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Show j ; ing faces. f ; After a short explanation, during : , which the four heads were very close to- gether. Jtilt-s went in one direction fur a : dark lantern. Gaston set forth in another to borrow a drum. Jean went in a third j for the li watering ot, while Emil was to fill a basket with Band and gravel When they came back, later in the evening, even-ing, each had succeeded in his errand. 1 "We will give the sergeant a goblin thunder storm," Gaston said, with a smile. Then all four laughed aloud -They were sharp fellows, and they com- : prehended his plan. J Although the moon shone brightly I that night the conspirators set forth for . the inn, walking in a single file, and , grinning with anticipation. i AIkjiH midnight they were In front of the window of the "front room on the left." Emil threw the sand against the panes, Gusum beat a terrible roil upon the drum, and Julos lla-slied the light of his lantern through the window, while Jean spattered water upon the glass. The sergeant arose, came to the window win-dow and gazed curiously out. Apparently Ap-parently there was bright moonlight and a cloudless sky; but he had seen the lightning, heard the thunder, and surely those were drops of rain upon the panes of the window. The four mischief makers had crouched closely against the wall, and with difficulty diffi-culty restrained themselves from noisy mirth. The steps retreated from the window. After waiting a moment another '"Goblin '"Gob-lin Storm" was created, and brought the puzzled man again to the window; but so closely Uattened against the inn were the four friends tliat there was no clew to the mystery, and the sergeant once more retired, too sleepy to make any further investigation that night. A third repetition of their trick brought their victim running to the door as they had expected. Being ready for him, Jean deluged the THE GOBLIN STORM. The sergeant was home from Tonquin so said all the village and was staying stay-ing at the inn, "too proud to speak to any one" so added those who envied him the attention excited by his gorgeous gor-geous uniform But Jules and Gaston, Jean and Emil, said bluntly that they knew better, and to show their faith in their old comrade invited him to take soup with them as he used to do before he went into the army. Behold, then, the five friends around the table. What have they to talk of after their long separation? We will Listen. poor sergeant with water, Gaston deafened deaf-ened him with the drum, Jules blinded his eyes with the lantern, while Emil pelted him with the gravel, and he staggered stag-gered back indoors with his hands over his eyes and his breath almost gone. Next day the sergeant asked the land-. lord at breakfast time whether the ter-1 rible storm had not kept him awake. The landlord stared at him in silence for a moment, and then said: "Sergeant, are you crazy?" i "Landlord, what do you mean?" re-j re-j plied the soldier with much dignity, rising ris-ing to his feet "It was a calm, bright moonlight night, as any one will tell you. Why do you ask such a foolish question? To make me ; ridiculous?" "It was buta poor joke, wasn't it, mine host?" said the sergeant, with a twiBt at bis big mustaches while his cheeks grew very red. "Pray say nothing about it, and I will promise not to repeat so ill timed a pleasantry," and away he marched, very erect and very proud indeed. in-deed. Strangely enough, not only did the sergeant seek no explanation of hia re-markable re-markable experience at the inn, but even his wonderful adventures in Tonquin were no more recalled. As for Gaston, Jules, EmU and Jean, they never met together without chuckling chuck-ling and poking one another, and this they continued to do until next fair time. Benjamin Webster in St. Nicholas. The sergeant is speaking; "Indeed, I hardly know how one lives at all iD those tropics. Without boasting, boast-ing, I myself bear things as well as most of my neighbors, but I confess it, my friends, I have been frightened by the tropics. Think of it, my boys, a French officer afraid of the weather!" "Of the weather?" asked EmiL "1 cannot see that," said Jules. "It is no more than the truth," resumed re-sumed the sergeant. "In Tonquin we have thunder and lightning for I cannot can-not otherwise name them but not such as come to these villages little groans of thunder hero and sparks of lightning there, but thunder stornis to terrify a bishopl" "How so?" asked Gaston, curiously. The sergeant had enjoyed his soup, and truly his tongue talked of itself. "In Tonquin," Bttid lie, rising to his feet (for so one gestures more easily), "the lightest of our thunder cracks cau-non cau-non balls in two, and one peal follows another so fast that there is never bul one, which, however, lasts as long as the storm." . "Strange enough," said Jules, with hie mouth open, his spoon in the air. "And the lightning?" asked Jean, quickly. "The lightning?" repented the sergeant, ser-geant, "much the same sort. It is never seen. All the world stays indoors and puts on green spectacles one or two pairs!" "A curious custom!" remarked Emil. looking sidewiso at the veteran. "As you say curious indeed," replied the sergeant, Biniling. "You would enjoy en-joy the oddity of it, I have little doubt. But there is something more worthy of notice. There is the rain. In Tonquin the rain falls so fast tliat it doesn't reach the ground!" "But, sergeant," crid Gaston, rising to protest, "your last statement is hardly credible!" "Oh, you demand an explanation,'' said the sergeant with some warmth, and pounding tho table with his still fillers, fill-ers, "it is because the raindrops fall so fast they are driod up by the friction of the air that is, of course, all but a little. I do not menu to say that none of the water falls to the ground that would be unreasonable." "So I thought,'' said Gaston, nodding his head wisely. " You were right, Gaston," said tho sergeant, ser-geant, grandly. "Always tell mo if you find my Btories incredible. I am a little irritable, but not proud. And I know (sinco I, too, lived in this little village once so long ago!) how seldom you hear such adventures!" "My word, hut I have heard things as strange!" said Gaston, dryly. "Then my stories do not surprise you?" asked the soldier, with some disappointment. "Why should they" replied Gaston. "I have never been in Tonquin. 1 have heard of queerer thine, however; yes. and in this very town!" "Such ns?" Bind the sergeant, looking look-ing hard at the other arid twisting his mustache ends into two needle points, "Some people would say your Tonquin storms were not large," Oaslon said, frankly. "Hut 1 atn not so foolislL Freely 1 admit that such storms are rare in this villugo. Rut I do contend that wo have lirro tho smallest storms thai can wpll be. " The sergeant moved uneawly on his lour legged stool, and gazed at (Juston with his eyi'lids half closed. "Did you never hear of them?" said Gaston, scorning tu be much surprised. "Never." said the nergeuiit. in a pecu liar voice "It is said that onco at the Inn, whore you are staying, a man who had la-en n sailor I think it w;is a sailor i-ame homo from Algeria and told of many wonderful experiences Sea serpents laud slides, unicorns, rocs' eggs and mermaidssuch mer-maidssuch was his Block in trade. Well. 0110 morning, that soldier" "Sailorl" said the Heigeant, frowning 'Sailor, of course that sailor came to bre:,l;fast telling uf a terrible storm. : thunder norm n true Tnuquin i"torm, i( you will permit me, sergeant." The wr go: 1 ni bmvhd rtill frowning 'Hut stntn;el einmh ' llaston wnnl on, "no on. elr-r had ecn any hiuh of a storm , wluiov'T It had HOeuii'd to cverv nnf i else a bright nutontight night! Now, I; j cull that worthy of remark!" "Trulv so." said the sergent, uneasily j "And. strangely enough," went on the villager, "there is a legend that such i storms 11 tv the work of goblins, who thtiB punish toller of big stories, as. it seems, j this sailor must have leen! The sergeant made no comment, but drummed a quickstep u ton the table, whistling a noiseless life accompaniment Emil, Jules and Jean had been listening listen-ing open mouthed and ransacking thir I brains to find sonic trace of this wonderful wonder-ful legend. But no one of them could recall it. and. while they were collecting their wits to question Gaston, the sergeant ser-geant asked: "Where was it you said this sailor lodged?" "At your (nn. In the front room on the left your room, by the way, eorgeant. is it not?" "That ts whero they have put mo," replied re-plied the veteran. Then rising, ho shook hands all round, saying: "Good night, my lads, good night Remarkable place, tho tropics." "Remarkable, Indeed 1" they answered. No sooner was their guest out of Bight than the others turned to Gaston, who was laughing to 'uwLf MLlu'ir wonder- |
