The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-10-24

o'clock they ceased Soon afterward he
heard mans step descend the stair
case passing his door.
The chain of sleep having been thus
rudeiy broken, it was three good hours
before he rejoined its disrupted links
He awoke at about in the morning,
full of indignant protest Finding the
landlady below stairs, he poured upon
her a torreut of reproaches. Was it for
this that she had accepted his advance
payment? Had she not assured him that
his lodings should be quiet? Of course,
all the while, she knew of these two
owls up stairs, these midnight cats,
with their bass and treble miaulings!
And the piano, too-a ramshackle thing
at best Was this honest dealing? Was
1t not shameless deceit?"
But the landlady could now afford to
be trif1e naughty. Had she not those
preparatory francs tightly clutchedP
Monsieur is unjust to me, ma foil T.
supposed that he would be fast asleep
when they began. The young man never
comes till midnight. "
Duroc gave groan and swept past
his hostess He hated all chicanery,
and he resolved forthwith to quit the
lodgings Then his wound ranked.
Those few extra francs were nothing,
but the cool imposition of it ALL
He would remain for one day more
and night at least. If the tira- liras
again woke him, as of course they could
not fail to do, he would make of these
nocturnal nuisances an emphatic re-
quest to keep silent This would be
wreaking a kind of vengeance on his
landlady, for neither would she relish
having her duplicity publicly disclosed
nor would the fair repute of her inn be
thereby enhanced.
Perhaps, after all, though, " unused
Duroc, 81 shall sleep through the clam
ors of tonight. II not, farewell forever
to Nine. Toudouche
At 10 that evening Duroc assembled
his staircase with the intention of re-
firing. Scarcely had he closed his door
when madame's somewhat plaintive
voice caused him to reopen it.
81 am so sorry it has happened, mon
sieur. OF course | realized that mon
sieur has been perfectly right. l have
not an idea who she is. Apparently,
however, she is very poor. That touched
my heart. And Nine Toudouche made
the motion of widing away tear.
"She says the gentleman is her brother.
She pays very little for the room. The
piano is her own. She had it brought
up herself And now, M. Duroc, have
come to assure you that you need only
command and will obey"
Command? Obey, Nine Toudou-
che2'
Eyes, monsieur. 1t is affreux that
you should be kept awake like this. l
will tell the young girl when she comes
tonight that l shall require Of her no
further pay and that she must at once
cease from these disturbing practices.
what poor little handful Of sous
that pay must beP' thought Duroc,
with irrepressible cynicism.
Somehow, after the landlady had do
parted and while fiinging himself into
the only easy chair that his room con-
tanned, a twinge of conscience assailed
him. Might he not, after all, be thWart-
ing some purpose Of self support on the
part of this girl-just referred to as pos
sibly very poor? There might be cogent
reasons why she should hold with her
brother these weird concerts. well, no
matter what happens tonight, " he med
itated, Il will endure it. And tomor-
row, if have been annoyed as was
last night, can make a change of quar-
tiers. Meanwhile, the most merciful plan
is to see Nine. ToudouGhe at once and
tell her that she must restrain her veto;
that it is my earnest wish. ="
But soon, as it happened, drowsi-
ness overlook him and ho fell asleep
there in the armchair. He was a man
in perfect health, but for many past
days he had been constitutionally tired
by peculiar pressure of work.
Weakening abruptly after what he felt
to have been long and wholly unfore
seen nap, he heard the piano banging up
stairs and the tira- liras blent with its
notes.
Rubbing his eyes, he laughed aloud
tits hard to be charitable, he NUT
tered. "How strange l should have
fallen asleep like thisl suppose it's
my broken rest of last night
He rose, with the immediate design
of disrobing. All at once the sounds
ceased. Then came another noise-that
of voices He opened his door and went
out into the hall.
/ Up stairs Nine. Toudouche was vehe-
mently talking. II meant to wait up
for you and tell you, mademoiselle, but
was too fatigued and lost myself in
long doze. Now must insist that
you stop your singing and playing at
this unseemly hour-you and the young
man whom you call your brother"
HE is my brother, Nine. Toudouche,
just as l have said. -
eyes, madame, she is my sister.
well, can't help that. The gentle
man down stairs will not stand it, and
he is perfectly right. p
Duroc listened no longer. He mount
ed briskly the steps leading to the upper
hall. There he saw in dimness three
figures.
"Ah, NJ. Duroc, exclaimed the land
lady, cts you'll Of course you have
been distressed again by this wretched