind her geese, her
bare foot in the dust and limping on
her ill-made wooden stump.
The geese recognizing their home
turned into the poultry yard, and the
little one was about to follow them
when the captain stopped her with the
question, '.Eh, little girl, what's your
name?'
''Pierette, monsieur; at your service"
she answered. lOollin at him with her
great black eyes and tossing her dis
ordered locks from her fOrhead. you
live in this house, then; [ haven't seen
you before"
Eyes, L know you pretty well though,
for I sleep under the stairs and you
wake me every evening when you
come home"
rs that so, my girl? Oh, well, I
must walk on my toes in the future.
Haw old are your
mine, monsieur, come All Saints
day"
rs the landlady here a relative of
yours?'
No, monsieur, am in service"
"And they give you?"
Soup and bed under the stairs"
''And how came you to be lame like
that, my poor little One?'
THE kick Of Il COW when [ was five"
"Have you a father or motherW
The child bluShed under the sunburn-
ed skin. II came from the Founding
hospital" she said briefly. Then with
an awkard courtesy she passed limp
ing into the house, and the captain
heard as she went away on the pave
ment of the court the hard humping
of the little wooden leg. The captain
then sought his dear cafe, and he saw
there such a mob of blue blouses and
he heard such a din Of laughter and
click Of billiard balls that he returned
home in a very bad humor.
Perhaps it was the first time that he
had spent several hours of the day in
his ND 1onI-o1 CT, hi
His bed curtains were the color of an
old pipe The fireplace was heaped
with old cigar stumps and one could
have written ones name in the dust on
the furniture must have a servant, -
he said. Then he thought of the little
lame girl. That's what I'll do. I'll
hire the next room; winter is coming
and the little thing will freeze under the
stairs. She will look after the clothes
and have my linen and keep the quart
erS clean"
But then a cloud arose across the
comfortable picture. The captain re-
membered that quarter-day was still
a long way off and that his amount at
the Cafe Prosper was assuming alarm
ing proportions. Not rich enough, -
he said to himself, "and in the mean
time they are robbing me down there.
Of that L am positive. Who know?
Perhaps 1 had better put the little one
in charge of the mess, soup or coffee
in the morning, stew at noon, and rag
out every evening campaign life, in
fact. / know all about it. Quite the
thing to try
And the captain tried it.