The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-12-24

June measures OIL an Operetta,
OF the bunglers adopting the cure alls
of the sawboncs and Juggling with their
empty heads while dreaming the
dreams of a Hamlet.
Carabet du Squelette!
The nnouncemen of the droll PROM
had often made him smile when he had
passed near there to go to the prefec-
ture--this w%ineshop, the front of which
was bordered with black. like a letter
announcing a death. and which bore,
grating as 1t swung at the end Of an
iron rod, a rcd lantern for a sign.
Ellis little girls. when he la%ughingiy
spoke of the cabaret where the walters
were dressed like undertakcrs' assist
ants. turned pale, and plump little Nine.
B%ernardet, ordinarily smiling. would
say. with a sigh, as 1T possible that
such s~acrilegious things are permitted
In the quartcr?"
Bernardet good natured,y replied,
All. my dear, where is the harm?"
II know what 1 am talking about"
ure OF the unhealthy minded They
mock at death as they mock at every
thing else. Where will 1t all end? We
shall see it,
o We shall not see it," Interrupted
her husband Iaughingly.
He went in there one evening, having
a little time to himself, as he would
nave gone into a heater. He knew
something abouttthis Cabaret du Sque-
lette (meanins the wineshop of tho
skeleton). He found the place very
droll.
A small hall which a a few months
before been a common wineshop had
oeen transformed into q lugubrious
place. The walls We're painted a dead
black and We're hung with a large num-
per OK NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. from masked
pa!ls, gondolas. parades, screnades with
a balcony scene. soma of the lovers
rendezvous of Venice and AN ideal view
OF Granada. With couples gazing at
each other and signing in the gondolas
on the lagoons or in the Andalusian
courts, and in this strange place with
It's romantic pictures, souvenirs OF
Musset or of Carlo Gozzi, tho tables
We're made in the form OF collins with
lshted candles standing upon them,
ana the walters were dressed as UNI
dertakers' assistants. with shiny black
mats trimmed With crepe on their
heads. 4
What poison will you drink before
you de-: asked n ct the creatures
of Bernardet.
Bernardo sat and gazed about him.
A few high .iiers" from the other sidc
OF Paris were there. Here and there
& thief from that quarler sat alone at
a5table. Some elegants in white cravats
who had come here iii correct evening
dress. were going later. after .s:.iss opera.
to supeWith some premiere. The police
of1cer understood very we'll why The
blase came here. They wished TO Jos,
their faded appetites; they sought TO
ind some piment. a curry, spice TO sea
son the tameness OF their daily exist
once. The coffin shaped tables upon
which they leaned their elbows amused
them. Several of them had asked for a
~-bayarotse, as they We're On milk diet.
They pointed out to each other. tho
gas flaming from the Jets fashioned in
tina form nf n rnlr1 rks~
"A little patience, my friends, said
q sort OF wao was dressed
In deep mourning. Before long we Will
adjourn to the cave of death"
The drinkers in white ava shout
ed. Bernardet experienced. on the con
trary, what Nine. Bernardet would
have called n creepy sensation.
Seasoned as &c was to the bloody and
v~illainous aspect Of crime. he felt the
instructive shrinking of a healthy and
drolleries of the brain diseased upper
class and the ~pleasantries OF the blase
d~ecadents. 3a3
At a certain moment and after an
explanation given by the manager the
gas was turned Off. and the lovers in
the %gondolas, the guitar players, the
singing of Spanish songs. the dancers
infatuated with the Moulin Rouge,
changed suddenly in sinister fashion.
In place of the blonde heads and rosy
SAiCSho, SAullS SuuueUly appeared. The
smiles became grins which showed the
teeth in their f1eshless gums. The bod
les. clothed In doublets, in velvets and
satins, q moment ago. were made by
some interior Illumination to change
n hideous skeletons. In his mockinc
tones the manager explained and com
mented on the metamorphosis. adding
to the funeral spectacle the pleasantly
of a bu:eoon.
See, diseased P%arisians, what YOU
will be on Sunday!!"
The light Went out suddenly; the
skeletons disappeared: the signing low
ers In the gondolas on the iagoons OF
Venice appeared: the Andalusia,
s~weethearts agai-- gazed into each 9TH
er's eyes and sang their love songs
laughs sounded constrained.
"Droll, this city of Paris.' Bernarde1
thought. He sat there, leaning bach
against the wall. where verses about
death We're printed. among the white
tears-as In those lodges OF Free Ma.
sons where an outsider is shut up ir
order to give him time to make hi.
will-when the door opened and Ber-
nardet saw a tall young man of stall
wart and resolute mien enter. A black
curly beard surrounded his pale face
AS he entered le EAST a quick glance
around the kall. the air of which was
rather thick with cigar smoke. HI
seemed to be about 80 years of age
n had the air of an artist. a sculptor
or a painter. together with something
military in his carriage. But what sud.
denly struck Bernardet was his hat, 8
large, gray. felt hat. with a very wide
brim. like the sombreros which the bull
fighters wear.
Possibly. a few people passint
through Paris might be found wearing
such hats. But they would probably
be rare, and in order to And the sellel
of Jacques Dantin's portrait Der.
nardet had only this one clew.
"Oh, such a mean little, weak clew
But one must use 1t. Just the same!'
Bernardet had said.
What II this young man with the
strange hat was, by chance. the un.
known for whom he was searching
1t was not at all probable. No. wher
one thought of it-not at all probable
But truth is sometimes made up O
improbabilities and Bernardet agar
experienced the same shock, the in.
sttnctive feeling that he had struck tn.
trail which he felt when the young MAJ
entered the III shop.
That hat!" murmured Bernardet
slipping his wine and stealing glance:
over the rim OF his glass at the young
man. The unknown seemed to pla.
u diranf1Xy IN To tINnE ~N1tN4E ~ 1,o ~