The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1914-07-30
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THE YOUNG ARIsTIDE
BY MONTAGUE GLASS.

Nnen the famllle Perrault arrived
at the Maison Ducrocq a little iutter
ran the length of the staid brownstone
residence opposite.
The elder Perrault and his wife de
scended from the first cab, Leon and
Farcie, with six valises, from the sec.
ond, Alexandra Perrault and bundle
OF rug-wrapped umbrellas from the
third, and. lastly, the young Aristide
Perrault and his governess, Nile. Els
telle Faure, from the fourth.
At the head Of the door steps stood
Ducrocq himself, beaming welcome
engendered of the fifty odd dollars
that would accrue to him weekly as
result of the famille Perraults advent,
to make no account of the extras for
wine and liquors. Cordially he grasped
the hand Of Perrault pere, Of AleXan-
DIRE, and Of Leon, and, for climax, he
lifted the young Aristide bodily in his
arms and saluted him with two nurses
kisses on either cheek great smacks
that fairly echoed down the street.
The young Aristide received them
TRANQUILITY. This was an era OF strange
happenings, and he took this strange
NJ. Ducrocqs salutations all of a piece
with the huge ocean steamer, the roll
ing water. and the elevated railway
that ratified increasingly on the avenue
near by. He seized fold of Mile.
Faure's skirt and followed her upstairs
to the ballroom on the second floor.
Aristide viewed his misfortunes with
stole calmness. If cnes parents
deemed it best for the development of
pru2e and olive business to depart
from Bordeaux and migrate. with
uncle, brother and governcSS, to the
hurly-burly of New York, what could
he, Aristide, do to prevent it?
Nevertheless he stifed a sigh for the
playmates Of his beloved Jardin des
Plantes and blew retlectiyely into a
hollow key which he had found on the
bureau. 1t made melancholy sound,
at once fascinating and in accord with
his mood. He repeated it very softly
lest Mile. Faure should hear.
and warm breeze filtered through the
opening. Three minutes later the
young Aristide mingled with the crowd
on Sixth avenue, happy In the posses
sion OF his leather-tabbed key and not
more than three words of English.
1t was about this time that Mile
Faure came back to the salon, lured
by the music, and found the chamber
empty, save for the young man at the
piano. She rushed up to the performer
and tapped him on the shoulder.
Pardon" she asked, but has N sieu
seen a little boy?"
NJ 'sieu had seen little boy, and was
surprised upon wheeling around on
the stool to note his absence. They
both ran into the hall, and the open
street door was eloquent testimony to
the manner of Aristides departure.
"Aristide." mademoiselle shrieked
in throat-flling tones of hysteria. In
stantly the cry was taken up by Nine
Perrault, who appeared in a peignoir
at the secondstory landing, by the
elder Perrault, who took the stairs IN
hasty descent. three at a jump, and
later in rapid crescendo by Leon and
Alexandra.
In an instant the Maison Ducrocq,
from the page poy at the telephone to
the last cooks assistant, was in an up
roar of confusing shouts with ever
the same leitmotif. "Aristide! Aris-
tide!" they yelled, and tumbled pcil-
nell into the street.
Bareheaded and in slippers, they ran
east and west. Nine. Perrault, with
the governess and a page, arrived
breathlessly at the corner Of Sixth ave
nue. just az an ambulance changed
noisily away. simultaneously a throng
that had gathered melted into little
groups and discussed in loud tones the
accident which had brought the ambu-
lance.
"Wot's de natter" said the page to
a newsboy.
"Now==dey just took him away In de
amburelance," was the reply.
"Who?" the page calculated.
Jaw, some kid wuz run over by
truck"
\The page grew white. "Wot for
lookin' kid wuz he?" he persisted
Jaw, some little dago runt," said the
newsboy, and the page seized mad
emoiselle's arm.
Shake 1t up" he cried dragging
her along. "Dey took him ter de hos
pital."
or the sentence she understood only
one word, the baneful hospital" Es
corted by at least thousand persons,
they ran without stopping to the great
red brick institution on Fifteenth
street and were ushered Immediately
into the office.
Say, sonnie," the clerk murmured,
here's yopy mother
The injured boy raised himself on
h.s elbow and looked up at Nine. Per,
rauit. One glance was sufficient.
"Dhell 1t H." he said witheringly
The clerk turned just in time to |
catch Nine Perrault as she sank faint. |
ing to the floor Restoratives were ap.
Piled and the little procession started |
back to the Maison Ducrocq with
faithful remnant of their late encourage |
gathering at their heels.
One by one the staff of the maison |
returned to their labors. A stray cat |
had entered the kitchen while the cook |
WIS away and stolen the haddock for |
that evenings filet de sole Mornay. |