The Opelousas courier., 1899-04-22
THE PURPLE EGG.

BY ANATOLE FRANCE.

lcSt VI HIS NOlldlu, u0 IlVOu among
his hens and had almost lost the
habit of talking with huAan beings.
The odd little figure at this moment
vanished, and loud %cacklins rose il
the air.
During the short stroll we took in
the garden. Mansel toldme that at din.
ner | would meet his grandmother:
that she was a good old soul, but that
| must not pay much attention to what
she said, as she was oftsn a little out
of her mind.
The bell rang for dinner. NJ. Man
sci followed us into the house, carry
ing a basket of eggs. Eighteen to-
day" he said, in a clucking voice.
A delicious omelet appeared. l
was seated between Nine. Mansel,
signing under her diadem, and her
mother, a round-cheeked, 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 rs 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 a parlor
furnished in black walnut and yellow
Utrecht velvet. Under the globe of
the gilt clock on the mantel lay a
purple egg that at once drew my at
tention. With a child's inexplicable
curiosity I could not take my eyes off
it. But l must add that the egg was
of a strange and splendid color-a
royal purple, not in the slightest man
ner recalling the w~ine-colored Easter
eggs, dipped in beet-juice, that de-
light the children at all the fruit
stands. [ could not resist making a
remark about ii.
NJ. Mansel replied by an admiring
cackle: "My young sir, that is not a
dyed egg, as you seem to think. 1t
was laid just as you see it there by a
Cingalese hen of mine. It is q 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 hooking eyes,
and with an expressive movement of
her lips betrayed her skepticism.
"Hum." she %murmured, "'hens some
times hatch what they haven't laid,
and if some mischieyous 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! Don't listen to
her!'
"It's a fact," repeated M. Mansel,
fixing his round eye IN the purple
egg.
Not long after I 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 I was preparing my doctors the
sis, I received a letter from my
mother, in which she told mo 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
a remarkable gift for mathematics.
This news did not surprise me. Many
q time, while studying diseases Of the
ne~rve-centres, I had called up men
tally my poor friend from st. Julien
and, in spite of myself, had made a
prognosis of general paralysis threat
ening this SON of q neuralgia mother
and q microcephalic, rheumatic father.
At first I 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;
be even sent to the Academy of Sci
ences the solution of several difficult
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 CORE
came to an end, and for ten
years I did not get a word from him.
1 was greatly surprised last year
whom my servant handed me Alexan-
Dire Mansel's card, saying that the
was waiting for me in the
antechamber. I was in my Office dis
cussing . professional question of
some importance with a colleague.
myself for a moment, I has
tened to greet my old school-fellow.
I found him much aged, bald, haggard,
fearfully emaoiated. took him by
the arm and led him into the drawing
room.
II am delighted to see you once
he said, t'and l have a great
deal to tell you. I IN a victim of un-
heard of prosecutions. But I am
brave, I shall fight to the end, I shall
triumph ver my enemies!"
These words alarmed me, as they
would have alarmed any neurologist..
In them I traced a symptom of the af-
by which my friend was threat
ened according to every law of hered-
ity and which had appeared dormant
till now.
"My dear fellow,"I said to him,
'.you shall tell me all this later. Stay
here a moment. I am settling a little
matter in my Office. Take a book to
kill time till I join YOU"
I have a great many books in my
drawing roem-thAra mnat Ia 6On0