Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-12-25

of the bunglers adopting the cure alls
of the sawbones and Juggling with their
empty heads while dreaming the
J dreams OF a Hamlet.
Carabet du Squelettei
The announcement OF the droll prom
ises-apparitions. visions, phantoms-
had often made him smile when he had
passed near there to go to the p~refec-
ture-this wineshop. the front Of which
was bordered with black. like "A letter
announcing a death, and which bore,
grating rs IL swung at the end OF al
iron rod, a red lantern for a sign.
His little girls, when he ~laughingly
spoke OF the cabaret where the walters
were dressed like underwriters assist
ants, turned pale, and plump little Mime.
B~ernardet. ordinarily smiling, would
say. with a sigh, is IL possible that
such sacrilegious things are permitted
in the quarter?"
All, my dear, where il the harm?"
Il know what / am talking about. -
his good wife said. They are the pleas
ure OF the unhealthy minded. They
mock AZ death as they mock at every
thing else, Where will IL all end? We
shall sec it,
or we shall not see IT, interrupted
her husband laughingly.
He went IN there one evening, having
a little time 10 himself, as he would
have gone into a theater. lie knew
something about this Cabaret du Sque-
lette Cmeaning the wineshop Of the
Skeleton). He found the place very
droll.
a small hall which had a few months
before been a common wineshop had
been transformed into q lugubrious
place. The wallis were painted a dead
black n We're hung with "A large mum
Der o. paIEtjngs-sCCnes from masked
bails. gundulas, parades, screnades with
a balcony scene. some of the lovers
rendezvous Of Venice ana an ideal view
ut Granada. with couples gazing at
each other and signing in the gondolas
on the laEOOnS Or in The AndaluSian
courts, and In this strange place with
its romantic pictures, souvenirs Of
Musset or of Carlo GCzzi, the tables
were made In the form OF collins with
lighted candles standing upon them,
and the walters We're dressed as UNI
~dcrtakers' assistants. with shiny black
mats trimmed with crepe on their
heads.
What poison viii YOU drink before
ypu die2' asked one Ot the creatures
of Bcrnardet.
Bernardet sat and gazed about him.
A few high tierS" from the other side
of Paris We're there. Here and there
a thief from that quarter a alone at
a table. Some elegants in white cravats,
who "A come here in correct evening
dress, were going later. after the opera.
to sup with some premiere. The police
officer understood very well why the
blasC came here. They wished TO jog
their faded appetites; they sought TO
IND some piment, a curry, spice to sea-
son the tameness of their daily exist
cnce. The coffin shaped tables upon
which they leaned their elbows amused
them several nf thgfn had agLa1 for u
~bavaroise. as they were on milk diet.
They pointed out to each other the
gas flaming from the jets fashioned in
the form of Il broker shin bone.
"A little patience, my friends" said
a sort or manager, VINO was dressed
In deep mourning. Before long we will
adjourn 20 the cave OF DEATH
The drinkers in white cravats shout
ed. Bernardct experienced, on the CON
trary. what Nine. Bcrnardet would
have called a creepy sensation.
Seasoned as re was to the bloody and
villainouS aspect of crime. he felt the
instructive shrinking OF a healthy and
level headed bourgeois against these
drolleries of the brain diseased upper
class and the pl~easantries of the blase
d~CcaGents.
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
checks. skulls suddenly appeared. The
smiles became grins which shovel the
teeth in their fleshless gums. The bod
les. clothed In doubiets. in velvets and
satins, a moment ago. were made by
some interior Illumination to change
into hideous skeletons. In his hooking
tones the manager explained and COM
mented on the metamorphosis, adding
10 the funeral spectacle the pleasantly
of q bu"oon.
See, diseased Parisians, what YOU
VIII be on Sunday"
The light went out suddenly; the
skeletons disappeared; the signing low
ers IN the %gondolas ON the lagoons OF
Venice appeared; the Andalusian
sweethearts agai gazed into each 9TH
er's eyes and sang their love songs.
Some of the women laughed, but the
laughs sounded constrained.
"Dror. this city of Paris" Bernardet
thought. He sat there. leaning back
against the wall. where verses about
death were printed among the white
tears-Hs In those lodges of Free Ma
sons where an outsider is shut up In
order to give him time TO make his
" 4 ~ ~ fARO1 0ffNIANu dHU IntsI=
nardet saw a tall young man of stall
wart and resolute mien enter. A black,
curly beard surrounded his pale face.
As he entered ne cast a quick glance
around the lall. the air OF which was
rather thick with cigar smoke. He
seemed TO be about 80 Years OF age.
and had the air OF an artist. a sculptor,
or a PAINTER. together With something
military I'm his carriage. But what sud
denly struck Bernardet was his hat, q
large, gray, felt hat, with a very wide
brim. like the sombreros which the bull
fighters wear.
Possibly. a few people passing
through Paris might b. found wearing
such hats. But they would probably
be rare. and in order To find the seller
OF jacques Dantin's portrait Ber-
nardet had only this one clew.
"Oh. such q mean. little, weak clew,
But must use IL. Just the same,'
Berna q had said.
What if this Young man with the
strange hat wa by chance. the UNI
known for whom he was searching?
Ii was not at all probable. No. when
one thought OF it--not at all probable.
But ruth Is sometimes made up OF
improhahiiities and Bernardet again
experienced the same shock. the In
stinctive feeling that he had struck the
trail which he felt wheE the young man
entered TIE wine shop.
That hat mnrmured Bernardet.
slipping mis- wine and stealing chances
over the rim az his glass m tho yOung