Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-07-20
st, Suluestre.
He Made Up His Mind
Too Late.

my friend Jacobus, after having dined
IN silence at the table d'hote of the
Golden Rose, retraced with quick steps
Grangettes street, where his bachelor
lodgings were.
The street was solitary and badly
lighted by faroff gas jet The north
wind, blowing directly between the two
rows Of black facades, cut Jacobus'
visage and, Notwithstanding the close
ly buttoned overcoat, made our friend
feel that the blood of 40 years did not
possess the warmth of prime youth.
Therefore did be agitate with an i'm
patient hand the hammer which deco
rated the landlady's door.
1t was the daughter of the house,
Mile Franceline Bigeard, who opened
TO him, holding i'll one hand the folds
Of her apron, filled 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.
Franceline 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.
II beg your pardon for having made
you wait" said she to the shivering
lodger, "but was in the act of split
ting chestnuts We have kept two OF
my friends TO supper, and tonight we
will end the year by roasting the chest
nuts and washing them down with a
glass of Fignolette. At your service,
NJ Jacobus."
Thanks. answers he. appearing in
a 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 un-
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.
lie resembled those children who arc
about to take a cold bath, who dip one
foot In the water, then take 1t out
again and cannot decide to take final
plunge.
"Thanks" said he again on going up
the stairs mo letters have come for
mef"
NO, NJ. Jacobus, the mail carrier has
brought nothing"
well, decidedly Pm forgotten!" sad
ly thought Jacobus as he put the key
In the keyhole. THE entire world has
forgotten the way to my house.
Jacobus felt himself become, little by
little, In a 1T of bad temper. This night
everything had gone wrong. The logs
on the fire smoked instead of haming;
his lamp fickered without giving light;
n drafty wind passed under the door
and froze him to the marrow.
"a thinker-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 celibacyl Two un-
healthy mediums which germinate and
start lot of bad seed that one thought
dead and that bring forth ugly flowers
with bitter scent-tardy remorse,
sterile regrets, hesitations and fear of
old age.
Fear especially, cowardly fear
which keeps one from acting, which
turns one from generous resolutions,
from all fructuous daring. ] remem-
Der In the time Of my youth, at a mo-
ment when l was about to climb an abb
rupt cliff OF the Pyrenees, met u man
ripe In years and already bent down,
and as I interrogated him as to the
road TO follow he cried out to me-
"'Do not climb up there The road
is veritable foundry. You will get
out Of breath all to no availv
II shrugged my shoulders and kept
on my way. laughing Mt the pusillanim-
ity of that middle age and this is what
have come to! 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-
GREETING the chances that ! let slip Mt
the time my twentieth year flourished
In all It's freshness"
At that moment tho eclat of young
voices came from below, and in this
gay noise Jacobus could distinguish
Tranceline's clear laugh,
"They are amusing themselves down
stairsv thought he again. with n sigh
"'Tbey are drinking to the year that Is
passing and TO tho one that viii be
born.
"For them n year that passes away
md one that begins do not waken mel
ancholy thoughts. They are not yet at
the age when tho weeks and the
months seem to go by with the rapidlty
OF swallow on the wing They viii
come to It nevertheless and TO BraRce-
line as well as 10 the othersi She ~
going on 10 her twenty-elglth 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-
tons, and she also win know the lone
Nnoss Of celibatlst, the regret OF
chances that have flown away and the
fear Of ripe age. oh, the old maids! !
pity them even moro than the old bach
elors!
'',Hhe prison OF isolation. And for
them more obscure and more narrow.
The world is more severe. The quick
blood may gruan IN their heart as I'm a
wnlled up reservoir. They must smoth-
ar it's bubbllng Thus charming girls
fade away, and that is what VIII hap
peu to FranccIine unless n brave fellow
makes his appearance who Is loving
enough ana courageous enough to
pretty plant.
But then miserable one, since thou
80 well all these things,
why nrt not thou that brave fcllowf
Thou art tired of thy frozen foyer.
Why dOst thou not mako OF her n hap
py and joyous mater
"Ah! There It is, precisely. l do not
know nny more how 10 darcf'
While he wns Immersed IN these
black and Disseminating ideas Jacobus
was losing the notion Of the exterior
phenomena chill which ran along
his back brought him back TO reality.
lie perceived that his fire was consun-
ed without throwing out any heat. that
his pipe had become cold and that bis