Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-10-26
THE BROKEN CHAIR.

Jacques climbed rapidly the five flights
If stairs which led to his room The ascent
made, he stopped moment on the last
landing. From this landing opened two
loors, one at the right hand, one at the
left. He took key from his pocket, looked
! long time at the door on the right, ut
tered great sigh, then opened the door
1T the left. He turned his head, looked
again at the right hand door, uttered
second great sigh, and entered his own
apartment.
Once there he DOTTED his coat, put away
bis bundles took chair, placed it against
the wall and himself astride Of it, lighted
q cigar, and, remaining thus, watched the
little rings of smoke ascend to the ceiling,
while every five minutes he pressed his
ear to the partition.
He stayed there for a half hour or so,
smoking several cigarettes and pressing
his ear several times to the wall. AT last
his face, till then dull and melancholy,
took on an expression of joy. Some one
was moving on tho other side.
"She has returned!' he exclaimed.
In a moment there was heard the noise
Of chairs and dishes.
''She is going to diner' cried jacques,
and he pressed his ear still closer to the
partition, trying to follow the least move
ment of his neighbor. He was not able
to see her, but he was happy to hear her,
to be near her
TO see her no morel That was great
grief to Jacques Formerly he had seen
her often.
He made plans to meet her on the stair
way. For that he would remain in the
street whole hours together. Then, when
he perceived her afar off, he would come
back, mount few flights in order to give
her time to arrive, and Immediately de-
scending, as if by accident, would have the
Joy of single look in her face.
But he always felt so troubled to see her
pass before him, SO grave and so reserved,
that he saluted her more awkwardly than
the most awkward schoolboy and lowered
his eyes without daring to raise them.
He had tried hard to be less timid, had
practiced graceful salutations, invented
prctexts for conversation, imagined wise
remarks, but all this forethought was in
vain. Each time that the adored being
passed Jacques saluted her more awk-
wardly, Once he even let fall his hat.
Then despairing Of conquering his embar-
rassment and timidity and trembling lest
he should make bad impression upon
her he had renowned seeing her. "For,
he thought, 'what if should happen not
to please her! 1t is better not to sec her
than to displease her."
jacques had arranged his lifo thus, tax
ing care never to go out or come in at the
same time as his neighbor. And he con-
tented himself with living beside her and
near her without her having the least
suspicion of his existence.
without being able to SEQ her he was
nevertheless acquainted with her.
She was named Charlotte. She worked
by the day, setting forth early in the
morning and returning late In the even
ing. And she was honest. Oh, yes, very
honest and hardworking, for very far into
the night she occupied herself with the
needle.
Jacques felt himself filled with admira-
ton for this bravo and beautiful girl, who
alone in the world-she was certainly
alone, for she never received any visits
knew SO well how to resist the temptations
which befall ono SO young and fair.
She had come to the house the year be-
fore. The first time jacques had seen her
no noticed that she was pretty-that was
all. At first he had given little attention
to her. His love for her had come to him
little by little, her attraction for him fore
ing its way, so TO speak, through the par
tition.
The thought came to him late at night
when he entered his home, II wonder ii
she has retired" and when coming out
carly in the morning he thought, u won
der if sho is awake" Little by little the
thought Of the morning became bound
without interruption to the thought Of
the evening. 1t became tho thought OF
his entire life. Jacques was now well es-
tablished in his affection for Charlotte.
He adored her, and be knew that he should
adore her always.
II she had permitted him to speak to
her, or If he had had courage to speak to
her, his declaration and his confession OF
faith would not have been long. 1t would
have been this only:
"Madcmoiselle, love you. viii you be
my wifef"
But, nlas, to offer ones hand to wom-
an it is necessary to have something with
in 1t, and Jacques had nothing. He was
a painter-one of those artists rich in
hopes only, who intended to have some
day his hotel In Monceau park, but now
his canyases did not SELL and during these
later days not a single purchaser or pre-
MUM had happened his way, 80 that tho
poor boy had been obliged to pawn for his
rent his few furnishings till there remain
ed, except his bed, only one poor cane seat
cd ehair-a chair so old, SO broken, so tot
tering, 1t was miracle that it could hold
itself together with him astride II.
Jacques was always there astride Of his
old chair trying to trace through the thin
partition the goings and comings Of his
pretty neighbor. As the blind by touch
alone gain an adequate knowledge Of tho
form Of objects, the young artist by the
rustling Of Charlotte's dress against the
furniture, by the distance and approach
Of her step. by her silence even, had arriv-
cd at a sense of seeing her which was al-
most as good as visit with her face to
face. "Now she 10 setting the table. ?"
"She dimes" "She has finished now. "
''She Is sitting down." ''She sews."
Sometimes always on horseback In his
chair, his observatory, as he called 1t,
he would shut his eyes and commence to
dream.
"Of what does she Think Does she Inn
agine that / am heret II she only knew
how love heri'
He was tempted to make noiss, to call
attention to himself by some folly, but
the fear Of her displeasure restrained him.
He preferred that no one should know
how he loved her rather than to know
himself that he had forever lost her.
He built romances also. ut ~ impoa.