The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-10-20
LOSING HIS TROUT
Why He Fed It to the Charcoal
Burners Daughter.
"Scholastique."
IN. Sourdat." T"

functions TO his cook, Judge Sourda
crossed the chief street of Maryville
with alert steps ana gained the palai:
de justice, which was situated bach
of the Sous prefecture. Judge Sourdat
was about forty-five years of age
very active, notwithstanding a ten
dency to stoutness; square O,
shoulders, short in stature, with Z
Squeaking voice and q round, close
shaven head; eyes gray, clear and
hard under bushy eyebrows; a mouth
closely shut, with thin and BILE
lips; Drowned cheeks, surrounded
with whiskers badly trimmed; in fact,
one OF those mastif faces, of which
one says: He can't be good every
day" And surely he was not very
kind, and he boasted of it. A despot,
he used all of his little realm in the
palais. Hard as stone toward the
guilty, rough with the witnesses, ag-
| gressive with the advoca tes, he was q
Iveritable furnace who famed himself
constantly into glow. He was feared
like the fire, and he was loved very
| little.
| However, this man of iron had two
vulnerable sides. Firstly, he responded
to the pastoral name of Hemorin.
which exposed him to ridicule, and
secondly, he was a gourmand, and
| gave points to Brillat Savarin. His
gastronomy, which was profound. had
| become mania.
1t was he who imagined that to
| plunge shelltish into boiling water be-
fore cooking them in their ordinary
dressing gave them a richness and vel
vety SAVIOR particularly exquisite. On
the day when he taught that latest re-
finement to the priest of St Victor the
latter could not help bIushing. and
raising his puffy hands to heaven he
cried: Too muchl This is too much.
Judge Sourdat Assuredly it is per
mitted to taste with discretion the
good things which divine wisdom has
provided, but such sensuality as this
borders upon mortal sin, and you will
have to render account for it to the
good God"
To the scruples of the excellent
priest the judge responded with mis-
anthropic laugh. 1t was one of his
malign joys to expose his neighbors to
temptation, and this very morning the
priest was 20 breakfast with him, the
recorder being the only other guest.
Judge Sourdat had received the even
ing before a two-pound salmon trout
taken from the beautiful clear water
of the rocky Semois. 1t was his ia
yorite fish, and had fully occupied the
Of IL
demonstrated to the cook the superior
ity of quick boil to the slow cook
ing in Geneva or Holland sauce of the
books. The trout must be served cold
and in the seasoning in which it was
cooked
This was with him a principle as
well as dogma, as Indispensable as
an article of the penal code. He con-
tinued to repeat it to himself after |
having clothed himself in his obe and |
taken his seat, though he was turning !
over the leaves of document bearing
upon an important case now pending. |
This was criminal affair the dra-
matte details of which contrasted |
with the epicurian specula-
tions which persisted in haunting the
Uranium of Judge Sourdat
The case was thus: During the pre-
vious week at sunrise there had been
found in the thicket of a forest the
body of q gamekeeper, who had evil
IDENTIFY been assassinated and then con-
cealed among the bramble. of ditch.
1t was supposed that the crime had
been committed by some stroIling
poacher, but up to the present time
there had been elected no precise evil
dence and the witnesses examined had
only made the mystery deeper.
The murder had taken place near the
where charcoal burners were
1t work. The suspicious of the Judge
had, therefore, been directed toward
them The dispositions thus far had
that on the night of the muir
Ter these people had been absent from
heir shanty and the furnaces had re-
nIined in the care OF e young dsugh-
Ter of the charcoal burner.
Toward ten o'clock the door of his
"a binet opened. framing the cooked
lat and yellow shoulder belt of the
constable.
'Eh! well?" grunted the Judge
"Eh! well, judge, l cannot 6nd the |
,;rl. She has disappeared. The char
,oal burners pretend utter ignorance"
The Judge consulted his watch The
business was At a stsndstill: the case
ould not be called. and he wished to
rive a glance of oversight to the mat
ers of the dining-room before the ar
ival of his guests. He disrobed him
elf and hurried home.
The pleasant dining-room. bright
ned by the June sunshine, presented
most attractive aspect. with its
White woodwork, its gray curtains, its
Ugh stove of blue faience with its
marble top. and its round table COW
red with a dazzling white linen cloth,
pom which were placed three covers
trimmed.
This spectacle softened the iIl-huuor
f the judge, and he was calming lit
lie by little. while laying upon the sill
er salver dusty bottle of old croton, ,
7hen the hall door opened violently.
nd he heard in the vestibule a girls
oice, which cried: II tell you l wish 20
peak to the judge. He expects me"
What does this racket meau?"
rowled the Judge, sccwling. :
1t IS that little charcoal burner"