The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1914-11-05
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THE YOUNG ARISTIDE
BY MONTAGUE GLASS.

When the farnille Perraut arrived
at the Maison bucrocq little flutter
ran the length OF the staid brownstone
residence opposite.
TIE 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, Mile. Es'
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 al a
result of the famille Perrault's 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
M. Ducrocq's 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 ones parents
deemed it best for the development of
a prune and olive business to depart
from Bordeaux and migrate, with
uncle, brother and governess, to the
hurly-burly OF New York, what could
he, Aristide, do to prevent it?
| Nevertheless he stifed sigh for the
| playmates of his beloved Jardin des
Plantes and blew refectively into q
! hollow key which he had found on the
bureau. 1t made a melancholy sound,
at once fascinating and in accord with
his mood. He repeated it very softly
lest Mile. Faure should hear.
The street door stood partly open
and warm breeze filtered through the
opening. Three minutes later the
4 young Aristide mingled with the crowd
on Sixth avenue, happy in the posses
sion Of his leathertabbed 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 m sieu
seen little boy?"
Msieu 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 Aristide's departure.
| "Aristide!" mademoisele shrieked
In throat-tilling tones of hysteria. In
stantly the cry was taken up by Nine.
Perrault, who appeared in peignoir
ut the secondstory landing, by the
elder Perrault, who took the stairs In
|
later in rapid crescendo by Leon and
| Alexandra.
In an instant the Mason 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 pell-
nell into the street.
Bareheaded and in slippers, they ran
east and west. Nine. Perrault, with
| the governess and page, arrived
breathlessly at the corner of Sixth ave-
nue. just as 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.
"Wots de NATTER" said the page to
a newsboy.
Now dey just took him away In de
| amburellnce," was the reply.
"Who?" the page calculated.
Jaw, some kid wuz run over by a
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 it 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 your mother"
The injured boy raised himself on
his elbow and looked up at Nine Per.
rault. One glance was sufficient.
'Dhell it u.s." he said witheringly.
The clerk turned just IN time to
catch Nine. Pelrault as she sank faint.
ing to the floor. Restoratives were APP
plisd 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 staf of the maison
returned to their labors stray cat
had entprpd thp kftpbpn whila tho cank