Part 24 (2/2)

She was his wife It was a circumstance connected with this lady which led to the after intierously ill

I had casually met her husband as an all-roundsympathy on lines of least resistance, he carief more real and fervid He swore, on his knees and with tears in his eyes, that if she recovered, if God would give her back to hi was his passion, and even a as His prayer was answered, she did recover, and he proceeded to fulfill his vow

But as he to do? He had been taught, or at least he had learned, to do nothing, not even to play poker! I suggested that as running a restaurant was a French prerogative and that as he knew less about cooking than about anything else--we had had a contest or two over thedishes--and as there was not a really good eating place in Louisville, he should set up a restaurant It was said rather in jest than in earnest; but I was prepared to lend hi for a dollar, he had opened The Brunswick

In those days I saw the Courier-Journal to press, turning night into day, and during a dozen years I took innings that the casual acquaintance between us ripened into intie of the reserves behind The Major's buoyant optily; but he was not proof against the seduction of good company, and he had plenty of it, frohts as Stoddard Johnston, Boyd Winchester, Isaac Caldwell and Proctor Knott, of the Ho the outsiders--myself the humble witness and chronicler He secured an excellent chef, and of course we lived exceedingly well

The Major'sand had been everywhere If pirates were mentioned he flowered out at once into an adventure upon the sea; if bandits, on the land If it was Wall Street he had a re, a hard-luck story and a systelobe of which he had not been an inhabitant

Once the tiave us a nated some commercial establishment, which either had no existence or which he had so--had sent hies, and, after many ups and downs, of how the floods had come and swept the plant away; and Rudolph Fink, as of the party, immediately said, ”I can attest the truth of The Major's story, becausecaes at the exact date of the floods, and we caught s in our nets as they floated out to sea”

Augustine's Terrapin caot as far as New York and Washi+ngton, and straightway, The Major declared he could and would ustine and his terrapin look ”like a reat preparations and expectancy None of us ate much at luncheon that day At the appointed hour, we assembled at The Brunswick

I will dismiss the decorations and the preludes except to say that they were Parisian After a while in full regalia The Major appeared, a train of servants folloith a silver tureen The lid was lifted

”_Voila!_” says he

The vision disclosed to our startled eyes was an ocean that looked like bean soup flecked by a few strands of black crape!

The explosion duly arrived froour the rebellion

”I put seeks terrapin in zat soup!” exclailish in his excitement

We reproached him We denounced him He was driven from the field But he bore us no ain, and this time Sam Ward himself could have found no fault with the terrapin

Next afternoon, when I knew The Major was asleep, I slipped back into the kitchen and said to Louis Garnier, the chef: ”Is there any of that terrapin left over froht?”

All unconscious of his treason Louis took me into the pantry and triuustine label and the Philadelphia express tags!

On another occasion a friend of The Major's, passing The Brunswick and observing some diamond-back shells in thesaid, ”Major, have you any real live terrapins?”

[Illustration: Henry Woodfin Grady One of Mr Watterson's ”Boys”]

”Live!” cried The French I open the ice box and they were all dancing the cancan”

”Major,” persisted the friend, ”I'll go you a bottle of Veuve Cliquot, you cannot showterrapin”

”What do you take me for--confidence man?” The Major retorted ”How you expect an old sport like me to bet upon a certainty?”

”Never er is drink, not money In any event we shall have the wine”