Washington sentinel., 1853-12-20
Masbington Sfntiml.
Little Paquette.

NS"S ="
Little Paquette.
"You see, Monsieur, that Adele THAT was
Paquette's mother) was our youngest child,
and very pretty, and merry as bird, with the
lghtest foot in the dance, and the sweetest
voice fos., !. song, and rosy cheek, and soft
eyes, full Of love and gentleness.
"When she went away in the morning to her
work, (for she made gloves, Monsieur,) it was
like light put out, and when she came back
the house got bright again"
"Well, in the winter she was kept very late !;
and, coming home one night, she said she was
not well and at last we refused to let her go
and cry all the day long; and so by and by,
little Paquette was Born; but Adele was not
married.
"Poor Adele, she is dead now; we buried
her the day her child was christened.
"Till she died, she never tired Of holding it
in her arms and kissing it, but she never smiled
till after she was dead, and then the sweet light
came back again to her face. Father Adrien
called it the smile of the Forgiven" Here
the old man paused for moment, and sighed,
and so went on.
"WeIl, Monsieur, little Paquette thrived and
grew prettier every day and was the idol OF us
all and sister Mary Angela, one of the good
sisters of St. Vincent, taught her to read and
write, and to work beautiful things for the rich
ladies, and to say her prayers and catechism,
and never to tell lie. And when she was
fifteen it would have done your heart good to
hear the clack of her wooden shoes, and to see
her soft eyes as she came home in the morning
from the early mass.
"Well, at sixteen she was to be married, to
the finest young fellow of Claude Bonjour in
the world, with only one fault; he agreed with
Pierre about the regeneration OF mankind and
universal determination.
Now, did not think it became him so well
as Pierre; for Pierre knew Latin, which made
it more natural; but he was an idle fellow tor
all that.
$50 when they talked about crushing tyrants,
and doing away mobiles, and making all men
equal, little Paquette would tell them that the
king was very good king, and that they must
learn to be good themselves before they could
make other people better; that one could not
make bread cheaper by killing king and that
the best way for the poor to get rich, was to
work honestly, and not to spend their money in
wine shops, nor their time in the debating socie-
ties. To be happy, was to be like Father Adrien
and Sister Mary Angela, who began by being
good; and who, though born mobiles, worked
harder among the poor and the sick in one hour
than Pierre did in q month, even for himself
"Then Pierre would laugh, and tell her that
when the mobiles fell, the priests and the sisters
must 90 too; and they were drones, and lived
upon the poor. And then, Monsieur, little Pa
auette would talk to them, Just as you did about
God and holy church and would always come
back to this, that to be happy one must be good;
to be prosperous, one must work; and that
Claude would be no richer if there was not any
kings.
aAnd SO things went on till that revolution
came, and then men killed each other, and the
king was sent away.
Good little Paquette begged and pleaded with
Claude to keep at his work; but he would go to
Paris, to the barricades, to fight against the
tyrants, he said.
$50, after. while, what with the firing OF
guns and shouting of men, Paquette got nearly
crazy, and said she must 60 to look for Claude;
and when she did not come back again, for the
cars were always running in those terrible
DAYS, followed to look for her.
aIt was terrible sight in Paris. The work
men raving and swearing behind the barri
cades, the dead lying bloody at ones feet and
the means Of the dying all around one So
ran hither and thither, looking for my child.
Every gown saw was sure it was Paquette;
but when would come up and look in the face,
it was only to be disappointed.
aThen some one shouted my name, and bade
me get out Of the way, for that the soldiers were
coming. But just then / saw Paquette; she
was kneeling down, with Claude's head in her
lap; for he, the fine fellow lay there dead. So
ran between the people and the soldiers to
get at them, just as the people fired and threw
Solleys Of stones; and then the fire was va, ,, re-
turned, and all the bullets swept over the old
man, but one pierced the fair, white temple Of
my little child. So she sank down slowly be-
side Claude, and never spoke nor moved again.
"They tell me, Monsieur, that ! am great
deal better off now; that there are no more
tyrants nor naughty aristocrats ; md they write
liberty, equality, and fraternity, oil over the city
But Pierre says that France is not regenerated
vet; and !, Monsieur, / know that my little
Paauetie is dead and all the revolution has
given me is silent home, and q broken heart,
and the cross upon the grave where the lilies
are. It is the third, Monsieur, as you 60 into
the church-yard Of Notre-Dame."