Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1846-02-26
The Bishop and his lIOuScaeepcr,

In city IN The south of France, which We
will not name al present, there hvcd a few
years ago, bishop. n kind, anlable old man
severe To himself, lndnlgrnt Ia others, so
good aud charitable that every body loved
hun. Ills house was model of prnprlrty
aud hospitality. II wns managed by an old
bnusckrcper, Madame Plchnrd. In bachc-
Inr's establishment the supreme authority Is
ALWAYS exercised by lady. Madame PIchard
was the very model Of housekcnpers, and
every thing went on admirably under her ad
mInlsratlun. lIcr only source of trouble
wns her husband, n drunken, quarreisonc
old man. who at th" time Of our story, was
carried off by dtopsy, produced by exces
Sos. A few days after his death, the bishop
went to his h"usckeoper's apartment TO pay
her u visit of confidence.
"WeIl, my dear madam" began his lord
ship. have called Ia euGcavur TO console
you in yonr affections You must not gricvc
too deeply. We are all mortal you know.
nud sooner or later, we Come TO the end OF
our earthly pilgrimage. Your husbands Is
now ended il would have been better # he
had rot spent So much of It III drinking, bui
still the mercy of Heaven has no bounds"
'Your lordship is very good, but, 10 say
the truth, was not thinking nf my husband
al all; will not deceive you
Really answered The bishop.
Your lnrdshlp knows that my husband
wnS drunkard, that he used 10 beat me, aud
sell nay clnlhes TO buy liquor with for my
own part, am only surry that he lived so
long
This was kind of funeral orn,ion for
winch the bishop was hardly prepared aud II
was with no lItte astOnlshncnl that he re
Piled
'Tha, is not n very Christian frame Of
mind. Pm airad did you not love your hus-
baud p
'Yonr ordship would not ask me that
question, IT you knew how | came to be mar.
rIcd.'
You must tell me oil about it, SAID the
bishop, with the curiosity OF age
And your lordship does not know any
thing about my Augustus, continued The
housekceper IN n melancholy tone.
Your Augustus, Madame Plchard Pray
explain.
was born q, Boulognc, If il please your
lord>mp. AT fifteen, they called me the wi
lagc beauty, and suppose, when eighteen,
! was not much uglier but excuse me, sir,
said the old lady, drawing back her chair.
Il am gong to tell you love-story, and
shall only tire you
Go on repeated the dlgnitary, we are
both of Us old now, and can talk about such
nonsense without Danger
There lived in the village, young man,
tall, finely formed, with blue eyes and curling
light hair think ! cOn see him now oil
we girls used TO pull caps for him; he was
what our patents called n wild youngster
his name was Augustus, and we all used TO
call him handsome Gussy.'
lie soon singled me out, and when my
father, wen, to Paris, and my mother was
our oi The way, he was always at my side
when ono gets 10 be an old woman, aud has
gr"rt crown up girl to take care Of, one
rails nl lavcrs, but still that was the happiest
ilnr oi my l'r: remember It as If it was
yesterday. wns proud OF my Gussy, who
was our village benu, and he soon quilted all
the other glrls to pay his court 10 me. AL
this sounds very strange 10 your lordship, no
doubt. My father ond mother would never
have agreed Ia my marrying so wild fellow
~ he was they forbade han the house, but
we used to meet often ~ secret
lie would prowI around all day only to
get single look oI me, aud then, oh how
happy aud proud was. One day my father
had gone tC tho city with o load, and slip.
ped out io try to seq Augustus for o moments;
we had not seen each other lor fortnight -
met hlu, ~ tie high road. If your lordship
knew what d'light u - io meet ones lover,
when one - inst cghtcru, and has been
parted from hin y fortnight, you would com.
prchond how Que feels lurgot father, mo I.
ihcr. every thing. We stood under a tree \
by the roadside. looking into each others |
eyes we were 50 happy that we did no, I
even speak. A cart cane along 1t was my |
fathers; be- saw ns. sprang out, and began \
to boa, me lnr having met Augustus against .
his ordrts. I am certain that II hc had al.
tackled Augustus hmsell he would not have
resisted. but tie poor fellow could not bear
io sec rnc suffer. ho attacked NY father. and /.
hey loughI dsspcfa,ely My father caught