The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1903-11-27

its awful familiarity, that creature
SO inoffensive, living in dumb, helpless
good faith the life thrust on him, could
seem so played upon!
At the funeral, after Jane was laid
in the ground and the earth was well
heaped over her, Andy turned his poor,
bewildered, pain dazed eyes upon the
faces about him, and amid their wea-
ried assumption of solemnity, beneath
which the usual easy little interest in
the commonplace was already assert
ing itself, he saw Blossier, his features
working conyulsively as he gazed with
eyes that did not see upon the hideous
mound.
1t was not in Andy to feel resentment
against the others. Perhaps he, too
realized in the depths of his wordless
consciousness that poor humanity
could hardly exist except as it is "well
wadded with stupidity" but his heart
went out to Blossier and was eased
little at the sight of his grief.
He went to him and took his hand,
and without word the two men. the
two piteous old children, went away
together from James grave.
Months went by, and Strathboro be-
came used to seeing them together and
had almost ceased to gossip about the
queer taste Andy showed when one
June day new fuel fed the flame of
popular criticism.
The week before Blossier had over
heard one of his pupils, middle aged
unmarried lady, say in his class to her
nearest neighbor that sit was plum
shame the way poor Mrs. McGrath's
little girls was running wild, with no
body but Ant; 'Cindy to look after 'em,
and she so old she didn't know what
she was doing anyhow" and that it
was her opinion that pore Miss Jane
would rather they had stepma than
to have 'em left with no raising at all
like that"
Jane had left four daughters. This
little incident gave Blossier food for
profound reflection. He reflected to
some purpose. That night, instead of
going and sitting ON the gallery steps
after supper with Andy, as usual, he
SlOppeu oulSlue tie front Sdte. anu
called with portentous, mysterious
air, 'Mees-tere Andee, Mees-tere Andee
non, nonr in answer to the invita-
tion to enter, and then he beckoned,
still mysteriously, with sidelong, back
ward mods of the head, for Andy to
come to him. 'Howdy?" said he when
Andy reached the gata now assuming
a light, degage air, totally inconsistent
with his previous manner. "Come chez
moi, these evening""
When Andy was seated on the steps
of ''the Office" Blossier brought him
mint julep and, with glass of cheap
claret for himself, the one luxury of his
prosperity, sat himself down in the
doorway.
mighty NICE" said Andy politely.
"Get your mint close by?"
But Blossier was so absorbed in try
ing to arrange his thoughts for presen-
tation that he forgot to answer
"Mees-tere Andee," he at last began,
"your leetle daughtere air-r much upon
my meditation. weis zey have re bess
condition possible"
Andy stopped with the uplifted glass
half way to his mouth and began with
a troubled countenance scrupulously to
study its contents.
"My fatere was one taileur, Mees-
tere Andee," Blossier inexplicably pro-
ceeded, putting his glass down on the
step and talking eagerly, with out
stretched palms, "and my moo-tere was
-was-she make tay, NOSE delicate
wiz fin-gere, ct moi, mel help, help
bote when l leetle. when biggere,"
Andy had forgotten his glass now
and was staring and yet trying to look
polite and not too conscious of the
strangeness of French ways.
'And, Mees-tere Andee, my fin-gere
also, alway, even now-I sew for my
clo'es myself Away, you not know?
know l do anything zat way easee,
beautiful, and Ze maniere, re politeness
-ah, Mees-tere Andee, you know re
French peepul Zey have Ze maniere-I
teach re leetle daughtere ALL keep re
hOuZe, l sew de clo'es, so not in Strath-
boro is such clo'es, Mees-tere Andee, 81
vous-peremeet me, Mees-tere Andee,
come chez vous to your houze-you
comprehend"
By this time Blossier was standing
on the walk in front of Andy, rapidly
pantomiming his ideas and pleading
with gesture as well as voice, as if
begging that children of his own
should be cared and labored for by
Andy. For moment Andy stared on
in silence and RloSsier's heart was in
his mouth. Then he got up, caught and
wrung the Frenchman's hand an in
stant. dropped it and turning his back,
pulled his old soft hat over his face.
Two days later Strathboro had the
enormous excitement of seeing Bios
CARLOAD they made-moved to Andy
McGrath's house, and behind the cart
walked Blossier, carrying our old
friend. the double bass.
So was established the oldest house
hold south of Mason and Dixon's line.
1t was year before Strathboro
sounded the full depths of it's oddity
and ceased to vibrate with the excite
ment of fresh discovery. Blossier took
completely a woman's place in the
household economy, and the world has
rarely seen few more touchingly funny
sights than that little man sitting cross
legged on the floor of James old sitting
Enthusiastically Partisan character, friv-
olous and modish, airy and coquettish,
to be worn by his favorite, the faithful