Life's great joys and sorrows came far too suddenly.
Outside Cloud Cafe, two streets away from the French Reserve Bank headquarters, two women in coarse long dresses, anxious-faced, clutched the small cloth bundles in their arms and trotted along.
When the woman on the left raised her head, she saw the two long lines outside the bank, winding like the Seine River. She immediately tugged the neighbor beside her and said, panting hard, "Oh, Saint Mary! There are so many people... I told Paul a week ago we should come exchange for gold, but he just wouldn't listen..."
The slightly shorter woman's face was even more filled with worry.
"We have to hurry, Madame Colamo. I heard Mr. Dufour say the bank doesn't have much gold left..."
"My grandfather used to tell me how terrifying the Mississippi Incident was back then. I didn't quite believe him, but now we may have to go through the same disaster!"
"I brought three days' worth of food and water. No matter how long we have to wait, I must exchange these Paper Money notes..."
The two ran past the cafe and happened to hear someone inside shouting, "The Franc is finished! In at most another week, these scraps of paper will only be good for pasting on walls, and our government has no solution at all!"
Madame Colamo turned her head and saw a man in a black coat, his felt hat pulled very low, standing on a table and waving his cane as he gave a speech.
"France insisted on fighting an unnecessary war against the armies of England Prussia Austria, Netherlands, and a dozen other countries. The terrifying military expenses swallowed up all our taxes. And the King used those rotten scraps of paper to fool us!
"Just you watch. Very