The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-04-12
A TALE or The STREET


bank on the Rue Laftte. Every morning,
very early, with the deep pockets of my
overcpat stuffed full of bread and sausage,
| left the Boulevard Mont Parnassc.
passed down the Rue dc Renncs. turned
to the left into the Rue de Regard.
crossed the rucs du Cherchc Midi and de.
Scvres. walked down the Rue dc Rac.
crossed the Place lu CarrousScl and
went in Il slanting direction across the
the Rue l.aiittc. And then came il rest
ing place. but not repose: a resting place.
but work, and dsagreeablc work, too.
Moreover. every morning ut the same
hour. prrttier and more graceful than
you have ever seen or imagined, IL young
girl went down from the BatignolleS. She
tripped down the whole length Of the
Rue \otre Dame de Lorette, passed the
church of the same name. crossed the Rue
dc Chateau-,lun, took that of Lafitte.
crossed the Boulevard dcs Italiens and.
Carroussel. admired the Seine from the
Pont Koyale and entered thus the ltue
de Bac in its upper portion.
Then Il halting place. but no rrpose.
She arrived at the confectionery where
she Was employed.
You have possibly already understood
that We happened to meet. this young
girl and l! And, mon Dieu, qu'clle etait.
jolie She was lis pretty and sweet as
could be. l may as well say suuarcly AMI
honestly that we met every morning with.
great regularity.
You will think ME a simplcton when l.
tell you that. having fallen in love with
this ravshing confectionery girl. | di,!
not oven pretend that l noticed her"
when we passed each other.
\ simpleton, then. l must appear. for
not only did l not dare to delight in gaz-
ing at her. except when | could see her
reflected in the mirror of the store Win
dows. but also when for Il brief moment
the hem of her skirts brushed past me,
and. like a light feather broom. swept
up the dust. l could not raise my eyes
from the cobble stones to her face for
one instant to see the color of her eyes
or the ribbon on her hair.
And for forty yards after she had
pessed me l walked on like a man in IL
dream, scarcely knowing where l was
going and seeing strai ght in front of me.
palpitating breast like an enormous pill
low that | had swallowed without masti
eating and which was suffocatng me.
However, in order to conceal my trepi-
tlation, used to whistle Il little hunting
air l knew, with my nose i'll the air.
Thus we passed every morning in 81
lencc, and this state of affairs would
certainly have continued indefinitely had
it not been for an exceptional occurrence.
This exceptional circumstance enabled
me to break through the attitude of re-
serve by S;H;mpe Him me to speak to this
En- effet it happened in this way.
''Pstt! he! mademoiselle! You have
dropped something's
1t was one of her gloves and it lay upon
the pavement behind her.
How kind Providence was to me that
day. | offer a prayer of gratitude to it
every time | recall the circumstance,
and | recall it very often!
The pretty girl stopped and turned
round. and 1 handed the glove to her.
She put out her dainty little hand toward
my clumsy paw. which. like the paw of
a bear that feared to burn itself by touch
ing hot chestnuts, nearly let the glove
fall in its nervousness
In fact, the girl was almost obliged to
catch the glove in the air to prevent it
falling again to the ground.
"Merci. Monsieur!'' she said in sill
very little voice and with a smle-oh,
such q smile!
She added:
''YOu are late this morning.
For l had forgotten to explain that
from the day when we first commenced to
make the daily journey over the same
route: though i'll opposite directions. with
the obligation of arriving at our destina-
tons at the same hour, it happened that
each one knew well enough exactly at
what point of the journey the other ought
to be-
If. for example. l passed the girl at
10 minutes to 8 O'Clock on the Quai IL
Orsay, l would say to myself: ''She will
arrive at the Rue du Bac at 8 o'clock
without hurrying, but / shall not reach
the Rue Lafitte by 8 o'clock, even if 1
run the whole way
Therefore it was she remarkcd:
You are late this morning.
Oh! those first words from the lips that
| loved!
! replied:
81 OVERSIGHT myself
She said: Il always leave puhctually at
Oc.ock: otherwise | cannot be there.
in time
| replied:
sometime l leave at il quarter past 8
and arrive at the bank ten minutes, late -
She made one more remark. 1t was:
"Oh! you should not"
Then she went.
A few days later l succeeded in having
another conversation. 1t was in the Rue
de kicheleu, on the corner of the Boulc-
ward, and it was SAB.
''Ah!' cried, this time am ahead of
time. 1t is you who are late
She was in too great Il hurry to stop.
She swept by me, contenting herself with
placing her lovely finger upon her throa,
and laughing.
Your cravat"'
1t was true; my necktie had become
unfastened. l had doubtless been walk
ing too fast or had dressed in too grea
a hurry. But what Il finger she had!
And what a throat! | was glad my neck
tic had become unfastened.
Our third interview was on that cclc>
brated day when l plucked up courage
| and said to her:
1T is really warm today
She replied with a beautiful smile:
Yes: but think it is going to rain
Without losing Il minute l discharged at
her this triumphant reply:
1T will cool the ARR
agreed with me by making Il little inc)i-
nation with her pretty head, and then
she hurried on.
But tho ice was broken, wasn't it?
Dating from this circumstance formed
the habit of getting up at daybrcak and
racing down the streets, so as to. NEE,
her at her own door and to go down the
MOliere fountain.
She no longer made me tremble now
only l was more in love with her than
ever.
l hope you will not be astonished be-
You'd measure if l inform you now that
this affair ended in our being married.
=
The custom among married people
being to live together. we had chosen al
| apartment, situated exactly halfway be-
| tween the Rue du Bac and the Rue
Lafitte, and the first thing we do every
| morning is to turn our backs upon eacl
other and go to our respective work
places. T.:
So it is that whereas we formerly usef
to meet every day ON the street, we nc
longer do 80.
But in the evenings she is mine alto
gether. this little con fectionery girl, ant
! though kings might long for her, I Il,
H Tren Intend to give her op'-from th|
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