Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-20

A CHRISTMASsSTORY
From the French of Guy de M~aupassant


issued from their lips in the frigid air Of
the night.
NJ. Majeste was not contented. He
wished to assure himself OF this great
fire which blazed SO high and SO straight.
a singular fire. indeed, emitting a flame
without heat which shines so unusual
and burns not. Tranquillized by this tia
ter thought, the good man crossed over
the steps to enter the shops.
The shops were on the ground floor, and
formerly had been the grand salon or re-
ception room of the castle. The small
bits of gold at all the angles, generally
dull, now shone with a pecullar lustre.
The NEUROLOGICAL paintings upon the
ceiling, ~encompassed by their glass GOV.
eling. seemed to turn and float below the
doors. a little wan and spiritless like the
remembrance Of vanished years.
There were no curtains nor furniture,
nothing but baskets and big boxes full
Of siphons with metallic heads, and the
dried ranches of an old lilac bush which
rose black and ugly behind the window
panes. NJ. Majestic on entering found the
shops full of light and people. He salut-
ed, but they paid nj attention to him.
The ladies on the arms of their cavaliers
continued their lackadaisical, ceremoni-
Gus mannerisms. Some were promenad-
ing. some conversing and others stand
ing or seated in little groups. Truly all
these old marquises and aristocrats had
the air of being at home.
Before an ornamented p~ier-glass a lit
tie shadow stopped tremblingly.
Say, that it is /, and that l am there!'
and she regarded a smiling Diana which
stood erect against a screen, slender,
rosy and with a crescent on her forehead.
"Nesmond, come and see thy arms!'
And all the people laughed as they saw
the heraldry which was displayed on the
sackcloth with the name Of ..kajeste be-
low.
',Ah All! NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. must
there be many Majestes in France!"
There Were spiritless, mirthless gale
ties, laughs flute-like but empty. shad-
owy, uplifting fingers and mincing tones
from the shadowy mouths.
An at once some one exclaimed:
Some champagne? Some cham
~pagne!"
'~'But-no--!"
But, yes-yes, there is champagne!
Come. countess, let us have a little col
lation!'
1t was the settler water Of NJ. Majetse
which they took for champagne. 1t was
a little vapid. but bah! one drinks it
just the same, and like the poor little
ghost, it had not a solid head. Little by
little the foamy settler water animated
and excited them until they began to de-
sire to dance. Minuets We're arranged.
-Four violins which M. Nesmond had
brought with him com menced an air of
Rameau, in ~triolets of minor tones and
melancholy spirit. 1t was odd to see the
old alistocrats turn slowly with each
measure and salute with a grave and
stately air. Their attire seemed to re-
new its freshness, the gold waistcoats,
the brocaded coats and the slippers with
their diamond buckles. Even the panels
of the sailor appeared to revive and
understand hat old times had come once
more. The mirrors on the walls,
more than two hundred years old,
scratched, defaced, black and Did, light
ed up and reflected the image of the
dancers, a little dim, possibly, but as if
attended with regret.
In the midst of all this elegance NJ.
Majestic felt uneasy and uncomfortable
as he covered behind a box and regard
ed them curiously and with a degree of
apprehension.
Little by lllle QayflSnl arrived.
Through the window panes of the shop
one saw the court grow white, hen the
top of the windows, then the interior of
the salon. At the when the sun
came. the figures became luminous. Soon
NJ. Majestic could see but two of the
violinists and then slowly they vanished
as imperceptibly as the others. In the
courtyard a few appeared still, the
%chairnen. some powdered heads, a CLINT
of emeralds under the last glimmer cS
the torches which the footmen held, upon
the pavement. All these blended with the
ghostly wheels of the last carriage which
hurried away with a great noise through
te open doorway.