Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1896-11-13
A BookkeePQr.

II. "
ers his mouth with his muf,er ,bands
down his head, and thImsting bis
hands into his coat pockets Id sa3s o ~,
lor tne once, Whistllng ON the way.
Wllnout doubt, regular fog Not
80 very thick In the streets. becausa q,
tne neart or Parls, fog, like snow. does
NOT stay long. 1t Is pierced and torn
ny ,he many roofs, absorbed by the
Walls ana gradually loses itself in the
interior OF dwellings, even when the
Goors hre open, making the stair slip
perry ana the balusters moist. The
movement OF many vehicles and the
passing 10 ana ffo of the early crowd
DRIVEN out 20 work by the pressure of
poverty cut IL up, carry it away, dis
perse IT, dropping 1t on the clothes of
he once boys, wettlng the water
proofs or the shop girls and dimming
their thin, slcazy wells.
But at the docks, st1ll silent and do
serted, on the bridges. the shore ana
me river, 1t Is still dense, heavy
inlst, Opaque immovable, and the ris-
ihg sun, behind the church of Notre
4dhIe seems SHINING like night lamp
through furnished silver cover
Despite the wind and the mist our
Hood man Follows the docks. He could
easily take another road to reach his
once, put the docks have mysterious
attraction for him. He seems to take
pleasure In walking along the para
pets, In grazing the stone baIusters
bearing the elbow marks Of loungers.
~ that hour and in such weather
tnO Louhgefs are few-only here and
tnere DO we see a woman carving n
Dahset OF clothes leaning against the
pafapet, or some poor wretch resting
upou MS elbows and gazing into the
water with a weary look. Our good
man regards them little clOsely-the
water Is so conveniently near-and
tnefe seems ito be in his mind some
strange connecting thought as he looks
AT EAem and the river, The river is
not cheerful this morning; the fog.
mounting between its waves. seems to
deaden the surface. The black roofs
on the shore, with pipes jutting out
unevenly from the chin.neys, give q
dim reflection of fog and smoke. Our
good man does ut seem to find this at
all melancholy. He is thoroughly
drenched with the drizzle, but he
plods or with a pleasant smile at the
corner of his mouth.
toned to these foggy mornings on the
Seine. Besides, he knows that a little
distance farther on, at Ills office. he
will find snug, well lined foot-warnl-
or, good fire in his stove and warm
plate for his breakfast. These are the
joys of a bookkeeper-a prison-like
happiness known only to the poor,
Stunted creatures whose lives are
passed In dark corners.
Il must not forget to buy some ap-
plies" says our good man to himself /
from time to time. And he whistles |
sid hastens along. You have rarely |
gBen one hurry to his work more cheer
fully.
Docks, and still nothing but docks;
finally bridge, and we are behind the
Notre Dame. Here the fog Is much
more intense. 1t comes from three
points at once, almost blots out the
high towers Of the church and gathers
IN thick mass at the angles of the
bridge, as If striving to conceal some
thing.
Our good man stops He is at bis
Place of work. Dimly in the dark
shadows we can distinguish some
forms on the sidewalk, bending over
us, as If waiting for some one. And,
Euch like the vendors at the hospital
gates and public squares, they have
large fiat baskets filled with oranges,
apples and crackers.
All, the beautiful apples, fresh and
rosy In the mist!
Our good man fills his pockets. smil-
Ing at the applewoman, who shivers
with the cold, though her feet are en-
cNsed In foot-warmer Then he
pushes through the fog and touches a
door, opens it aud crosses small
court, where n cart is standing, with
the horse harnessed.
rs there anything for lis this morn
lrg?' he asks, as he passes along.
Yes. sir: and something very gen
teel too"
Then he quickly enters his office. 1t
.s very warm and comfortable there;
lie stove crackles in the corner, the
'oUt-Warmer is in its place, and his
armchair is waiting for him close up
o the window in a good light.
The fog makes a mellow curtain over
he window panes, giving mild and
inform light. Big ledgers with green
)acks are ranged in order on their
helves One would say n0tary's
'ffice and study.
Our good man breathes at case. He
8 at home. Before beginnins his work
W opens a large closet, lakes out
,air of heavy silk sleeves, which he
Iraws on carefully; also a little red
bate and some pieces of sugar. He
hen peels his apples with an air of )
abstraction. The fact Is one could
ardly find a more cheerful little office. !
etter lighted or arranged in such good ]
rder But, singularly enough, one !
ears the noise of water everywhere; =
. surrounds you, envelops you, very !,
luch as If you were in the cabin of a
teamer. t
Below you The Seine rolls and tum- i
les at the arches of the bridge, making !,
caps of foam at this point, always I
logged by floating debris. Even in :
le house itself, all around the Office, !
lere is noise of trickling water. {
know not why but the sound makes a
III shiver. 1t drops upon a hard Z
Irface and, rebounding falls upon {
road stone table. There are marble I
bles which make 1t seem still more i
Id '
What do they wash ut this strange r
undry? What ineffaceable stain? At D
mes, when the trickling and pattering q
sase, down below we hear the sound &
solitary drops of water, one by one, p
he snow in a thaw, or the beginning j
a shower. We might think the fog V
as condenslng, gathering upon the {
alls and continually dripping. 1t does t
It disturb our good man. He is entire v
taken up with his apples, which h
g beginning to steam in the little red s
a Re, giving out a faint perfume of Il
H. knd si10or and the pretty song n