Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Harrison press-journal. (Harrison, Nebraska) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (June 16, 1904)
The Riser's Dauqhter By MO.NRE CHAPTER I. In tome towns there are bouses more pressing to the sight than the dimmest loUter, the most melancholy ruins or je dreariest stretch of sandy waste. Per laps such houses as these combine the ibaracteristir of all the three, and to tie dumb silence of the monastery they tnite tse gauntneas of the ruin and the rid desolation of the waste. There is in particular boose front in Saumur hick possesses all these melancholy haracteriiica, standing at ihe end of a steep street. It was a reuerable relic if a bygone age. built for the men and , Somen of an older and simpler world, Jrom which our modern France is far- Cier and farther removed day by day. 1 a gloomy recess a doorway is dimly risible, the door of M. Graiidei's bouse. M. Grandet enjoyed a certain reputa Jon in Sauniur. There were still old leople in existence who could remember torauer times and called M. Grandet 'Goodman Grandet," but there were not fiany of them left, and they were rap idly disappearing year by year. Iu 17SU randet was a master cooper, in a very jood way of business, who could read ,nd w rite and cast accounts. When the trench Republic confiscated lands iu the tistrict and proceeded to sell them by fUrtion. the cooper was forty years of ie, and had just married the daughter jf a wealthy timber merchant. A Gran et possessed at that moment bis wife's aowry as well as some considerable mount of ready money of bis own. he Vcquired some of the best viue!aud iu he neighborhood, an old abbey and a few little farms, for an old sons. In the days of the Consulate he became Mayor, (id prudently in his public capacity and Aid very well for himself. Times chang ed, the empire was established and he became Monsieur Grandet He had a fair claim to the Cross of the Legion f Honor and he received it in By this time M. Grandet was fifty seven years old, and his wife about thirty-six. The one child of the marriage was a daughter, a little girl ten years of age. In this year he succeeded to three fortunes. Mme. Grandet's mother and her father soon followed her; the third iD order was M. Grandet's grand mother on the mother's side. M. Gran det received a new distinction he paid more taxes than auy one else in the coun try around. He now cultivated a hun dred acres of vineyard. In a good yenr they would yield seven or eight hundred puncheons. He had thirteen little farms, an old abbey and a hundred and twenty seven acres of grazing lnud, in which three thousand poplars, planted in 1703, were growing taller and larger every year. Finally he owned the house in which he lived. In these visible ways hi prosperity bad Increased. As to his capital, there were only two people in a position to make a guess at its probable amount One of these was the notary, M. Cruchot, who transacted all the necessary busi ness whenever M. Grandet made an in vestment, and the other was M. des Grassins, the wealthiest banker in the town, who did Grandet many good of fices which were unknown to Saumur. There was no one in Sauniur who did not fully believe the report which told how, in a secret hiding place, M. Grandet had a hoard of louis, and bow every night be went to look at it and gave himself np to the inexpressible delight of gazing at the huge heap of gold. In matters financial M. Grandet might b described as combining the character istics of the Bengal tiger and the bon coustrictor. He could lie low and wait, crouching, watching for his prey, and make bis spring unerringly at last; then the jaws of his purse would unclose, a torrent of coin would be swallowed down, and, as in the case of the gorged reptile, there would be a period of inaction. Like the serpent, moreover, he was cold, apa thetic, methodical, keeping to his own mysterious times and seasons. M. Grandet never bought either meat r bread. Part of his rents were paid In kind, and every week his tenants brought In poultry, eggs, butter and wheat sufficient for the needs of his household. Moreover, he owned a mill, and the miller, besides paying rent, came over to fetch a certaia quantity of core nd brought him back both the bran and the flour. Big Nanon, the one maid-aer-vant, baked all the bread once a week. Others of the tenants were market gar deners, and M. Grandet had arranged that these were to keep him supplied with fresh vegetables. Of fruit there was no lack. Indeed, he sold a good deal of It iu the market Firewood was gath ered from his own hedges or taken from old stumps of trees that grew by the aides of his fields. His tenants chopped op the wood, carted it into the town and obligingly stacked his fagots for him, re ceiving in return his thanks. So he seldom had occasion to spend money. His oSy known items of expenditure were for sittings in the church for his wife and daughter, their dress, N'apon's wages, renewals of the linings of Nanon's sauce pans, repairs about the house, candles, ratea and taxes, and the necessary out laya of money for improvements. He had recently acquired six hundred seres Of woodland, and had induced a keeper belonging to a neighbor to attend to it, promising to repay the man for his trou ble. After this purchase had been made, game appenrtd on the Grandets' table. Grandet's manners were distinctly homely. He did not say very much. He expressed his Ideas as a rule In brief, sententious phrases, uttered in a low voice. He had other peculiarities. He kabltaally drowned his ideas in a flood of words more or less incoherent; his singular Inaptitude for reasoning logical ly Im Mually set down to a defective Ancatla; but this, like hla unwelcome laeacy, she trick of stammering and va . Hon ether mannerisms, waa asaaraed, and for reasons which, in the course of the tor, will bo mad suDcleutly clear. Rt aaver paid vUita, never dined away from heme, Mr asked any one to dinner. Kit mremeiita were almost Belsele. 11$ aaswd to carry oat hi principle of sciasmy an evwyttlag to make so aoe leaa as aad, to be char of emwadjag mo hrttafj aasrgy. Hia mpeet for tke right! of ownership waa a haMroal tut at stw dlssjlarad aor dlatnrbed aar Cy tilmpii to aaothor. UApn.lm DE BALZAC spite of the low tones of his voice, in spite of his discretion and cautious bear- . -i l - , . . L I lug, me coojer s real cuimcurr uvsni j itself In bis language and manners, and this was more especially the case in his own bouse, where he was less on his guard than elsewhere. As to Grandet's eiterior, he was a broad, square-shouldered, thick-set man, about five feet high. He had a bullet shaped head a sun-burned fsce, scarred with the smallpox, and a narrow chin. He possessed a set of white teeth, eyes with aa expression of stony avidity in them, a deeply furrowed brow on which there were prominences not lacking in significance, hair fast turning gray. On his nose, which was broad and blunt at the tip. was a variegated wen; gossip affirmed, not without some appearance of truth, that spite and rancor was the cause of this affection. There was a dangerous cunning about this face, al though the man, indeed, was honest ac cording to the letter of the law; it was a selfish face; there were but two things in the world for which its owner cared the delights of hoarding wealth, in the first place, and, in the second, the only being who counted for anything in bis estimation bis daughter Eugenie, his ouly child. A few townspeople, six in all, bad the risriit of entry to Grandet's house and society. First among these in order of importance was 1. Cruchot' nephew. Ever since his apxintmeut as president of the court of first instance, this youug man had added the appellation "de I5ob fous" to his original name; in time he hoped that the Boufona would efface th Cruchot. and was at no little pains to compass this end. Already he styles himself C. de Bonfuns. The magistrate was about 33 years of age, and the own er of the estate of Bonfons. In addition to this he had prospects; he would suc ceed some day to the property of bis uncle the notary, and there was yet an other uncle besides, the Abb Cruchot of Tours; both relatives were commonly reported to be men of substance. The three Cruchots, with a goodly number of kinsfolk, connected, too, by marriage with a score of other houses, formed a sort of party in the town, but they had their rivals. Mine, des Grassins, the mother of a son 23 years of age. came assiduously to take a hand at cards with Mme. Gran det. hoping to marry her own dear Adolphe to Mademoiselle Eugenie. She had a powerful ally in her husband the banker, who bad secretly rendered the old miser many a service. The three des Grassins had likewise their host of adherents, their cousins and trusty aux iliaries. The Abbe, well supported by his broth er the notary, closely disputed the ground with the banker's wife; they meant to carry ofT the wealthy heiress for their nnphew the president. The ntniggle be tween the two parties for the prize of the hand of Eugenie Grandet was an open secret; all Sanmur watched it with the keenest interest. Some solved the problem by saying that M. Qrandet would give his daughter to neither. The oid cooper, said thsy, r.; cen;,.!!r!1 with an ambition to have a peer of France for a son-in-law, and he was on the look out for one who, for the consideration of an income of three hundred thousand livres, would find all the past, present and future barrels of the Grandets no obstacle to a match. Those whose memories went farther back said that the Grandets were too prudent to let all that property go out of the family. Mile. Eugenie Grandet, of Saumur, would be married one of these days to the son of the other M. Grandet, of Paris, a rich wholesale wine merchant To these both Cruchotins and Grassiuistes were wont to reply as follows- "In the first place, the brothers have not met twice in thirty years. Then M. Grandet, of Paris, is ambitious for that son of his. He himself is Mayor of 'his division, a deputy, a colonel of the Na tional Guard, and a judge of the Tri bunal of Commerce. He does not own any relationship with the Grandets of Saumur, and is seeking to connect him self with one of Napoleon's dukes." In the beginning of the year 1811 the Cruchotins gained a signal victory over the Grassinistes. The young Marquis de E'roidfond being compelled to realize his capital, the estate of Froidfond, cele brated for its park and Its handsome cha teau, was for aale; together with Its de pendent farms, rivers, fish ponds and for ests; altogether It was worth three mill ion francs. M. Cruchot, President Cru chot, end the Abbe Cruchot. by uniting their forces, had managed to prevent a proposed division into small iota. The notary made an uncommonly good bar gain for his client, representing to the youug marquis that the purchase money of the small lots could only be collected after endless trouble and expense, and that he would have to sue a large pro portion of the purchasers for it; while here was M. Grandet, a man whose credit stood high, and who was, more over, ready to pay for the land at once in hard coin. Iu this way the fair niar qnesite of Froidfond was swallowed down by M. Grandet, who, to the amaze ment of Saumur, paid for It in ready money. The news of this transaction traveled far and wide; it reached Or leans, it was spoken of at Nantes. CHAPTER II. . It was In the middle of November, In the year 1819, twilight was coming on, nnd big Nanon wae lighting a fire in the parlor for the first time. It wa a festival day in the calendar of the Cru chotins and Grassinistes, wherefore the six antagonists were preparing to aet forth for a contest in which each sMe meant to outdo the other la proofs of friendship. The Orandets parlor waa to bo the scene of action. That morning Mme. aad Mil. Grandet, duly attended by Nanon, had repaired to the pariah chorea. All Banaar had asm thoaa go, aad every em had booo put I mind of the fact that It waa ugeaie'a birthday. Mr. Orachot, the Abb Crochet, aad w f Am iMhn therefor, hatiaa cmU cniatad the hoar whoa ilaaar weald bo rer, wore aagar to M Im la tM mm, aad t arrlvo bofora th Oraaalaletea to isat, mat ui carried huge bunehe of flowers gathered in their little garden plots, but the stalks of the magistrate's bouquet were iiges ionsly bound round by a white satin rib bon with a tinsel fringe at the ends. In the morning M. Grandet had gone to Eugeule's room before she had ksft her bed, and had solemnly presented her with a rare gold coin. It was her father's wont to surprise her in' this way twice every year. Mme. Grandet usually gave her daughter a winter and a summer dress, according to circumstances. The two dresses and two gold coins, which she received on ber father's birthday and on New Year's Day, altogether amounted to an annual income of nearly a hundred crowns; Grandet loved to watch the mouey accumulating iu her bands. Ue did not part with his money; he felt that it was only like taking It out of one box and putting It into another. Eugenie wore her new dress at dinner, and looked prettier than usual in it; her father was in high good humor. "Let us have a fire," he cried, "as it is Eugenie's birthday! It will be a good omen!" "Mamemoiselle will be married within the year, that's certain," said big Na non. as she removed the remains. of a goose. "There is no one that I know of in Saumur who would do for Eugenie," ssid Mme. Grandet, with a timid glance at her husband, a glance that revealed how completely ber husband's tyranny had broken the poor woman's spirit Grandet looked st his daughter, and said merrily, "We must really l.egin to think about ber; the little girl is 23 years old today." Neither Eugenie nor her mother said a word, but they exchanged glances; they understood each other. After the dinner, when the question of Eugenie's marriage had been raised for the first time, Nanon went up to M. Grandet's room to fetch a bottle of black currant cordial, and very nearly lost her footing on tie staircase as she came down. "Great stupid! Are you going to take to tumbling about?" inquired her mas ter. "It's all along of the step, sir; It gave way. The staircase isn't safe." "She is quite right," said Mine. Gran det "You ought to have bad it mended long ago. Eugenie all but sprained ber foot on it yesterday." "Here." said Grandet, who saw that Nanon looked very pale, "as to-day is Eugenie's birthday, and yon have nearly fallen downstairs, take a drop of black currant cordial; that will put you right again." "I deserve It, too, upon my word," said Nanon. "Many a one would have brok en the bottle iu my place; I should have broken by elbow first, boldiug it up to save it." "Poor Nanon!" muttered Grandet, pouring out the black currant cordial for her. "Did you hurt yourself?" asked Eu genie, looking at her in concern. "No, I managed to break the fall; I came down on my Bide." "Well," said Graudet, "as to-day is Eugenie's birthday I will mend your step for you. Somehow, you women folk cannot manage to put your foot down in the corner, where it is still solid and safe." Grandet took np the candle, left the three women without any other illumi nation in the room than the bright danc ing firelight, and went to the bakehouse, where tools, nails and odd pieces of wood were kept "Do you want any help?" Nanon call ed to him. when the first blow sounded on the staircase. "No, no! I am an old baud at it' an swered the cooper. At this very moment, while Grandet was doing the repairs himself to bis worm-eaten staircase, and whistling with 11 his might as aiemories of his young days came up in his mind, the three Cru chots knocked at the house door. "Oh, It's you, U it, M. Cruchot 7" asked Nanon, as she took a look through the small square grating, opening th door, and the glow of the firelight shon on the three Crucbota, who were groping In the archway. "Oh! you have come to help us keep her birthday," Nanon said, as the scent of flowers reached ber. "Excuse me a moment, gentlemen," cried Grandet, who recoguhted the voice of his acquaintances; "1 am your very humble servant! There is no pride about me; I am patching up a broken stair here myself." "Go on, go on, M Grandet! The char coal burner is major in bis own house," said the magistrate sententtously. No body saw the allusion, and he had hia laugh all to himself. Mme. and Mil. Grandet rose to greet them. The magis trate took advantage of the darknesa U speak to Eugenie. (To be continued. Another Nam for Crasy. "Did yon ever know the origin ol the word 'bughouse'?" said Tom Ernat, a prominent member of the Musicians' Union, to some friend. "Well, a few years ago I was playing clarinet in th orchestra of a theater In Oakland. We bad a little old German playing viola, who loved only his Instrument and himself. He was altogether too quiet to suit the drummer, who was always up to something, from trying some one's Instrument up and hang ing it in the flies to nailing a plum hat to the wall which be once did ba cause bis cornet player bad the temer ity to wear It "It was the season for the big brown electric light bugs, as they are called, and the chance to do something to tha viola player was not to be lost to Mr. Drummer. He garnered a dozen or two of the big beetles and, before tha musiclana arrived one evening squeezed them through the sound boles Into th viola. Nothing happened until tha leader dropped bia baton for the first note of the overture, and then whang went the bugs aa Ue bugs struck th strings. The little German If not 'bj hooM' was not far off. B nearly fed off his aeat, and on partly recovering composure began awearlng loudly la German. When tht overture ended the only explanation that could be ob tained for hla erratic conduct waa 'You take aa and my Addle for bof hooM, hoy? " Ban Francisco OalL Merobeat Marls riarar: n Geraaa merchant marine bow loclaatoa 9T ahipo of touag of 100 toM ar Plating 11 im Kight. "Mrs. Gruwujage." ''id the faeetiout 0ourdr to the patient landlady, "there a some mistake here. I have found 3 it raw in uiy short'-ake, but io berry." B-U-r consult an oculist Mr. Fizxi- itf." replied the landlady In ber iciest tones. "Didn't you notice that the traw was buried?" Cleveland Plalu i ealer. Ia Harmony. "What make Mr. Jones screw up lis face so dreadfully?" "Why. that's the face that goes w!t!i i';s automobile cap." Cleveland Plaid Dealer. Kternal Wrangle. First Soubrette I am nguged to !:ir In "Beauty and the Beast" next m a son. Second Soubrette Indeed! And who uie they engaged fu- the "Beauty?" H hat They Overlook. Diggs There ia at least one thing to said iu favor of the "oldest lnhab t tit." Bigg What Is that? I'iggs You never bear him getting T that old clie-tntit altout the g'ssl v ij i tr young. An Old-Time Plajer. Stringer Mows must have been om1 if the originator of football. . Nibbles Why do you think aV l ringer Doesn't Ihe good lssk say fcc was found among the rushes? Two of a Kind. Her bread, of course, is not the kind His mother Used to bake; kiv "dough" is far from what llr father used to uuike. Harsh Announcement. Reginald I rwelvwl a spring an-V'litH-eiiient curd from my tailor. Hurry You did. Then that shown jour cnlU Is gissl. Reginald Hardly. He announced i - in t ir i iliiin t settle ui.n inn i'r ijimi jenr's suit he'd put the law on tne. Kural Opinion. .Mrs. CrawiHit They do any tlial Funny and ber city liusbmid have a (iinfortable jmrlor. Mr. Crawoot Nothing oomfortnbU ilsiut it. Why. when I ant In my short-l!i-eves mix! started to smoke Fanny ob Nti-d. War Mratiuv. Some one wan showing the vlsitoi jroiind the great nnvy yard. "Hut where is the Uitllltig depart- aient?" asked the visitor. "The Isittling department?" echoed lie esi-ort in surprise. "Yes. the modern navies nre alwiiyi 'sidling tip something." In- Mud a Hcuvy Load on Her Mind, Always Together. Hobby had made an addition to bli Noah's ark. "What are tliote little things, Hob y?" asked his mamma. "Oh, they are peanuts," replied th little boy. . - 'Hot we never heard that Noah car rUnl peanuts on t)i ark." 'He must have, mamma. How could lie have elephants without peanut?" What He Learned. Auntie (to little Tommy, who bin pint returnitl from his first duy a) ichoolj What did you learn? Tommy Didn't learn anything. Auntie What did you do? Tummy Didn't do anything. Then aas. a woman there who wanted to know how to spell "cat" and I told i-r. Philadelphia Telegram. Merely Their Talk. Mr. Ilaiunagail I hear Miss I.ov is quite a belle now. They auy she li rettier now than she ever wua Miss Spplta Exactly ; they say h a prettier than she ever was or la.-. Philadelphia Inlger. An Important Personage. Caller Well, the nerve of that! Merchant What? Caller Didn't you hear that snip ol I boy referring toj'ou as "Hill"? Merchant Su! That's our office boy So long as I can pretend I didn't heal him it's all rightPhiladelphia U-dg r. Thntie Hear Girls. Grayee Maude la engaged to a mat. of . He's old enough to he her fa ther, eb? Kdythe We-el, yes; supposing tha) ie married very, very young. Phlla lelphla Bulletin. Honndabont Vmj to Pleasure. Dick Why did you ask her to sing! Itirely you can't enjoy that caterwaul lug. 'Ned No, but It Is always such I ceen delight to hear ber stop. Homer Mile Journal. Her Air of Indifference, "What a cool and Indifferent all lllss Frappay has. 8he acta Just as li she didn't know that anybody wni looking at ber " "Tea, she inherits that Her moth used to bake pancakea In tbe wtndoa of a qnlck-lnncb restaurant" Clave land Plain Dealer. VARIETIES OF LINEN. ALL SORTS OF THE MATERIAL NOW IN VOGUE. New TaSTetaa Arc Ho ft and Bnpple Qreat Favor tthown rungcrs Home Inelaborate Evening Gown Are Bkrtched bj Ihe Artist. Kw Tors correspotKleoc: ORTS of linen rsoge from coarse, npen meshed weaves to th fin est that can be msde. Maoy of the latter grade are exquisite of themselves, yet are enriched with em broideries to an extent that makes them an eitrari gsnce for most women. The kiuds, however, that are much less expen sive have beauty in positive degree, hile the IHHIiner in which they wash is an unmistakable charm. Shirt waist suits lu linen are almost as stylUh and smart as like suits in silk, and it is a temptation to have several, sine no two need be at all alike. Much white is seen in these M lives, but while is not to mnk so high this summer as it did a year ago, so it should not he taken up to Ihe exclusion of something newer. The open weaves. SUMMER'S KILKS especially, seem to hsve lost their favor, though the exquisitely fin sorts in while never will pass out. Sorts with fancy borders and striped and checked weaves are new this season, and many of these goods are to be had at lower prices than new materials usually command. The first of th summer's shouings of new taffetns had them seem wondrous for softness ami suppleness, th contrast with the crlspness thst used to be asso ciated with this silk making the new kinds all the more Impressive. But later stocks of these goods are still more no ticeable for this same quality. If when skirts had to swish and crackle, a wom an would exterminate her pin money lu order to attain that frou frou, what will she do now to possess some of this splendid dress material? Pongees are very stylish silks, too, though the taf fetas may be a bit more In favor. Two dresaes of pongee are sketched today; one of natural color in the initial, with trimming of brown velvet ribbon and buttons and Irish point lace, and one of white, at the left In the next picture, with yoke of hrussels lace. A tnffcta INELABORATE modal appear across this picture. It waa finished with cut pieces and cluny lac in s fashion characteristic of this summer. Black taffetas and pongee are attractive, especially for middle-aged wearers. A saggestloa for th use of voile la tailoring Is conveyed in th go we of It appearing between the two traaisi last described. Tha trimming l.rr wss Kussi.n lace, with black ve.vet facing for the jacket, the color of tha voile UiDg tsn. While some iac is lut on tailor suits, no such quantity of it a was used tv years a.-o i permitted, and skirts are many thst have uo other ornamentation thsn pleats of splendid accuracy. Thwe plesta are especially admirable In walking suit-or are untU the wearer baa sat down in the skirt a few times, when their appearance In rear view is shoot spoiled. These same walking suits are open to critieiaui bersuse of the length of their skirts, which touch with the wesrera every step. That doesn't recommend them to economizers, who will not un derstand readily why these hould re place the skirt two inches shorter, espe cially as tht newer suits are not consia ered as any more dressy than were th others. New tsilored skirts for outiag sports are severely finished and ar mad snug about the hip. Som ar plsal4 from about the knees downward la wayi that add weight considerably, especially wheu th activities are considered fof which the suits are planned. But th get ups thereby are msde to look unlik th absolutely plain skirted ones, o that's excuse enough for those who wear them. Transparent snd semi trsnspsrenl dress materials sr notable for th besuty of the flowered sorts. In som great blossoms sre sprinkled all over the ground, while in others tiny bloom trails slsiut in beautiful sprsys. Soui of Ihe Isrger flowerings sre bold, indeed, but they are to be worn, and will bav the effwt of rendering plesssntly incon spicuous the more moderate examples of Ihe ssine treatment. White and cream whites are often the ground colors, so the bloom stands out pretty well. Tbes n.ali rinls are employed for eeniug and d.niciiig dresses, some made In the ex treme of elsborntioii. others in reasouabl simplicity. Not all evening gowns ar plntiiied to be wonders of highly wrought effe-ti. but you mar depend thst th AND TA1U)RING. compnmtiveiy simple one that doesn't have its original touch will not rank aa much of a success. Three evening dresses are put here by the artist, a pink or gandy trimmed with white silk embroider-, a white dotted lace finished with black satin ribbou and Herr lac inser tion, and a yellow silk mull set off with pissainenterie and embroidery. Whea flowered stuffs are combined with plali weaves, as la permitted by th fashions, a new grade of gown Is touched and an other field of old time styles is Invaded. fashion Note. Velvet ribbon tabs are used with good effect Tucks of all widths are noted on new dresses. Wrinkled ribbon festoons have sn old time Havor. Coarse laces trim the canvas fabric to perfection. The wheat pattern is conspicuous in the new laces. The newest skirt features seem to b the narrow front gore and the deep EVBNINO OOWN8. flounc that sweeps downward from tht kne. A fob of contrasting velvet edges tha neck of a smart eton. Doubl skirt fleet ar seen ia both plain sad elaborate rigs. shirring about th blps ara liked fat light weight fabrics.