Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-08-08

prietor of the cafe, majestically en-
throned behind his desk.
Bah! why worry" said Claud 10
himself; that man has poisoned his
contemporaries long enough. | am only
dispensing him retributive justicer'
And having paid for his yermouth he
conveniently forgot his Buddha repos-
ing on the bench. Discreetly he passed
to the door. walked through ii. relieved
Monsieur. monsieur! he has forgotten
something"
1t was the waiter hurryinG after him
with his Buddha, and Claud-oh, the
irony of fate,-drew from his pocket
coin to reward this jealous servant, who
restored to him with such eager ciyilty
his tOrturing nightmare.
All at once, bethinking himself of the
time, he looked at his watch and found
that he was a good quarter of an hour
late. A cab was passing. He hailed IL;
this time he would abandon his Buddha
on the cushions, like the pretty women
who forget their packages.
His vehicle drew up at the colonial
office; he got out At the same in
slant. stout gentleman rushed forward
in a hurry, and hustled into the cab.
calling ont his address to the driver. as
he did so. But he backed out as rapidly
as he went in, brandishing something
over his head. and shouting with all the
already walking away
Monsieur, Mon Sieur! Your parcel!''
And Claud had TO return and bow to
this amiable gentleman, with agreeable
smiles-not being able to kill him.
Decidedly, Buddha was hanging on to
him; he wanted to keep his prey. And
this uncomfortable preference he was
showing materially increased the uneasi-
ness of the poor young man. His I'M
% SIn MI q at In Gf Int
hoping for relief, he told his fellow clerks
all about his trouble. They shamed
him for his pusillanimity; argued with
him on the Stiffness of superstition: in
short, did their work so well that when
evening came and they separated, Claud
was entirely treasured as to The inof-
fensiveness of his battered god. He was
so convinced of it, indeed, that the very
next morning. he sent it with charges
prepaid, to an uncle in the country
whose heir he was.
Dating from this moment. however
Claud tamery's comrades fancied that
they saw a strange change III his char
acter; at times he seemed extremely de-
pressed; at Others exceedingly merry, eX
pangive, and always making plans for
travelling or other expensive Injuries for
a future more or less near.
When, six months after the Buddha
had gone to his uncle in the country, Il
notary wrote to him from Parthenay an
nOuncing his uncle's death, and summon
ing him to come at once, a tempest of
conflicting emotions was unloosened in
the brain of the clerk of the colonial Of
fee; genuine remorse and a no less nat
ural joy were fighting for mastery.
But a Parthenay a surprise awaited
him; he was not TO inherit from his uncle.
That venerable gentleman had willed
away his fortune to his too charming
stenOgrapher. whose vicinity had been no
less fatal to him than +ne vicinity of the
Buddha.
1t was the same old Buddha. too, only
installed now upon the chimney piece of
bis dead uncle's chamber; the same small
bronze god with the gliding nearly off :;
the same sly expression the same sneer,
ing lips and eyes vague with beatitude
Eyes that frightened suddenly with ma
licious irony at sight of Caud and slow
ly narrowed in a-derisive wink,-Trans-
lated from the French by e. c. Wag-
gener for Cincinnati Enquirer.