Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1898-06-17
A SIGNATURE.

Il was nbout 10 days ago, ut the
country home of Brignac, ON M OF
those exquisite afternoons when, al
though one shivers at the thought of the
approaching autumn, the sur throws
hore and there mild though already
paler rays.
While awaiting the hour for taking
up the nets in the pretty bend of the
Marine, n river which loiters i~ndolently
along the meadows. winding like a
great silver snake, we were talking on
tho wide veranda, which was filled with
the heavy, intoxicating odor of hello
tropes.
y charming man is Brignao. Former
ly an officer in the light cavalry, be is a
man Of majestic chest. large face, a
triflo too flushed, with an immense
white beard and square features. Born
at that period when the empire was at
its height, he had taken pleasure as it
came to him, and it must be said that
the advent of the republic seemed to
him an insufficient reason for enoun
ing the pleasures of this world. He
amused himself under NJ. Theirs, under
MacMahon and ever under NJ. Grevy.
1t was only seven years ago that the
govt thought best to interfere. Brignac
was then-but why disclose tho age Of
u gallant man whose friendship is true
and whose cook is without equal? He
was advised to try tho baths. II was
there, near q spring. whence bubbled
a., h,e 1t,,,sI .~Hf,b eH,,1IoA ill., N
bad egg, that he met a young English
girl, straight and slender as a pretty
bamboo stalk. He had still a gallant
air and quite "A fortune, she very little.
The next winter tho pretty English
woman married the former cavalry off
Ger. They have one child. They are
happy.
Only, Brignao has aged a great deal
and has become horribly serious. He is
II good comrado for me. He gave me
when l was very young that practical
advice which is never forgotten, and !
nm happy from time to time to be with
him-for an hour or two.
While talking, as we passed by a lit
tie room opening on the conservatory, ]
saw in the corner of the room, soberly
seated before a table, my hosts son,
CASTOR, a pretty, dark child. He had
let his pen roll across the table, and
with a glance that seemed to me full OF
melancholy he followed tho r~ustlinp
flight of the swallows that were skim
ming close to the lawn, flying through
the swarms Of gnats.
On such a beautiful day, in thi!
room, which, in contrast to the sunny
veranda, seemed more gloomy than q
dungeon in the palace of the doges, tn,
sight of this child prisoner gave me
pain, and 1 could not refrain from say
ing to my friend:
How have you the heart to shut NJ
this child at such q timer" And Brignat
answered:
my dear friend, when he know
how to write / will leave him alone
for he is not yet 8 years old and yer,
intelligent; but he must learn to write
and write we'll, l mean"
"That is without doubt because you
W handwriting Is like cat scratches. ,
THAT might indeed be a reason. w
should endeavor to help our children Il
avoid such Of our faults as have troh
bled us in our own career-and be
Sides
my dear Brignac, l do not know
whether it is because you live too mucl
in the country, but il seems to me tina
you are becoming very much Of a Prud
homme."
He interrupted me with ONE spirit
perhaps l am like Prudhomme
Prudhomme was an individual whit
padded his own canoe very we'll; be
sides Do you wish me to tell you WHY
am so anxious that my little SCAMP
should write well2
ut is a story of that time when yoI
would not have called me Prudhomme
Il wal a long time ago, in 1868. A
hat time Baden Baden was Baden-Ba
den, and Monte Carlo nothing but a lit
tie fishing village. Every one who wa
In the swim or considered himself 81
hurried TO Baden Baden as o o rs Jul,
came around. At that time the club
rooms were empty-not more so thai
now, during the week Of the races a
Deauville- That year / had remained a
Paris, where, in my little suit on
ground floor in the Rue Taitbout, l ha'
not been so frightfully dull, when on
morning a letter was brought to me
The letter was a demand for money
not one of those vulgar, begging letters
heaping upon one recitals Of i'll luck
swearing eternal gratitude and everlast
ing devotion. No, it was short and t
the mint without any heating aEOu
the bush.
"'I have not a single sou Send m
Immediately 1000 francs that ! ma.
pay my hotel bill and return to Franc
20 enlist.
"This letter, horribly scrawled. wa