Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-09-02
VENDREDI SAINT.


"Bcokson, l pray you, tell mamma the
story Of your Able this evening as we are
alon But do not skip any of It. Tell It
ALL"
And after obeying mammals motion to
SIT nearer her armchair, as she was be-
ginning to be little hard Of hearing,
though she was loath to admit it. ho COM
menced:
After your war with the PrusslanI 1
was in Paris and remained there all
through the Commune, from the first gun
shots to tho devastation and ruin OF the
end. And this is how II came to pass: My
father. anxious that | should become a
good French scholar, had placed me, as
a boarder, Just after the signing OF peace,
at an institution presided over by priests
the Bourdaloue School. in tho Rue d'Assas.
near tho Luxembourg Gardens. Then he
started for California. to be gone for sew
eral months. all his business interests
being conferred there, My companions
called me Tho American There were
only twenty Of Us. all nearly the same age;
few of us-the larger boys-were about
II or 10.
ITO tell tho truth. we were not killed
with oyerworlS. There were no tasks to be
studied after school, or boys kept in for
imperfect lessons The days passed in
recreation, broken into by desultory studies
of half an hours duration, during which
We could read or draw maps with colored
pencils. My great forte was shading noun
thins. AT meal time we were allowed to
talk In low voice. and the kitchen was
not bad. In company with one of my littlo
friends we managed to escape the tedium
or the Hchoolroom very frequently, and
we reveled In tho pleasures of the lnfrm-
airy, which was presided over by Sister
Gracieuse, who fed us on cough drops
What games OF hide and seek and foot
ball we had In those daysl The professors
were not strict with US, and In order TO
be able to run with more freedom, as they
Joined us in our games. they tucked up
their long black skirts and disclosed their
black cotton hose, without the least shame
We laughed heartily at them. There was
one among them. Able Fontalne. whom we
never could catch. Ali those were indeed
good old tlmesi
But ono day n scholar was withdrawn
from school without warming; 1--WE left the
next day, twelve tho day after. II was
In reality case Of protect yourself as
best you could At the end OF a weel
only two remained-myseli and the son OF
a shipping merchant Then one afternoon
he, like the others, was called TO the mar
lor and taken away by gentleman. who
looked at his watch every 1--WE minutes as
though fearful OF missing the last train A
basgage-laden carrigge waited at the gate
for them. They hurried into 1t and / was
lott alone, Pardon mo II | lineer over
these trivial remembrnnces, but these i'm.
perishable utilities have remained So vivid
In my mind, so interviewer in this story
lhat l could not pass them by in silence
A profound melancholy enveluped the sfnntv
school and the silent corridors In fbe
study hall the ground glass window, were
straaked with the marks OF paper i,all-
and the dust-whltenod desks dIsagured
with penknlfe scratches.
Ihe large buildings. which had echoed
with shouts OF laughter few days before
reaemhled a war-depopulated fortress
can stun see the great oaken beams from
Mnieh the hnutted ropes, shrunken by rain.
hunS motionless, side by side. with Inc
melaneholy-looking trupozes In the nlav-
kround' Since the dornituries had been
IooNe1 up l mad slept in little closet
opening on Abba Blau's hodchanber. f1ns
after another the priests, CARVING small
hand satcheis, had deserted us: Monsieur
the superior; the First Preset no mr.,
rlan ana the steward: every one In fact
NO one was lot IN charge Of the boardinr
school but Able Blau. director OF studies
AFTER letting me sleep until 6'olocl, ey-
cry morning be would come to the side n,
my cot. pun on the covers. toss mn nv
bolster and IN his Jolly yoIce cry w, on, ny my
Dec Gratlasl Got up. law bonesr
He had not delayed changinr bis a..
sock for civil garments. which he WIN,
without the slightest awkwarine.s. ~
darE brown suit, larse-brimmed. saft
Y. KY, nat enc dark blue cravat We're his
full vlgor Of his thirty years. his she-,
mustaohe and his hair worn o,tife inn.
under his hat you would have sworn y,
was some say young rake, down from ~,
helshts % Vausirad, seeking 70 make an
impression on susceptible hoarla We Were
custom ourselves to the strange sl-hts a.
the streets. AZ every step We jostles