The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-04-19
A SIGNATURE.

buOoo oAQulSlGo hAboIuOOuS Wu6uy al
though one shivers at the thought Of the
approaching autumn, the sun throws
here and there mild though already
paler rays.
While awaiting the hour for taking
up the nets in the pretty bend of the
Marine, a river which loiters indolently
along the meadows. winding like q
great silver snake, we were talking on
the wide veranda, which was filled with
the heavy, Intoxicating odor Of hello
tropes
A charming man is Brignao. Former
ly an officer in the light cavalry, he is q
man Of majestic chest, large face, a
trife 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 renouno-
ing the pleasures of this world. He
amused himself under M. Theirs, under
MacMahon and even under M. Grevy.
1t was only seven years ago that the
govt thought best to interfere. Brignac
was then-but why disclose the age of
a gallant man whose friendship is true
and whose cook is without equal? He
was advised to try the baths. 1t was
there, near spring, whence bubbled
up hot liquid which smelled like a
bad egg, that he met young English
girl, straight and slender as a pretty
bamboo stalk. He had still a gallant
air and quite fortune, she very little.
The next winter the pretty English
woman married the former cavalry off
Ger. They have one child. They are
happy.
Only, Brignac has aged great deal
and has become horribly serious. He is
good comrade for me. He gave me
when was very young that practical
advice which is never forgotten, and I
am happy from time to time to be with
him-for an hour or two.
While talking, as we passed by lit
tie room opening on the conservatory, 1
saw in the corner of the room, soberly
seated before table, my hosts son,
CASTOR, 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 the rustling
flight of the swallows that were skim
ming close to the lawn, flying through
the swarms of gnats.
~, cuoh %hic
room, which, in contrast to the sunny
veranda, seemed more gloomy than a
dungeon In the palace of the doges, the
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 up
this child at such timer" And Brignac
answered:
"My dear friend, when he knows
how to write I will leave him alone,
for he is not yet years old and very
intelligent; but he must learn to write,
and write we'll, I mean. -
"That is without doubt because your
own handwriting is like cat scratches. +"
"That might indeed be reason. We
should endeavor to help our children to
avoid such of our faults as have trou-
bled US in our own career-and be-
Sides
my dear Brignac, 1 do not know
whether it is because you live too much
in the country, but it seems to me that
you are becoming very much of Prud-
homme.'
He interrupted me with some spirit:
Perhaps I am like Prudhomme.
Prudhomme was an individual who
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 we'll?
''It is story of that time when you
would not have called me Prudhomme
1t was long time ago, in 1868. At
that time Baden Baden was Baden Ba-
den, and Monte Carlo nothing but lit
tie fishing village. Every one who was
in the swim or considered himself so
hurried to Baden Baden as soon as July
came around. At that time the club
rooms were empty-not more so than
now, during the week Of the races at
Deauville. That year had remained at
Paris, where, in my little suit on
ground floor in the Rue Taitbout, had
not been SO frightfully dull, when one
morning a letter was brought to me-
The letter was demand for money
not one of those vulgar, begging letters,
heaping upon one recitals of ill luck,
swearing eternal gratitude and everlast-
ing devotion. No, it was short and to
the point, without any beating about
the bush.
i have not single sou. Send me
Immediately /, 900 francs that / may
pay my hotel bill and return to France
to enlist.
"This letter, horribly scrawled, was
dated from Baden Baden. AS to the sig.
nature, it was impossible to read it.
81 made every attempt, examining 1t
letter by letter, searching among my
papers for the name of the person who
could have been guilty of this vile
scrawl. 1t was absolutely impossible to
discover any clew which would put me
on the right track. At Baden Badenf
had 800 friends at Baden Baden. But
this unlucky name-still, I must find
out what it was. For two days did
nothing but turn it over in my mind,
seeking the solution, giving every one
whom met this signature to decipher.
Absolutely useless. Each person gave a
different opinion.
"You can imagine into what fever
this had thrown me. At the time / was
full of great many notions Imagined
that to refuse money to friend was
meanness. We are all simpletons when
young. But what caused me the great
est annoyance was the thought that per-
haps this note was from some one for
whom entertained a real friendship.
81 telegraphed to 10 or IL intimate
friends None was the author of the
note. Then betook myself to experts
in chirography. One said the name was
Casernier-had no doubt Of 1t, was
willing to swear to it. The second said
that he challenged any one to read the
name otherwise than Sutinais and was
willing to swear to that name, and
finally a third declared it was not q
name at all, but word. In his opinion
it was 'Civilities.
''Sutinais and Casernier were alike
unknown to me. turned over the club
directories. / again reviewed my book
of addresses, name by name. Nothing. /
could discover nothing. I was almost
crazy, you may imagine, and had even
lost sight, to some extent, of the original