The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1899-07-12
st. Sulucstre.
\. He Made Up His Mind
! Too Late.

On the night of the 3lSt of December
my friend Jaeobus, after having dlned
In silence ut the table d'hote of the
Golden Rose, retraced with quick steps
Grangettes street, where his bachelor
lodgings We're.
The street was solitary and badly
lighted by faron gas jet. The north
wind. blowing directly between the two
rows of black facades, cut Jacobus'
yisage and. Notwithstanding the close
ly buttoned oVercoat. made our friend
feel that the blood of 10 years did not
possess the warmth of prime youth.
Therefore did lie agitate with an i'm
patient hand the hammer which deco
rated the landladys door
1t was the daughter of thc house,
Mile Eranceline Bigenrd, who opened
to him. holding IN one hand the folds
of her apron, filed with chestnuts, and
In the other the lamp which lighted up
her face and her sparkling blue eyes,
Those blue eyes. the frizzly brown
hair and the bright smile of Mile.
francellne still gave an attractive pi.
quancy TO her face. although she was
commencing to fade having attained
her twenty eighth year ON st Gather
ines day
Il beg your pardon for having made
you wait" said she TO the shivering
lodger, but ! was in the act of split
ting chcstnuts. We have kept two of
my friends TO supper, and tonight we
VIII end the year by roasting the chest
nuts and washing them down with II
glass of Fignolette. At your service,
NJ. Jacohus.
Thanks" answers he, appearing In
n hurry. Thanks. mademoiselle."
If he refused, 1t was not that France
lines company was displeasing to him.
on the contrary. But he kept himself
In reserve. fearing TO place himself UNI
der obligation to this girl who wanted
TO marry and not wishing that too
much familiarity should make him slip,
| little by little, on dangerous ground.
He was not insensible to the blue
eyes and to the smile OF the young
lady. but he was afraid of marriage.
He rcsembled those children who are
about 10 take n cold bath. who dip one
foot in the water. then take II out
again and cannot decide to take n final
plunge.
ThanKs! said ne asan on gong up
the stairs. mo letters have come for
me?"
mo, NJ. Jacobus. the mail carrier has
brought nothing"
"Well, decidedly Pm forgottcn" sad
l.. a. To. h. 4
IN the keybole. "The entire world has
forgotten the way TO my house"
Jacobus felt himself become, little by
little, in a lit of bad temper. This night
everything had gone wrong. The logs
on the fire smoked instead of flaming;
his lamp niciered without giving Hight;
drafty wind passed under the door
and froze him to the marrow.
"a thlnker-Joubert, | believe" muir
INJURED he as he lighted his pipe-"has
said that the evening OF life brings Its
lamp with It. Mine lights very badly,
and my crepuscle Is deucedly gloomy.
"ThIs weakening Of the interior light
is one OF the fatal consequences Of cell
bacy. Maturity and celibacy! Two UNI
hbiNh b'i hih
start lot OF bad seed that one thought
dead and that bring forth ugly flowers
with n bitter scent-tardy remorse,
sterile regrets, besitations and fear Of
old age.
Fear especially. cowardly fear
which keeps one from acting, which
turns one from generous resolutions,
ali 10 al,
Der In the time of my youth. ut mo-
ment when | was about to climb an NIB
rupt cliff OF the Pyrenees. | met n man
ripe In years and already bent down,
and as | Intercepted him as to the
road to follow he cried out 10 me;
lido not climb up there. The road
is veritable foundry. You will get
out of breath all to no avail!
II shrugged my shoulders and kept
on my way, laughing at the puslllanim-
ity of that middle age, and this is what
| have come tol The least pebble dis
turbs me, the most childish difficulty
takes the proportions Of an impossible
ity. | know no more how to dare or to
will. and retire to my bachelor cell re-
SEtlliuB lut ttiduttb Unit 4 i'l sup az
the time my twentieth year fourished
In all Its freshness"
At that moment the eclat Of young
voices came from below, and In this
gay noise Jacobus could distinguish
FrancelIne's clear laugh.
"They are amusing themselves down
stairs" thought he again, with sigh.
hau dir L. N 10 fha fhaf 10
passing and to the one that will be
born.
For them a year that passes away
and one that begins do not waken mel
ancholy thoughts. They are not yet at
the age when the weeks and the
months seem to go by with the rapidity
OF swallow on the wing. They Will
come to 1t nevertheless. and to France
line as well as to the others! She Is
going on to her twenty eighth year and
has not yet found n husband. Poor
GIRL Little by little her cheeks Will
fade, those blue eyes will lose their
brightness, her laugh Will change those
clear notes for sharp and dry intona-
lions, and she also will know the lone
illness OF n celibatIst, the regret Of
chances that have flown away and the
fear of ripe age. Oh, the old maids!
pity them even more than the old bach
elors
''Ihe prison OF isolation. And for
them more obscure and more narrow.
The world is more severe. The quick
blood may groan IN their heart as In a
walled up reservoir. They must smoth-
er its bubblIng. Thus charming girls
fade away, and that is what will hap
pen to Franceline unless a brave fellow
makes his appearance who IL loving
enough and courageous enough to
transplant In a warm medium this
pretty plant