The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-13

, he grew gaunt and wretched. He
 missed the dainties the poetic surprises that only great ch efs can give mans
 eyes and stomach. He brooded. Pons
 was suffering from nostalgia. He was more than ready to forget
 all the affronts of society and to re-
 member only its delights, when Ca
 musot and Popinot, in a generous mo-
 ment, insisted on reintroducing him
 into their houses. In his gratitude,
 Pons tried to supply Cecile with husband in the shape of rich Ger
 man friend of Schmuckes, Fritz
 Brunner. Mime Camusot was in the
 seventh heaven of joy; for the family
 was living up to it's income, and a
 little more, and Cecile was growing a
 bit elderly.
 Fritz, however was a gentleman who had tested the world carefully. He con
 sidered Mademoiselle's mature charms
 deliberately and declined to make them
 his Mime. Camusot, who had begun
 already to address the German as a
 son, immediately charged Pons with
 having planned the humiliation delib-
 erately in revenge for the insult which
 he had received three months befoIe Pons looked at the woman's baleful
 eyes, which resembled two fountains of
 green bile, and stood speeches., lis- tening to torrent of cruel, hideous
 abuse. Then he went away like one
 demented.
 For a month he lay in bed with
 nervous fever, nursed by Schmucke. While he lay i'll, Mme Camusot hasti-
 ly cooked up a match between her poor Cecile and the son of Count Popi- not; and the two families industrious
 ly referred to Pons as an ingrate a
 fortune hunter into the family of his patrons, a parasite and a viper. When Pons was able to go out again,
 and walked the boulevard leaning on
 the arm of his faithful Schmucke, he
 bowed to old acquaintances only to be ignored contemptuously. What is the
 matter with your" cried Schmucke in alright.
 T have received a dagger thrust in my heart" replied Pons.
 "Everything is against us," groaned
 Schmucke. Let us go away, to avoid
 meeting other beasts"
 It was the first time in the course of his whole gentle existence that the German had been known to give vent to so savage an expression. After this they reached home without
 exchanging another word. Schmucke pos-
 sessed the genius of friendship-the deli cacy of those who, having suffered much, well know the mood of those who suffer. It was decreed that this was the last
 walk that the worthy Pons should take
 He was attacked by violent inflamma- ton of the liver. Mme. Cibot, whose : husband acted as porter of the house and
 who in her own person did such services for the two old bachelors as they re- quired, sent for the doctor of the district, who told her that the old musician was practically a dead man and that his only chance, and a small one lay in the very best of nursing. 'The least irritation
 may prove fatal," said he.
 And where Is the money to come from?" asked Mme. Cibot He and his friend have only their little salaries. They are just two children that l have been looking after these nine years" These last words were uttered at the entrance of the house. They were over heard by dealer in old things. whose
 shop was on the ground floor. Why.
 Doctor Poulain and my dear little Cibot." ,"