Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-06-22
RESTITUTION.

| iourned, the Hon. M. Grandcadet, dep
uty for the Deux-G aronnes, took the ex-
press-free, thanks to his annual pass
and hied himself to feel the pulse of
public opinion i'll his native town.
Comfortably installed in a corner of
the carriage M. Grandcadet unfolded a
voluminous evening newspaper, very
erudite and ministerial, and edited in a
prose as heavy and depressing as virtue,
the Typography Of which had a grave
and puritanical air about it. The Pana-
ma neutrality-suspicious., as every one
knows, and exaggerated with SO much
malevolence by the enemies of the re-
public-was insultingly relegated to the
third page and reported and printed in
such small type as to be almost illegi-
bic. By contrast the columns Of this
austere organ were filled with foreign
politics, articles of palpitating interest,
which commenced in the following
terms: MATTERS are very serious in
Venezuela, - or else care the days of
the Tricoupis ministry counted?''
70 make a good impression on the
white mustached colonel, who sat oppo-
site to him TRANQUILITY reading La Co.
carde, M. Grandcadet did not lift his
eyes from the official sheet and appeared
to be deeply interested In the Hellenic
crisis and in the last dispatches from
Caracas. But in reality M. Grandcadet
was very much upset by the last turn
affairs had taken, and deep feeling of
anxiety possessed him.
His name bad not been mentioned
nothing, signed nothing Wonderful
thoughtfulness on his part But who
could answer for what might happen
later? Some Of these fine mornings
compromising paper might come to
light For, between ourselves, he had
handled his little Doodle in an honest,
honorable way among comrades, and he
had not thought much about the mat
ter Come, will allow my readers to
pass Judgment upon him. He was neu-
trail at the last appeal for funds. A
man of consideration, a rich banker.
whom he met very often in his political
circle, and with whom he was Oh very
good terms in fact, almost friend
opened his eyes, gave him to under
tand how opportune-shall [ say pa
triotic?-it was 10 vote favorably to the
emission. This man, who knew how to
live, who was a perfect gentleman, pro-
posed to HMM most delicate terms
to associate himself with the financial
operations in SUPPLEMENTARY
o.,o,1rl, yEho,, fl,o1,a Of
this great scheme-and promised him
some recompense in advance-to calm
his scruples-a percentage, mon Dieu,
not an enormous one, q miserable
check for 25, 900 francs. Do not gainsay
me; you would all have done the same
as M. Graiidcadet did. And I know
what you are going to say to me, 1.-THE
subscribers, what about them?" Listen
to reason. In case of success they would
have said nothing, for they would have
made q very advantageous investment
They were merely gamblers. Would
you know my way of thinking? Well,
the subscribers were Of no earthly ac-
count. Could Grandcadet divine that
this famous canal would never be cut
1uG Soy Ia UlluOS OClOIC lC
had realized some benefits from affairs
of the same kind, which had been more
CT less successful, and nobody had found
fault with him.
Well, frankly, with his hand on his
heart, he reproached himself for nothing.
And [ must confess it he did not believe
in this burst Of public indignation. That
was all humbug. 1t was easy to recog-
nize back Of all this indignation plot
of the old parties; the hands Of the
Comte de Paris and the Boulangists.
The president du conseil had said as
much to them. Happily he had been
there-he, Grandcadet-to defend the
menaced republic, and at the risk of his
life, if you please. To see him you
would not have thought him capable of
so much determination and character,
with his we'll trimmed whiskers and his
air of a country notary. But when he
was in danger Of being burned that was
another thing. Yes. if it was necessary
he would allow himself to be killed Oh
a barricade, and like the heroic Baudin
he would cry out ''Come and see how
Oii0 utOS IOf 20, UUU ITdllCS.
However, in spite of all these fine rea-
sonings the honorable deputy DIES Deux-
Garonnes was not easy i'll his mind.
"Suppose I try to rest a ~little,'' he
said to himself
He drew his travelling cap over his
ears, enveloped his limbs in rug, and
stretching himself on the seat was soon
sound asleep.
Then he had the nightmare. Was he
overtaken by remorss: For myself l
think he did wrong to eat that dish Of
"civet' at the station buffet. He should
have been mistrustlul of it. Evidently
lare did not agree with him.
His dreams were absurd.
At first he thought himself at home
opening his safe and finding that he
had been robbed; that instead Of fat
pocketbook Of dark green leather con
tanning all his valuable papers there
was nothing i'll the safe but all empty
WOODEN stocking. Then suddenly he was
transported to the chamber of deputies,
but he was alone iii his scat IN the de-
serted room, which was dimly lighted
by faint twilight. All tho desks were
locked, all the doors closed. No trace
Of anything human was to be seen, but
an enormous hat very high and shaped
like garden reservoir stood on the
presidents desk. Grandcadet gazea ut
it stupidity. All at once the monstrosi::y
became convulsed and commenced tc
volnit an innumerable quantity of little
squares Of white paper, on each Of which
the unfortunate deputy, endowed with
supernatural sight, could read the name
of his opponent at the last election. But
suddenly the hat collapsed like q gibbet,
the top lowered, the walls contracted,
and Grandcadet, overwhelmed with sur
prise and horror, found himself before the
court of assizes between two gendarmes
and recognized under the red sleeved
robes and gold braided caps Of the presi-
dent and two assistant judges his porter,
his hairdresser and his housekeeper at
Paris, all three ruined by the Panama
scheme. And the president rose, and in
deep voice read the following extraor-
binary sentence, which condemned NJ
Grandcadet, the ex-deputy, to gid the
Elffel tower at his own expense from
top to bottom in six months time and
then to be impaled Oh the lightning rod