Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-12-16
THE PEACHES.
BY ANDRE THEURIET.


" ERBELOT and I were college
chums, but after we struggled to-
gether through our bachots we lost
sight of one another until we met, 25
years later, at college banquet. 1t
was a commonplace function of the
hackneyed type; much tremendous
handshaking and boisterous recogni-
ton, remarks upon one another's looks
and fortunes. the usual solemn little
Grafton from the chairman, followed by
the customary toasts and the final
burst of student "reminiscences, CLOSED,
of course, by the enchantment distance
lends to the period of youth and san
guine hopes.
But a surprise awaited me in old Her
belot. He absolutely astounded me.
remembered him as a reserved, timid
young fellow, very slight and trim, ex-
actly the kind of youth to make his
way up in the Office where his people
placed him. Now there stood before
me "a sturdy, manly fellow, with
bronzed face and throat, keen eyes and
a loud, jolly voice that blurted out
whatever came uppermost. With his
Close-cut hair, his rough suit, his broad,
grizzly beard and his assured, free-and-
easy manners, there was not a remnant
of the clerk about him.
why" 1 exclaimed, whats the
meaning of it? Are you not in the Of
fee still?"
NO, no, my dear fellow" he an
swered; 81 am just an honest farmer.
I have a little place at Chanteraine,
about a mile and a half from here, a
nice enough little place, too, where /
sow wheat and manufacture a small
wine, that you shall taste when you
will come and see me-"
What" cried I, SIS it possible that
you, son and grandson Of men of the
robe. you, supposed to be the very type
of clerks, and born to make your way
in the world as one, have given up your
natural careers"
He nodded affirmatively, smiling and
twinkling with evident enjoyment OF
my surprise.
But" asked. tell me how it came
about?"
my dear fellow" he answered, SEN
tentiously, ''little causes have a way
occasionally of producing big effects;
two peaches did so for me-"
Two peaches?" cried, bewildt0ed.
Eyes, neither more nor less. And as
Il seems to interest you, will tell you
all about it if you will walk out to Chan
teraine with me after we have had some
coffee"
To this I agreed, and it was as we
sauntered along the canal that sultry
August afternoon, cigar in mouth, that
he told me his story.
"As you are aware" he began, office
life in our family is bred in the bone.
Nv father, clerk all his life, thought
IT incomparably the best of lives, and
when directly after I had mugged
through my baccalaureat, he showed me
into the Office where he had a berth
himself, made no objection. My ideas
uDop the matter were not very pro-
nounced, and 1 was quite ready to be-
Iieye that what had been good enough
for him and his father before him
would be good enough for me. 1t was
sure, at least. however slow.
AT first I was, of course, only a
supernumerary, but being steady,
handwriting sort of chap. and havin 6
early Rabibed proper notions of the re-
spect - clerk owes his superiors. 1 was
soon noticed by the chiefs and got a
rise. This was when was 25. really
think the head man in our department
had a fancy for me. At any rate, he
kept me always in his own room. and
the other chaps in the office all envied
me my luck and ehaffed me about the
rosy future when was to be top of
the tree. But I soon gave them reason
to change their opinion of me. mar
ried. and, not only that, 1 married a
girl who was pretty, loving, sweet, but