The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-01-13
TWO FRIENDS.

been brought up together, so to speak.
AS small boys their parents, friends
of long standing, had taken them to
play in the Luxembourg, and it was
while making sand houses that their
intimacy had commenced. A little later,
when short trousers had taken the place
of kits, they had been sent to the same
pension. Seated side by side at their
studies, always in the same classes, they
had continued to see each other regu-
larly every day. Their fondness for each
other was SO great that they were not
contented with merely their hours of
work in common, but when Sunday
came they passed the afternoon together
at the home of one or the other. From
the pension to the Lycee, from the Lyoee
to the business college, their affection
had only increased.
When the time came for starting into
business-as each one judged the other
perfectly Indispensable to him-they
decided to form a partnership, and, in
fact, it was very happy idea, for the
house, "Durand 6 Duval, Wholesale
Hardware Merchants" enjoyed an un-
equaled prosperity.
Durand and Duval lived in the same
building in which they carried on their
business and went down stairs at z ev-
cry morning and worked industriously
in the shop until z in the evening, thus
affording their clerks an example of
faithfulness, overseeing everything and,
on occasions, not even disdaining to
serve customer. They allowed them
selves barely an hour at noon for lunch
con and, it is needless to add, took this
meal together. In the evening they were
the last ones to leave the shop and go
up stairs to dine.
Of course the thought of attending a
theater or dance without the other had
never occurred to one of them. Besides,
no one of their acquaintances would
have thought of inviting one without
the other. To their friends Pierre and
Jacques formed sort of household
which one would have hesitated to
break, and usually one invitation did
for the two. One wrote as naturally
| INN. Durand and Duval" as one
| writes "M. and Nine. Dupont. -
l6II0 anu OdCQuOo-daN0 WO 6dlU
that they were the same age?-were in
their thirty-third year at present, and
| this existence which they were leading
seemed as if it were to continue indefi-
nitely when cable dispatch from Amer
ica came to break up the monotony.
An uncle, of whom Jacques had
formerly been very fond, had fallen i'll
| in New York. He summoned his nephew
| to him.
Pierre, to whom jacques read the
message, uttered a cry almost of an
guish:
"And you are going away?"
| "But, my dear friend, L must goi Il
| it were merely question of money,
| should not hesitate to refuse to go. We
are rich, happy, accustomed to our way
| of life, and l would not for a good dea
run the risks of such long journey ant
! leave you all the care of our business
but it is sick man who calls for me
and poor man, which is greater rea
son why I should co.
| "You are right, my friend. You mus
CO."
And Pierre pressed Jacques hand.
'At least, don't stay too long," hi
| added. Remember that l am alon,
here, and how desolate l shall be with
out you'll You will see something new
] your mind will be taken up studying
the ways of a new country, which yo'
| have never before SEEM
Eyes, but if l make any friends ther
I shall have to leave them ON my return
and you are sure to find me unchang
ed toward you-while you-you vii
go about by yourself, you will anus
yourself, you''-
Here the voice of jacques tIembled
| little.
"You will perhaps meet some on
you will wish to marry, and then wha
is to become of me without my lifelon
companion?'
"But 1 never think of it."
"No; not now, but you may think c
it. At times have seen in you alread
a tendency i'll that direction. You hav
resisted it up to the present, littl
through love of your liberty and grea
deal ON account of your old comrade an
because you fear his sarcasm, but, ono
away from me-
"Do not fear that, my friend I hav
no more desire than you have to put
chain about my neck, and what woul
become of our card games and our fin