The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-28
Paris on an enyelop, so he lahoricus!y com.
plicated the address:
ITO Madame
e. Madame Jeanne Verdier
with Monsieur
Monsieur Pornin !,
Rue SaintDenys

His letters an odd mixture OF hish-
flown phrases and ludicrous expressions, in
terspersed with the naf babb1e of the COM
mere, telling of the dinners, the washings
| the heat and the teethng rash-than which
nothing could be more fortunate, since it had
expelled all the impurities from his body
Ignorant of even the letters of the alpha bet
NCunou would carry these missives to mad
anne and listen attentively to the reading
thereof, her eyes raised in ecstasy while she
let fall little EXPLANATIONS indicative OF In
ward pride in the fact that her son was teeth
| ing before his foster brother. And when
madame dismissed her with a-"You perceive,
of course, Nouncu, how very foolish you We're
to get blood heat ed'-she would show
her white teeth in a great coarse laugh, the
! tears scarcely dry on her cheeks.
One day the country letter failed to make It's
appearance This was agony. She proved
! deaf to expostulation and sobbed Unfortunately,
her head buried III the pillows In terror lest
the milk should go to her head monsieur tele-
graphed-reply pTepaid-to the, schoolmaster
| of Corbigny.
The reply came the same evening:
1.-The child died of Group yesterday NOR
ming
| Face to face in the salon. the blue paper
confronting them on the table,, monsieur and
| madame held council. With one accord they
determined to withhold the news. not to di-
vulge it to Ncunou until LATER and for the
time bein- to reassure her.
For said monsieur. she would be capa-
BILE Of leaving US
Just when the baby is doing so we'll"
added madame. .
| And together, r~ 80 s-7
''Those people have SO little conscience!',
! They called the weeping mother, laid the
dispatch before her, and with a sang froid
that satisfied even himself, monsieur ex-
planned: 49,: -. rs"
f'sThe child is quite we'll. It was the school
master who was ILL 90 "a
They agreed to suppress four ges from the
husband replete with fears of his wife's return
And dread lest the grapevine disappear in
smoke. ..- = Il
Regularly thereafter, for three months
monsieur posted letters written by himself
to be read by madame to the nurse He in
geniously varied the details, consulting his
own paternal observations as he recorded the
probable daily progress, of Nounou's child, 8
The time never came for confessing tbs
truth How TRANQUILITY she babbled. my
Jean TALKS, My Jean does SO and So Madame
write the commere to- give him no sweets. il
you please. They destroy the roots of the
teeth ,.ou N
They let her talk, delaying now to the last
moment the DISCLOSURE the evil tiainss.
At last, when their infant began to be fet
with D0rridge. ,Nounou's hour OF departure
came - 70. s-.-5s p
Torn with conflicting emoticns-affectior
for her nursing, 10y at the prospect of seeing
her chil6-Nouncu went bitter tears as
she stood before monsieur in his cabinet. 81
had been his intention to break the news tt
her, but at sight Of her mingled grief an6
happiness. cowarGiee won the day Fearing
her, reproaches, and deciding that after all {
handsome present would go far toward alp.
peasng this rustic sorrow he took 200 francs
from "A drawer an1 slid as he handed it 4tt
her.
."Nounou, ycaI have been faithful to olll
child. Yves shall ever remember you.
Then privately to madame: Go with her K
the station. ! have put her in good humor
Tell her at the last moment. You can do il
better than ! can *
The same evening, when they met again II
the dining room their baby before them seat,
ed like a man in high chair. beating the ia
BILE with his ivory spoon, monsieur inquire;
smtlingly:
well, M dear?'
Slightly en- barrassed, madame replied, look
ing at ner white, blueveined, ring-ladef
hands: n
'She took me TO a linen shop, where siis
made lot of foolish purchases for her baby
She appeared SD happy. What would yal
have, my Gear? l am not to. be blamed fol
being so sensitive. I told her nothing"