The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-18

! that am Simon Grabot, and have the honor
10 be Mayor Of BottitOrt."
yes, I; though. perhaps. unworthy"
I looked 20 see an explosion, but the Mayor
why. You swindling impostor," he said. with
something that was almost admiration in bis
king Of cosenersI But for all that. let me tell
ECou 10Y have .m e he: S, the " wrR Pns, role this 4. time InrS
man whose name you have tskenl"
Pierre stared az him in composed silence.
he mad I" he said in a low voice. The grave man
The Mayor heard and saw. and, getting no
other answer, began TO tremble between passion
and = natural, though il-dehned misgiying,
siI LOOKED az klEm OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES wen
calculated TO produce, Ma \" he cried: No.
La Font with a gesture in which appeal and I'M
patience were curiously blended. do you know
M. Grabot? Certainty he answered. with
out blushlng, " and have these ten years"
Mayor N%p re sSa he jaw falling iSdicrous si,e pour
"Certainly. WHO should he beH' u.
The Mayor looked round hin, sudden beads Of
",,Ion are all in it. Here. you, do you know
La Trape, to. whom he addressed himself,
shrugged his shoulders. II should" he said.
The Mayor lie pretty well known about here
The Mayor
Pint NJ the Mayor.1" Grabot answered.
manner. Don't you know me. my friend p
- never saw you before. to my knowledge,
know this country pretty, we'll / should link
that you have been crossing 81. Brieuc's brook,
and forgotten to cay YOUR"
"Hush!" the stout player interposed with
some sharpness. Let him alone. God knows
thai such a thing may, happen to the best Of u.s.
sir he said almost humbly. addressing the
last speaker, =" seem to know your voice. Your
."Fracasse," he answered pleasantly. IL am
'"Sou-Fracasse, Mayor Of Col ?" Grabot ex-
claimed between rage and terror. But Fra
casse is a tall man. l know him as well as I
know my BROTHER
The pseudo Fracnsse smiled. but did not con-
trndict him.
The Mayor wiped the moisture from his brow.
He had all the characteristic Of an obstinate
man; but IL there is one thing which | have
il is that no one can resist the atemen OF his
fellows. So much, I verify believe, Is the case.
eleventh will presently be BROUGHT into their
opinion. Besides. the Mayor had a currish look,
he looked piteously from one TO another OF US.
and flebby, and he was on the point Of whimpcr-
ing, when at the last moment he bethought him
sudden tbsnEfnIness. why, Jehan. man. /
had f%orsottsn you" he said. Are these men
ludicrous bewildernent; Dol, master. l don't
kn Put h Z s s1s' @yseif !So sSe M ais of's Cried, in .
most ridiculous tone Of remonssrance..
IT do believe that there I. a change in YOU. /
never saw you look the like before. And I never
iSid s sny S 3 s,fssSi Ho! " %'S %F.s I t Msr eo Ss
home. And there, for all know. my wife has
HI began to bIubber at this: which to us wa,
the most ludicrous Thought, so that it was all
we could do TO restrain our laughter, But the
our steady persistence in our story. and as.
founded by our want OF respect, the detection Of
wildly about him for a moment, he fairly turned
tail, and sat down on an old box by the door;
out before him with such an expression OF chap
fallen bewilderment as nearly discovered our
Still he was not persuaded; for from time to
time he reused himself and, lifting his head.
t tsst s sqspiislSu wE EtaH We're at ho Uu in ptaS, sElr: e sns ahs
played their parts with SO much craft and deli
cacy. and with such an infnity Of humor be;
thing Of local affairs, and called one another
catching his ear. made the wretched man every
fvse Mayor toid-snd which. IT appeared,
~ round the real M.yor: stock s snss:
pended upon IL, and when he heard the we'll
known ending. uttered, doubtless, In something
man who had no longer faith in anything.
Presently. however. anefforto OF common sense
S SGqhl head ss 81. eS Sisp grow i sTis fGE' .d Ms GGn,d Of 1' II:
old pugnacity would come back TO him. He
would appearIthis more than once-to be on
we're AS skilfully mst a. they were
easily detected; and, as the rogues had invaria-
bewilderment, while it well nigh killed US with
stiied mirth, they only gave ever new point to
This, to. be brief. was carried on until I re-
tired and probably the two strollers would have
he was himself, which they had lodged in the
Mayors mind, had not at last spurred. him
rankle intolerably, / suppose. he sprang up on a
sudden, dragged the door open. darted out with
in The darkness of the moor.
When rose in the morning. therefore. I found
s si% s wifs s shs i%Ss ep siri ISS ssMeen T ism9: AMID and t n.
proaches. could not but feel, on my part. that
had somewhat stopped In the night diversion;
trait in the strollers' conduct recon-
ciled me "a this odd experience. They proposed
they cam 10 me and set before me very ingenu-
ously that the woman Of the house might suffer
they would subscribe two crowns so that she
might have a substantial sum TO offer on account
OF their capital. and judged for other reasons
that the offer was genuine. | received IL in the
less pleasant than their fOolery. / handed over |
three crowns for our share, and on that we
TO their backs, and / waited somewhat impa-
tiently for La Traps and the Breton To bring
Before these appeared. however. La Font, who
at the door, cried out that the two players
were coming back and going 10 the window I 7
saw with astonishment a whole trnOp, some 4
mounted and some on foot, hurrying down the /
hill after them. For a moment | felt some :
alarm, supposing IL to be a scheme of EpernOn's {
10 seize my person; and ! cursed the impru- Z
tence which had led me to expose myself in {
this solitary place. But a second glance show I
ng me that the Mayor OF BOttitort was among 4
The foremost. / repented almost as seriously ~
he unlucky trining that had landed me in this =
foolish plight.
| even debated whether | should mount and, /
4 II were possible, get clear before they arrived; 4
the rueful faces of the two players as they u
appeared 6reathless. In the doorway, and the
liking | had taken for the rascals, decided me s
% stand my ground "Whst is II 2" | said. 2
The Mayor, monsieur" Phlllibert answered. {
while Pierre pursed up his lips with gloomy II
yravity. Il fear N will not stop at the stocks N
his time" the rogue continued with a grlmace. S
His comrade muttered something about a roll n
md a FOOLS back but VI. GrabOt's entrance cut
lis witticism short, The Mayor, between shame 4
md rage and the qualification OF his revenge, \
light OF us opened IRE. A NJ. de Col; We h