The morning times., 1896-03-08
Th6 Story
Of a POfatO.

vi q TUEQEU.
| m m LIE. AGLAE, q miiner by trade
| llNIIl was sitting one fine Sunday
| Ii w Ii morning by theopen window peel
ing potatoes. The window was
on the fifth floor and looked out on the
| Rue Lepic. Suddenly one Of the potatoes
! slipped through her fingers, dropped over
the edge of the window sill and disappeared
into space. 1t fell with bang upon a
| gentleman who was passing beneath, and
made deep dent in his elegant silk hat.
! This gentleman who had only just been
! to pay a bill at his @hater's, was seized
with sudden and uncomfortable fury.
He glanced up at the house, and, seeing
! a window on the fifth story shut down
hurriedly with bang, he forgot everything
in his rage and made a rush for the front
| door, opened it, tore through IL and ran
precipitately up stairs, with no other inten-
liun lhan making the guilty person suffer
| for his clumsiness.
1t took him but two seconds 10 reach the
landing on the second floor, when door
suddenly opened and a person rushed out
in great hurry and fell heavily into his
arms.
/
ment with angry and astonished looks,
ready TO abuse each other when both stimuli
| taneously uttered an exclamation or sur
! prise.
"Anatoler'
| "Edgarn'
| Anaiole Baudruchc and Edgar Bricheton
were two Old college ChumS. They had not
met since the day when they took their
/ -,
before In spite of this long interval in their
| intercourse they found on The occasion of
this sudden meeting that they had very
little ready change of conversation. Edgar
was the first to speak:
Say, your hat looks very pretty he
| said.
do not speak OF it. 1t has just served
as a target for a potato that fell from the
| fifth story
And now you are going upstairs to re-
| store the potato to its owner? That's very
nice OF you
Not by any means! I'm goiI-- to charge
the clumsy devil with his crimc-try to
make him pay for a new hat
wei. so far as that is concerned, you
might as well ackle a corpse
And why. if you please"
Because old Bidoche is an old hedge
hog WHO will kick YOU downstairs, even if
he opens the door for you at an
"Old Bidoche?''
Yes, the man you are after, for II can
be no other than he. All the tenants in the
building are always having trouble with
| him. One might think that he made a point
| OF being as disagreeable to everyone Us he
possibly can"
Then 10 you live in this house?"
mo, but an aunt of mine does, and
scarcely day passes without her having
a scrap with old Bidoche If you viii allow
me, | will go up with you; Two heads are
better than one in a matter like this"
! So Edgar and Anatole went up three
flights togethery ana stopped outside a
door through which came softly the sound
of a melodious musical instrument.
This is the room," said Edgar.
Hes practicing on his baSsoon."
With these words he pulled The bell and
the bassoon suddenly ceased. Then the
shuffling of feet was heard along the
| floor, the door opened, aud there, framed
in the doorway, stood little old man, with
! benevolent smiling face and large-sized
bassoon resting across his arm.
What do the gentlemen desirc?" asked
the little old man.
| M. Bidoche," replied Edgar.
Yes. the wretChed Bidoche,' added
Anatole, shaking his ruined hat in one hand
ana with the other placing the potato on
| he top OF the musicians nose.
m. Bidoche?" replied the old man po-
litely. Il do not know him. l never heard
| of him.
What's that? What's that?'' cried Ed
gar. Are you trying TO deceive rs?''
Not at all answered the old man
quietly. There must be some mistake some
where. Ny name is MoIesquin. / am tne
sole basso in the orchestra of the Theater
des Gobelins, and moved in this morning."
Then continued Anatolc, you are
! not the man who threw this potato on my
hat?''
Il only eat green vegetables" answered
Molesqun. Nevertheless, if the gentle
men will come in for a short while | viii
! play them my part in the Tour dc NcsleS.'
There are some interesting passages in it"
Anatole and Edgar did not ike 10 re-
! fuse, and went into the old musicians
room. Molcsquin gave them a seat and
| some cigarettes and then, going up to tie
| stand he played through for their benefit
| lilC WuOlC VI luC IIIsl DdSSOOh pdil III bHI
Tour de Nesles."
Edgar made a brave face over it, while
Anatolc sat in the window with his potato
in his hand, scarcely able TO contain his
patience.
Suddenly the musician struck false
note. 1t increased Anatole's impatience
so much that he gave a jump, and i'll doing
so allowed the potato TO slip from his
fingers. 1t rolled over the window sill,
and, with a Top, disappeared i'll the street
below.
When Mile. Aglae dropped her potato
into the street she was overcome with
fear. She hurriedly shut the window so
that IN case there had been an accident
no one would suspect her. Then she sat
down and quietly waited the turn of events.
| What, then, was her terror when she heard
steps coming up her staiTs-the steps of
men, of two men, heavy and loud.
They're policemen she thought, and
at the thought her little heart began to
beat more quickly while cold perspiration
broke out on her pretty white shoulders.
| But just when she expected to hear
the mems cruel fists knocking at the door
of her little room her face suddenly resumed
| its calm and peaceful expression.
Still she was afraid to move for some
time, fearing, with logical mind, that
when the police found that the tenants next
door were innocent they would come in
and accuse her. After some moments,
however, she gained enough courage to
conceal the basket of potatoes which must
otherwise have appeared so much against
| her, ana forced herself TO put on an innocent
| expression with which 10 meet the police.
After waiting a little longer and hearing
no noise of steps, but only the bassoou, she