Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1906-09-06
Copyright By LOthrop Publishlng Company.
OHAPTER xIII.-coNrINunp.

Into the deplorable habit of saying:
Ell must come t. see you and your
wife and Paul some pleasant day,
Philippe" and Philippe, being
man Of the world, thought none the
Tess OF her for believing that she did
not mean It.
Yet 1t befell on an afternoon that
Mrs. Bines found herself In a popu-
1Ous side-street, driving home from
a visit to the rheumatic scrub-woman
who had now to be supported by the
papers her miserable offspring sold.
Mrs. Bfnes had never seen so many
children as flooded this street. She
wondered IL an orphan asylum were
in the neighborhood. And though the
day was pleasantly warm, she de-
clded that there were about her at
least a thousand cases of incipient
pneumonia, for not one child in five
had on a hat. They ragged and dashed
and rippled from curb to curb 80 that
they might have made her think Of
swift mountain torrent at the bot
tom Of a gloomy canyon, but that the
worthy woman was too )iteral-minded
for such fancies. She only warned
the man to drive slowly.
And then by a street sign she saw
that she was near the home of
Philippe. It was three o'clock, and
he would be resting from his work.
The man found the number. The
waves parted ana piled themselves
on either side in hushed wonder as
she entered the hallway and searched
for the name on the little cards un-
der the bells. She, had never known
the surname, and on two of the cards
"'Ph." appeared. She rang one of the
bells, the door mysteriously opened
with a repeated double click, and she
began the toilsome climb. The waves
of children fell together behind her
An turbulent play again.
At the top she breathed a moment
and then knocked at a door before
her. A voice within called:
"Entrez!" and Mrs. Bines opened
ahe door.
1t was the tiny kitchen OF Philippe.
Philippe, himself, in shirt-sleeves, sat
in . chair tilted back close to the
gas range, the Courier des Etats Unis
Al Ills uhuuS thalU Idul Ou MS Jap
Celine ironed the bosom of q gentle
mans white shirt on an ironing board,
supported by the backs Of two chairs.
Hemmed in the corner by this board
and by the gas range, seated at a
table covered by the ollcloth that
stimulates the marble of, Italy's most
famous quarry, sat, undoubtedly,
Baron Ronault de Palliac. A steam
ing plate of spaghetti la Italien was
before him, to his left a large bowl
of salad, to his right bottle Of red
wine.
For a space Of three seconds the
entire party behaved as IL It were
being photographed under time-expo-
sure. Philippe and the baby stared,
motionless. Celine stared, resting no
slight weight on the hot fiatiron
Baron Ronault de Palliac stared, his
fork poised in mid-air and festooned
with say little streamers Of spa
ghetti.
Then came smoke, the smell OF
scorching linen, and a cry OF horror
from Celine.
'Ah, la seule chemise blanche de
Monsieur lie Baron!"
The spell was broken. Philippe
was on his feet. bowling effusively.
"Ah! It is Madame Bines. Je suis
tres honore-I am very honored to
welcome you, madame. It is madame,
ma femme, Celine-and-Monsieur le
Baron de Palliac-"
Philippe had Gurned with evident
Philippe was only waiter, and had
not behind him the centuries Of school
fng that enable a gentleman to remain
a gentleman under adverse condl.
tions.
Baron Ronault de Palliac arose with
nnrufied aplomb and favored the
caller with his stateliest bow He
was at the moment a graceful and
silencing rebuke to those who aver
that manner and attire be interde-
pendent. The baron's manner was
Ideal, undiminished in volume, fault.
less as to decorative qualities. One
aitted TO SAVIOR it's exquisite finish
would scarce have noted that above
his waist the noble gentleman was
clad in a single wooden undergarment
Of revolutionary red.
or, II such one had observed this
trining circumstance, he would, assur.
edly. have treated It as Of no value to
the moment; something 70 note, per.
maps. and then gracefully TO forget.
The baron's own behavior would
have served as q model One swift
glance had shown him there was no
way of instant retreat. That being
impossible, none other was graceful;
hence none other was 70 be consid-
cred. He permitted himself not even
q glance At the shirt upon whose fair,
defenseless bosom the iron Of the
overcome Csline bad burned its cruel
brown imprimature. Mrs. Zines had