The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-06-10

VVlWIIE y"SMA by the Authorl
! ! !: ! { = . ! ] ! !.
llH| 6S~S-ll G, NJ. Alphonse
80 N J. ssa3 EtahRIapN unknown, ex-
cept as the
poet of the Prunes, his first page of
prose appeared in the semi-weekly FL
garo, under the above title. This fanci-
ful sketch, in which can be found in
germ the style and manner of the mas
terly writer, and which opened the Sc
ries of Les Gueux de Provence, has
never been published in volume.
write this at the end of q long dor
mitory, on wretched table that the
kindness of one of the hall walters has
allowed me to put near my bed; the pu-
pills are asleep: it is dark and it is
damp; three little lamps are Pickering
in their places; from the four corners of
the great room rises sound of regular
breathing. with now and then snore,
or long drawn sigh.
Outside, a slight wintry wind is blow
ing, that brings me by whiffs the echo
of voices and of musical instruments.
There is a ball at the town hall, great
ball and u concert given by the gentle
men members of the Society of Saint
Vincent de Paul From my seat,
through the moist window panes and
the gratings l can see the guests pass
and repass, like black cuttings behind
an oiled paper. Monsieur, the princi-
pal, and madame, his wife, must be
there also. Brrou! 1t is awfully cold;
my feet are frozen and my throat is
parched: must go and refresh myself
at the fountain and walk up and down
awhile to get warm.
All! thrice accursed be the day when
/ entered the internal place; especially
as thousand other openings could
have been found for me! 1t is true that
have not u sou; yet how many, who
are no better off than l, have succeeded!
Margerot enlisted; Quarteron is study
ing law; PiradouX, the first scholar in
the class, plays on the flute most nasal
ly, and goes about with strolling COM
panies. Yet again, it is who am the
most to be pitied. Had l but entered
some great Lycee at Paris, or at Lyon,
~ WouiNt nave DCCu ulllcESLlU DuU 10.
must needs shut myself up at B. in
alittle collegiate school. Why did 1
not go to Timbuctoo at once? Or why
not have made myself an ignorantia
brother while was about it?
Good heavens, what an eXistence! I
am obliged to get up at four o'clock in
the morning, to go to bed much later
than the others, always to be on foot,
always with eyes and ears wide open,
forever scolding, calling loud, spying,
canting and correcting. If any pupil
blows his nose at the wrong moment,
or wishes to laugh inopportunely; if a
domestic passes the night out of the
house, or if a lamp has no wick; if |
find crust of bread in the courtyard,
or q bit of paper under table, must
at once take pen and write out q re-
port and denunciation.
This is the state to which / am re-
duced; !, who have always been called
frank, amiable and, in short, o good
fellow. All this, that at the end of each
month may receive forty-seven francs
and fifty centimes. 1t is true that am
lodged and fed; but SO poorly!
The boys are snoring like contra
basses; the wind glides through the
openings of the doors and strikes my
poor legs. The water of the fountain
is frozen. Oh! if had just few drops
of rum to warm my stomach little
l am up to my ears in debt, and
plunge deeper and deeper in that
trouble every day. Yesterday, oven, l
ordered a costume of my tailor; it was
foolish to do so, and almost robbery.
but how could do otherwise after tn /.
affront received the previous evening?
Our principal was going upstairs, hav-
ing on his arm the pretty wife of the
sous-prefee; i was behind them, tightly
buttoned up in my old jacket and stiff
as cane; l know not wat ridiculous
pride made me desirous to parade my
frisky figure and my quick movements,
but with bound Il rushed up three
steps at n time, with my hat in my
hand, rubbing against the wall, and
showing plainly, without wishing to do
SO, the white threads of my own shoulder
blades That evening NJ. the principal,
called me into his private room, and,
scrutinizing me from head to foot, told
me that was disgrace to his estab.
lishment, and that looked like a beg
gar. think he was, indeed, halt in
clined to offer me an old frockcoat that
he wore on rainy days The next
morning called ON the best tailor in
the town, and now have one more
great debt Oh, what miserable lifel
When can escape from 1t?
Hush! the door at the opposite end
Of the room has just been opened,
and it moves silently on it's oiled hinges.
It is the proctor, going on his rounds.
He advances on tiptoe, his feet covered
with heavy cloth shoes, like the oars of
smuggler. He has on his woollen
drawers and q knit waistcoat. Sol
emnly he carries a dark lantern, that he
turns quickly from bed TO bed, on the
right and on the left. His great,
twisted nose casts grotesque shadows on
the wall. ".Good evening. sir!" He goes
out without having answered me, the
old prig May the bony arms of his
wife lovingly encircle his neck and
strangle him, as If he We're mad dog.
Whether end my life or not in this
prison, l shall always remember the
evening / entered here. arrived ut
eight o'clock. On approaching the col
lege from the end of the street, heard
nasal voices singing, accompanied by
an organ. 1 remained two or three
minutes standing upon the upper step,
before i raised the heavy knoclser, look
ing up ard down the deserted street,
hraothiur In lon rr Il o,rht. - A. l-l