The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-07-07
STORY OF MAN AND
HIS DEAD DONKEY
Promised Veterinarian 20,
Francs, Kill or Cure
AND HAD TO PAY UP
Proved to the Judge That wet" Had
Neither Killed or Cured Animal,
But Lost Suit and Had
to Pay Costs
AND HAD TO PAY UP

| ZIG PiOpdblS thJOAS lllt dNtiOh piouSht
| by Antonin Devaille, the veterinary sur
geon of Plerreville. against Dolphin Mel
cupe. | call 1t an action because 1t must
be called something. but 1t may be as we'll
to explain that the legal expenses were
only four francs and a half, which is a
bit less than 80 cents.
Dolphin Meloupes donkey was dead. and
that was he cause of the trouble. Dolphin
Meloupe has a very small farm and n
very large sense of economy. He drove
into market to Bayeux behind his donkey
Clothilde, because he had a dislike to
working his two horses when he could
| avoid it. Besides. he had grown accus-
| toned to Clothilde and she to him.
| She had a way of pushing herself, cart
and all, into the crowd outside the Cafe
de lHomme qui Boite when she thought
| to go home, and this trick was In itself
| worth money every market day to Dolphin
| Meloupe. Then Clothilde did most of the
work of a horse, and behaved like an ass
| about privileges, preferring thistes sol
which a boy would collect a saclSfu for a
cent to more expensive fare.
A week ago last Saturday Clothilde had
| forgotten to fetch her master away from
the Cafe de lHomme qui Boite. Th>
Cafe de rHomme qui Boite (Which means
the Cafe of the Man who Limpsl had
originally been called the Cafe de Homme
qui Bolt dhe Cafe of the Man who
Drinks.
A humorist (the Norway peasant is as
humorous as Scotchman and is humor.
GUS in much the same dry inanner) who
had been requested to leave the cafe be-
fore he had really finished drinking, had
added the final "e'' to the sign, and it re-
manned there.
Delphine Meloupe. after a very profitable
day, had celebrated the same In the
usual manner. He was therefore quite
Enthusiastically angry with Clothilde be-
cause he knew that he had spent more
money than he wanted TO, and he beat
her most of the way home.
That night he had gone down to the
stable, because he thought after a short
sleep, which had refreshed him, that he
had possibly forgotten to lock the door
| He knew by the roughness of his tongue
when he awoke that he had probably
| been unkind to Clothilde on the drive
| home, and he went into the stable to tel
| her that he didn't really mean it.
Dolphin Meloupe was fond of his donkey
| in his own way. There was something
the matter with Clothilde. Her head huns
as she lay on her litter OF leaves, her eyel
were half yelled and her Ears were quit,
hot. She hardly raised them when Dolphin
walked in and talked TO her.
| He knew there was somethin serious tn,
matter. He didn't know quite what to do
and though he hated the expense and il
was 1880 o'clock-the middle of the nigh
| in Pierrevile--he went and knocked III
Antonin Delvaille, the vet"
Delvaille dsllked being disturbed al
night. Dolphin stood under his window
and shouted insults at him. What dc
you mean," he said, "by only a donkey? %
| tell you Clothide is not we'll. Do you
think, imbecile. that l should come tc
you If the bourgeose CHS wife) were
sick? | should go for real doctor then.
Finding insults no use and needing An
tonins help Dolphin burned his boats.
II will give you 20 francs" he shouted
"whether you kill Clothilde or cure her.
And Delvaile, who haa been dressing be.
hind the window shutter all the time
came down at once.
Its promise he said, 40 francs
mind
Dolphin Meloupe held up his right hand
| and spat on the cobble stones of Pierre.
vile to show how soemnly he had prom.
| Used.
Antonin Delvaille spent most of the
night trying to cure Clothilde, but she
was 10 years old and had worked extreme
| ly hard for a poor living without many
days off She had right to long rest
and she took II.
| Dolphin and his wife wept over her dead
body as though she had been a child
IN. lie Juge de Payx.' said Antonin
Delvai1le, ''he promised ple the 20 francs
and he has paid me nothing. He prom
ised me the 20 francs End swore that he
would pay them. He held his hand ur
and swore 1t, and saving your respect
he spat on the ground while his hand
was lifted
What have you to say asked the
juge de paix turning TO Dolphin Mel
oupe Dolphin fumbled with his hat,
stood first on one foot and then the
other, and began a long and rambling
story of hard times and the great loss
Clothilde, his donkey, was to him.
IN. lie JUICE will understand" he said
"I am not a rich man, not rich man at
ALL My farm is very small; there is a
mortgage on 1t; 1t Is six miles to Bayeux,
and now that my Clothilde is dead I do
not know what I shall do. The fruit
trees this year have been knocked out by
the storms. there have been few straw
berries and too many Strawberries In
England, and the apples are not Civ
ing
Come. come" said the Judge, who
knew better. "it is very good apple year,
Meoupe.' -
Meloupe grinned scribe grin "Evi-
dcnt1y." he said, M ie Juge Is right,
For bad apple year it is not a bad apple
year, but for a good apple year there are
not many apples. To say that there are
apples. there really are no apples. but
evidently as M. lie Juse says, to say thar
there are no apples there are apples just
the same
Il know all about that, Meloupe." said
o-e JUICE lie paix. but did you promise
Antonin Delvaille that you would give
him 20 francs if he went out at night to
look after your donkey
"Ah," said Meloupe. 1--WE must not mix
up the gendarme with his two-cornered
hat ths is a Norman preverb, meaning
Perhaps NJ. lie JUICE VIII ask Delvaille
exactly what / promised?''
"He promised shouted Delvaille angri-
y. that he would give 20 frapcs whether
killed or cured her.
VOLTA" said Dolphin, you have said
it. Did you kill Clothilde p
THE ass was dying when I went to
her. said the indignant horse doctor.
You did not kill her them"
"Of course. / didn't"
And did you cure her.
Delvaile shrugged hts shoulders. "A
man cannot do miracles" he said
And yet an unjust judge sentenced Del
phin to pay the 20 francs and the cost of
the action. 1t was the payment of the 50
cents that ranked most.
a select 500 or SO of Parisians were
taken out in II yellow motor buses to a
festival Of roses BY NJ and MADAM,
Solphe BIisson. editors Of Les Annals =
~