Evening star., 1922-06-25

but he had the Puckish swiftness and
mischief Of which the successful
mountebank IL made. And he was
a success because he treated it as an
art, thinking nothing during its prac-
tice Of the material gain. laughing
whole-heartedly. like his great prede-
cessor Tabarin of imperishable mem
ory. and satisfying to the full his
instinct for the dramatic.
On the other hand. ever since he
started life in the brass-buttoned
shell jacket Of q chasseur in a Mar
seilles cafe, and dreamed dreams of
the fairy tale lives Of the clients who
came in accompanied by beautifully
dressed ladies, he had social ambi-
tions-and the social status of the
mountebank is, to say tho least Of it,
ambiguous. All me! What would man
be without the unattainable?
A RIsTIDE pocketed his takinEs,
\ struck his nag, dismantled his
table, and visited the shops OF Salon
in the interest of the Maison Hero
path. The days work over. he re-
turned to inquire for his supposi-
titious offspring. The landlady, all
smiles, presented him with a trans
mogrifed Jean. cleansed and pow
dered, arrayed In the SNUG panoply
of bourgeois babyhood. Shoes with
pompon adorned his feet, and a
rakish cap decorated with white
satin ribbons crowned his head. He
also wore an embroidered frock and
4 pelisse trimmed with rabbit fur.
Jean grinned and dribbled self
consciously. and showed his two lit
tie teeth to tho proudest father In
the world The landlady invited the
happy parent into her little dark
parlor beyond the offlce. and there
exhibited q parcel containing gar
ments and implements whose use
was a mystery to Aristide. She also
demanded tho greater part OF another
louis. Aristide began to learn that
fatherhood is expensive. But what
did 1t matter?
After all. here was a babe equip
ped to face the e1igencies OF q CEN
serious world; in looks and apparel
credit to any father. As the after
noon was hne, and as 1t seemed q
pity to waste satin and rabbit fur on
the murky interior Of the hotel, Aris-
tide borrowed q perambulator from
the landlsdy. and, joyous as q school
boy. wheeled the splendid infant
through the sunny avenues Of Salon.
That evening q bed was made up
for the child In Aistide's room. which
until its master retired for the night
was haunted by the landlady, the
chambermaids and all the kitchen
wenches in the hotel. Aristide had
to turn them out and lock his door.
This is excellent" said he, apostro-
phizlng the thoroughly fed, washed
and now sleeping child. This ID
superb As in every hotel there are
women, and as every woman thinks
she can be q much better mother than
I, SO in every hotel we visit we shall
find a staff Of trained and enthusi.
astic nurses. Jean, you will live like
little cog en- pate"
The night passed amid various ex-
cursions on the part Of Aristide and
alarms on the part Of Jean. Some
times the child lay SO still that Aris-
| tide arose to see whether he wat
alive. Sometimes he gave such
proofs Of vitality that Aristide, in ter.
ror lest he should awaken the whole
hotel, walked him about the room
chanting lullabies. This was in &C.
cordance with Jeans views on luxury
He good" with Joy. When Aristids
put him back to bed he howled- Aris.
tide snatched him up and he good
again. At last Aristide fed him des.
perately, dandled him eventually te
sleep and returned to an excited pill
low, It is a fearsome thing for 6
man to be left alone in the dead o,
might with q young baby.
'Iu get used to it," said Aristide.
! A.A = 4
THE next morning he purchased u
basket, which he lashed ingeni'
ously ON the left-hand seat Of ths
car, and q cushion. which he fittet
into the basket. The berth prepared
he deposited the sumptuously-ap.
parelled Jean therein and drove away
amid the perplexed benisons Of thu
landIady and her satellites.
Thus began the oldest odyssey OF
which ever naortals embarked. Thu
man with the automobile, the corr
cure and the baby grew TO be legend
ary in the villages Of Provence
When the days were fine. Jean In hii
basket assisted at the dramatic Per
formance In ths market place. Be.
coming . magnet for the women. and
being Of q good-humored and rofltck:
hA AnfnnA ~, fhA RalA A