Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-03-09

Mansel led me into the garden,
where we caught sight of little bald
man gliding down the path like a
phantom. He was SO frail and slight
that he looked as if the wind would
blow him away. His uncertain gait,
his long, thin neck craned forward,
his head no bigger than your fist, his
sidewise glances, his hopping steps,
his short arms raised like wings. gave
him quite the appearance of some new
sort of fowl. My companion told me
that it was his father, but that we
must let him go to the poultry yard,
which he infinitely preferred to all the
rest of his domain; he lived among
his hens and had almost lost the
habit of talking with human beings.
The odd little figure at this moment
vanished, and loud cackling rose in
the air.
During the short stroll we took in
the garden, Mansel told me that at din
ner I would meet his grandmother;
that she was a good old soul, but that
l must not pay much attention to what
she said, as she was often little out
of her mind
The bell rang for dinner. NJ. Man
sci followed us into the house, carry
ing basket of eggs. Eighteen to-
day." he said, in a clucking voice.
A delicious omelet appeared. 1
was seated between Nine. Mansel,
signing under her diadem, and her
mother, a round checked, toothless,
old Normandy woman, who smiled
with her eyes. She seemed delight
fnl to me. While we were eating our
roast duck and creamed chicken the
old lady told us amusing stories that
showed no signs of weakening facul-
ties. On the contrary, she appeared
the merriest and sanest member of the
family.
After dinner we went into parlor
furnished in black walnut and yellow
Utrecht velvet. Under the globe of
the gilt clock on the mantel lay
purple egg that at once drew my at
tention. With child's inexplicable
curiosity I could not take nay eyes off
it. But must add that the egg was
of strange and splendid color-a
royal purple, not in the slightest man
ner recalling the wine colored Easter
eggs, dipped in eet-juice, that de.
light the children at all the fruit
stands. / could not resist making a
remark about it.
NJ. Mansel replied by an admiring
cackle: "My young sir, that is not
dyed egg, as You seem to think. 1t
was laid just as you see it there by
Cingalese hen of mine. 1t is phe-
nomenal egg.
"You must not forget to add, my
DEAR" sighed Nine. Mansel, "that it
WAS laid the very day our Alexandra
was born"
'Just SO, returned the father.
The old grandmother, in the mean
time, looked at me with mocking eyes,
and with an expressive movement of
her lips betrayed her skepticism.
''Hum!" she murmured, "hens some-
times latch what they haven't laid,
and if some mischievous neighbor
should happen to slip into their nest
a."
Don't listen to her!" broke in her
grandson, violently. "You know
what I told you'll Don't listen to
herp'
'It's fact" repeated NJ. Mansel,
fixing his round eye on the purple
egg.
Not long after 1 lost sight of Alex
andre. My mother sent me to Paris
to finish my studies. I entered the
School of Medicine. About the time
that l was preparing my doctors the
sis, 1 received q letter from my
mother. in which she told me that my
friend had been very i'll; he had had
some strange seizure, on recovering
from which he had become exceeding
ly timid and, suspicious; but he was
quite harmless, and, in spite of his
troubled health aud reason, he showed
remarkable gift for mathematics.
This news did not surprise me. Many
time, while studying diseases of the
nerve centres, had called up men
tally my poor friend from st. Julien
and, in spite of myself, had made q
prognosis of general paralysis threat
ening this son OF neuralgia mother
and microcephalic, rheumatic father.
At first | seemed to be on the
wrong scent. Alexandra Mansel, on
reaching manhood, regained normal
health and gave unmistakable proofs
OF his fine intellectual gifts. He car
ried on extensive mathematical studies;
he even sent to the Academy of Sci
ences the solution of several difficult
equations. Absorbed in these and
kindred subjects, he rarely found time
to write me. His letters were clear,
friendly, we'll composed; nothing
could be found in them to attract the
! attention OF the most suspicious neu-
rologist. Soon, however, our corre-
spondence came to an end, and for ten
years / did not get word from him.
was greatly surprised last year
when my servant handed me Alexan-
DIRE Mansel's card, saying that the
gentleman was waiting for me in the
antechamber. l was in my Office dis