Show only one oa day dav more soliloquized the baron de croix martel as he put the nn fiti to his toilet and contemplated his well wa waxed aed iron gray mustache with less satisfaction than lie would probably have felt bad had not his mind been othen otherwise vise pr preoccupied occupied one short december day he went on after a vause pa and every likely place already explored twice over except the quay I 1 wonder who the idiot wo was s who first ret invented ted new years gifts not one of my arim ancestors ill engage the croix martels date from the ta crusades and I 1 dare siy say have been bee guilty of follies enough since then but I 1 wont do them the injustice of supposing that th they ey ever tb threw rew away more money thau than they could possibly help I with ith this comforting reflection tile baron took up his hat gloves and cano cane and sallied forth from his little apartment in the hue rue godot on the errand for which be he was bound our hero was tt a bachelor bachel not so much from choice as from ills his inability hitherto to discover a sni suitable table party tall thin and just turned fifty ho he was sufficiently good tempered when nothing occurred to put him out cut of humor and as notorious a miser as ever existed since the days of and john elwes without going so far as its some of his particular friends who affirmed him to bo be the original of Gar famous type the gentleman caul coupain les hards en quatre it may safely be r said tid that whenever he lie could indulge in liis its favorite weakness without compromising himself he be invariably did so and adhered strictly to tho the time honored maxim of taking cure care of tho the pence and letting tho the pounds take care of lip oica em selves but perhaps of all tho the disagreeable necessities to which he lie was periodically compelled to submit the to liis his feelings waa was the obligation of comply complying ilg with the to him utterly inexplicable custom of celebrating the advent of new years day by a distribution of et rennes a drain on his purse which although he lie took care to courine his liberality within the narrowest limits was even in its modified form inexpressibly painful to him the twenty franc piece he be felt bound to offer his concierge caused him an annual pang and the guerdon of two francs to tho tile waiter of the little restaurant where lie was in the habit of dining when not invited elsewhere lay heavy conscience even after appropriating to his own use which no one but himself ever dreamed of doing the cigar tied up with pink ribbon presented to him as a reminder and intended by its owner to be offered in turn to every customer in the room these however were minor grievances compared with what he lie was suffering on oil tho the last day of the year of grace 1871 1874 and awl only those who knew him could by any possibility understand or appreciate ill his iri mental perplexity on tho the morning of his introduction to the reader antho in the course of the preceding six months he lie had made the acquaintance of th countess Count csc sn de oe franchimont a belgian widow with to two daughters daughter who had bad recently settled in paris and was according to report in possession of a handsome fortune naturally nr atu rally partial to society when A bell it cost him nothing he lie had by degrees become a habitual fi equen ter of her pretty apartments in the hue rue do marignan an and I 1 had established himself there to a cert certain aill extent as 11 daml aal de la malson whether he lie entertained any ulterior views respecting either mother or dargil tera we are not in a position to states state if lie did he kept his own counsel and all thit that can be hinted on the subject 1 is that he lie k might knight have bavo done worse mine ime de franchimont wag was barely forty and anti did not rot look her age as for mile file berthe tho the brunette aind and mile louise the blond they were boil boda charming and perfectly aware of the fact in this pleasant plea sint circle the baron soon made himself entirely at home when he lie did not dine there and lind wo we maybe may be sure that he lie never refused an invitation unless lie be had a better one in prospect he lie gene generady raIly dropped in of an evening or occupied A a spare seat in their box at the opera 6 this continued fati intimacy macy with its many contingent advantages he had hitherto enjoyed without scruple ruple ec but the time was at hand when in n accordance with Par parisian islan usages the hospitalities he be bad received must be adequately returned new years daywan day was approaching with rapid strides and his offering on the occasion must a as he lie dolefully acknowledged be proportionately liberal for days and weeks he bad had wandered from place to place like a perturbed spirit in quest of home some object suitable for his lip purpose lie ile nul nd dived into obscure passages and emerged at the other end with the disheartening consciousness of failure and arid had bad pored over the block of half the curiosity shops ia in the capital without unearthing ear thing a fingle pearl of price within the limits of hia his own bonbons bonbonis were of course out cf lf the question even it if the tariff of Aless rs noi Dois asler and gouache fouache permitted such on investment of his money and as for jewelry the bare idea blea made him shudder jn in fi short llort the worthy baron was at his ht wits end and as a last resource resolved to explore the refuge of the destitute the quay from front tile pont royal to the pout pont des arts whither we may as well follow him he lie bad already exhausted the quai voltaire and the Mala quals and was oa ort the tile point of retracing his steps when the recollection of an old bric a brac establishment in the adjoining hue rue de seine struck him lim as a hitherto locality taking therefore the turn opposite the lazaria lazarim laz arim library he lie speedily discovered on lito his right hand of his its search and entered ent erd t the lie shop A few minutes utes examination anif nation and a question or two sufficed to con winve him birn that his unlucky star was still la in the ascendant aud and he was about to resume hii walk when some broken pieces ot chinal il ail ioa io a corots eye nut t iut r io asked iso do aret ah ali monsieur no mien past ex claimed clairo td the individual addressed in a disconsolate tona tone which seemed to forbid further allusion to the painful subject but what is it I 1 persisted the baron what it la Is now you see M ie baron but what it was before my let it fall and smashed it to bits you can have no idea I 1 never saw A finer vase real old dresden worth a couple of thousand franca francs if it was worth a tou son they say it cuce belonged to mine dubarry ahl said tho the baron looking attentively at the heap of fragments and poking at them with his cane cannot it be repaired impossible impo isible monsieur replied the other the cleverest clev erest w workman in france would make nothing of it now have llave you tried asked the baron of what use monsieur who would buy a vase dissected like a map of france I 1 what are you going to do with the tile pieces inquired M do croix martel in whose fertile brain a happy thought vuu gradually germ germinating dinati what can I 1 do but t throw row them at way growled the irate tradesman they on fire fit for nothing else kven even a chiffo chiffriller iller would hardly pick them up 1 will you bell them to me for five live fran francs cst certainly monsieur it if you desire it but what possible uso use never mind 11 interrupted the baron my affair now listen what I 1 want to do is this Y you u will pack up these pieces just as tiley they care are mind put thi this card of mine with them and send the par eel cel this evening ev ening from 9 to 30 to ame mme e la contesse Com tesse de lmont ont ga rue de ala ma agnan it is not to be taken up stairs but lut left with the concierge do you un der stand Is perfectly M lo 10 baron daron answered the owner of the bric a brac shop glancing at lit tho the card as he be spoke all shall be doue exactly as you wish 1 I can quite depend upon you quite M ie le baron at 9 30 to tho the moment it shall be dell delivered vered enfin said M de croix martel to him delfas self as he ho walked briskly homeward A most brilliant inspiration ma paroled for five francs I 1 shall have the credit of a present worthy of a millionaire the fellow who brings it will naturally be suppose supposed to have let it drop on the way the Chal champs lipi are always slippery in frosty weather and to have hav e bolted in order to avoid unpleasant inquiries when the parcel arrives I 1 shall be there As no one knows where I 1 bought it I 1 can storm away at my ease without fear of discovery glorious piece of luckl ive a good mind to treat myself to halt half a bottle of beaune at dinner on the strength of it and vo 0 o I 1 will par bleul and so he did punctually at five minutes before e 9 0 for rifled by the generous s stimulant ti in blant alluded to and in the highest possible spirits the baron rung the first floor bell at ga rue line de mangnan marignan and was immediately ushered into the drawing room where three ladies ladie were assembled ame mme line de franchimont seated by the fire was occupied with some intricate marvel of embroidery while lier her daughters were busily employed ina in arang ing on a table in the center of th the 0 apart ment a v variety I 1 biety of bonbon boxes and other objects wrongly strongly indicative of new which had evidently just arrived look liere here M ie Is baron said berthe a as he lie entered the room see what a mini num ber of presents we have already received a lipis lapis lazuli paper cutter and such a beautiful flower stand near the window and a delicious filigree cardease s said mid louise holding up the object in ct question estion for the inspection of the v visitor charming indeed responded am M de 11 croix martel looking more admiringly at the speaker than at the there that will do girls interposed her mother after shaking hands with her guest come and sit by the fire baron and berthe will w ill give you some tea 1 I trust he replied that when my humble offering arrives you will be ahem equally indulgent no I 1 f follies 01 lies I 1 hope baron said mine I 1 de franchimont shaking her head rep reprove rov angly oh madame a mere more trifle I 1 assure you answered our hero in a deprecating tone accompanied however by a signify of his mustache but you will w ill see at the moment the door opened and add the daltre appeared bearing a voluminous parcel which he solemnly placed on a table with the eipl explanatory amatory an atory announcement pour mine la contesse Com tesse and withdrew as noiselessly as he be had bad en 1 I wonder what it Is cried bertho berthe give mo your scissors louise who can it be from Vs what a strange shaped parcell pir cell remarked ame mme de franchimont rising from front her chair and approaching the tile table while the baron laying down his cup A was as preparing himself for an outburst of indigena nation or in other othet words was setting getting tile steam up ah ali here Is a cardl exclaimed mile berthe as she hastily tore away the last obstacle to the gratification of her curiosity M ie le baroll I 1 knew it could be nc no one ono else mon dibut what can this be V ai M do de croix martel who had drawn near the table gave ono one look at the th contents of tho the picket packet stood for a moment horror borror struck and then by bv the three ladies ladles slipped out of the room and arid darted down the itu rue e do mangnan marignan ai as fast as his its it legs gs could carry him HO bac had been enough alas for the vanity of human calculations the dealer of tho the rue dc de seine hal hall exceeded his instructions ind and had C care are fully envelo enveloped pod every fragment fr of mhd 1 shattered vase in a separate piece of paper j argosy |