The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-06-17
THE THREE GUARDSMEN
lv ALEXANDRA DUMAS

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 Although the musketeer was not ex- pected before 1 o'clock, his mistress had been upon the watch ever since IF, reckoning that the heart or per. haps the. Stomach of her lover would bring him before his time.
 Tt is my cousinr' cried she. Come imp
 \ The master of the house had without doubt been warned Of his visit, as he expressed no surprise at the sight of Pofthos, who advanced toward him !. with q sufficiently familiar air and sa- luIted him couxteously.
 we are cousins, it appears, M. Por- thos?' said he, rising by supporting his weight upon the arms of his cane chaifA
 The old man, enveloped in a large black doublet, in which the whole of his slender body was concealed. was brisk and dry. His little gray eyes shone like carbuncles and appeared, with his grinning mouth, to be the only part of his face in which life survived. Unfortunately the legs began to refuse their service to this bony machine. During the last five or six months that this weakness had been felt the worthy had nearly become the slave of his wife.
 The, cousin was received with resig. nation, that was all. Master CoQue- nard, firm upon his legs, would have declined all relationship with M. Por- sthos. N@e U
 HYes, monsieur, we are cousins" said Porthos without being disconnected, as he had never reckoned upon being re- ceived enthusiastically by the husband
 The hour aof dinner soon arrived. They passed into the eating room, a large dark apartment situated opposite to the kitchen.
 The clerks, who, as it appeared, had smelled unusual perfumes in the house, were of military punctuality and stood with their stools in their hands, quite ready to sit down. Their jaws moved preliminarily with fearful threaten ings.
 M. C,qaenard entered, pushed along upon his chair with castors by Mime. CoQuenard, whom Porthos assisted in rolling her husband up to the table.
 He had scarcely entered when he be- gan to agitate his nose and his jaws after the example of his clerks.
 "Oh, ohv' said he. ''Here Is a potage which is rather invitingr'
 What can they smell so extraordi- nary in this potage?' said Porthos at the sight of pale bouillon, abundant, but perfectly free from meat, and rpon the surface of which few. crusts swam about as wide apart as the is- lands of an archipelago.
 Master Coquenard was served first, then Porthos; afterward Mime. Coque-, nard filled her own plate and distribut- ed the crusts without bouillon to the impatient clerks.
 After the potage the maid brought in boiled fowl, a piece of magnifi- cence which caused the eyes of the usual guests to dilate in a manner that threatened injury to them.
 @One may see that you love your family, Mime. Coquenard," said her husband, with smile that was almost tragic. "You are certainly treating your cousin very handsomely"
 The poor fowl was thin and covered with one of those thick bristly skins through which the teeth cannot pene- trate with all their efforts.
 "Well," thought Porthos, "this is poor work! respect old age, but don't think much of it boiled or roasted
 Mime. CoQuenard drew the, dish to- ward her, skillfully detached the two great black feet, which she placed upon her husbands plate; cut off the neck, which with the head she put on one side for herself; raised the wing for Porthos and then returned to the serv- ant who had brought 1t in the animal, otherwise intact and which had disap- peared before the musketeer had had time to examine the variations which disappointment produces upon faces according to the. characters and tenn peraments of those who experience 1t. In the place of the fowl a dish of haricot beans made it's appearance-an enormous dish, in which some bones of mutton which at first sight might AAsA - OS~AA CORlV6C0 IO u0tC 6OAAAO AAAGaL on them. pretended to show them selves.
 Mime. Coquenard distributed this dish to the young men with the mod eration of good housewife.
 The time for taking wine was come. Master Coquenard poured from a very small stone bottle the third of glass to each of the young men, served him. self in about the same proportion and passed the bottle to Porthos and Mime. Coquenard.
 The young men filled up their third of glass with water; then when they had drunk half the glass they filled it up again and continued to do so, which brought them by the end of the repast to the swallowing of drink which, from the color of the ruby, had passed to that of a pale topaz.