Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-09-29

child, where children are numbered by the
dozen to every house. He came at last to
house unlike the others, in that it was of
stone and larger. He leaned for moment
over the gate and looked through a window
into n room, where the avocat sat propped
up with cushions in a great chair, staring
gloomly at two candles that burned on the
table before him. Medallion watched him
for IA long time. The avocat never changed
his position. He only stared at the candle
and once or twice his lips moved
A woman came in and put steaming
bowl before him and laid a pipe and
matches beside the bowl. She was a very
= tie thin, old woman, quick and quiet
and watchful-hs housekeeper. The avo
cat took no notice of her. She looked at
him several times anXously and passed
nervousy back and forth behind him rs
hen moves up and down the flank of her
brood All at once she stopped. Her
small white fingers, with their large rheu-
matte knuckles, lay fiat on her lips as she
stood for an instant musing Then she
trotted lilhtly to bureau, got pen and
paper and ink, reached down "A bunch of
keys from the mantel and came and put
them all beside the bowl and pipe.
Still the avocat did not stir or show that
he recognized her. She went to the door,
turned and looked back, her fingers again
at her lips, then slowly sdled out of the
room. 1t was long before the avocat
moved. His eyes had not wavered from
the space between the candies At last,
however, he glanced down. His eye caught
the bowl, then the pipe. He reached out
slow hand for the pipe and was taking it
up when his glance fell on the keys and
the writing material. He put the pipe
down, looked up at the door through which
the little old woman had gone, gazed round
the room, took up the keys, but soon put
them down again with a sigh and settled
back in his chair. Now his gaze alternated
between that long lane, sloping into the
shadow between the candles and the keys.
Medallion threw a leg over the fence and
came in n few steps to the door He opened
it quietly and entered. In the dark he felt
his way along the wall to the door of the
avocat's room, opened it and thrust in his
ungainly, whimsical face.
Hal" he laughed, with quick winkng
eyes. Evening, Garon. Live the Code
Napoleon! Pipes for two"
A change came slowly over the avocat
His eyes drew away from that vista be
tween the candles, and the strange, distant
look faded out of them.
Great is the Code Napoleon" he said
friend, Medallionr
His first words were the answer to n
formula which always passed between
them on meeting. AS soon as Garon had
said them Medalion's lanky body followed
his face, and in n moment he had the avo-
cats hand in his, swallowing it, of purpose
crushing it, so that NJ. Garon walked up
smartly and gave his visitor pensive
smile. Medallion's cheerful, nervous vital
ity seldom failed to inspire whom he chose
to inspire with something of his own life
and cheerfulness. He had never been sea
sick, slept like a top, as he said, and was
certain he had no liver, In few moments
both the avocat and himself were smoking
and the contents of the steaming bowl were
divided between them. Medallion talked
on many things
The little old hOusekeeper came in, chirp-
ed a soft good evening" flashed small
thankful smile at Medallion and after re-
newing the bowl and lighting two more
tall candles disappeared. Medallion began
with the parish, passed to the law, from
the law to Napoleon, from Napoleon to
France and from France to the world draw
ing out from the avocat something of his
old vivacity and fire. At last Medallion,
seeing that the time was ripe, turned his
glass round mus;ngly in his fingers before
him and hummed a song of the voyageurs
which became more and more distinct tin
the verse came out soft and rich and full:
"What is there like to the cry of the bird
That sings in its nest in the lilac tree?
A voice the sweetest you ever have heard;
1t is there, it is here, ci. ci.
1t is there, it is here, it must roam and roam
And wander from shore to shore
TIL 20 forth and bring it home
And enter and close my door.
Row along, row along home, CT, ci.
When Medallion had finished singing the
first verse, he waited but the avocat said
nothing. His eyes were now fastened again
on that avenue between the candles leading
out into the immortal part of hm--his
past. He was busy with life that had
once been spent in the fields of Fontaine-
bleau and the shadow of the Pantheon.
Medallion continued;
"What is there like the laughing star
Far up from the lilac tree?
A facet that's bright and finer far,
1t laughs and it shines, ci, Gil
| 1t laughs and 1t shines, it must roam and roam
And travel from shore to shore
Till go forth and bring it home
And house it within my door.
Row along, row along home, CT, cir"
When Medallion had finished, he raised
his glass and said, "Garon, drink to home
and woman"
He waited. The avocat' eyes drew away
from the others again, and he came to his
feet suddenly swaying slightly as he did
so. He caught up glass, and lifting it
said, II drink to home and''-a little cold
burst of laughter came from him; he threw
his head back with something like dsdain
land the Code Napoleonl"
Then he put the glass down without
drinking, wheeled back and dropped into
his chair. Presently he got up, took his
keys, went over, opened the bureau and
brought back a well worn notebook, which
looked like a diary. He seemed to have
forgotten Medallion's presence, but it was
not so. He had reached the moment of
disclosure which comes to every man, no
matter how secretive, when he must tell
what is on his mind or die. He opened the
book with trembling fingers, took a pen
and wrote, at first slowly, while Medallion
smoked.
SEPT. ID, ls15.-It Is five and twenty years
ago today-Mon Dieu, how we danced that
;.-I,t sIo DO, -