The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1854-01-05
Hrom the Illustrated News.
THE BROKEN CUP.
FROM THE FRENCH OF EUGENE eU1No,

THERE was never waiting maid IN
comedy who was livelier, spicier, or wit
tier, than Miss Julie. She always had a
wide-awake, brilliant expression in her
beautiful eyes, and kind smile on her
Ilips-differing greatly in this from Mad
anne Blaieval, her mistress, who was 81
lent, melancholy, and sombre-as all la
dies ought to be during the months of
their widowhood.
Standing in the middle of the hall, Ju-
lie held in one hand feather, and in the
other an unfolded note. We need not
say with which of these objects she was
most occupied. The note contained a
very tender declaration, which the pretty
maid read for the tenth time, whisking,
meanwhile, the feather about in the ssIext
unthinking manner imaginable. Impru-
dcnce like this, my young friends, is doub-
ly culpable, when it results from too much
attention on one hand, and too much neg
ligence on the other! Double negligence
like this win, in all probability, induce
tsco evils. An ungarded whisp of the
feather knocks over splendid porcelain
cup, which rolls, falls, and scatters in bril-
liant fragments over the carpet. Here is
one unfortunate resultant of careless
ness with the feather--the other accident
will come off some other time--perhaps
next Sunday!
Rudely awakened from the delicious
reveries which the interesting Jalet-dour
had caused, Miss Julie gazed aghasS on
the disaster caused by her carelessless'
What ,Oould her lady say? A splendid
breakfast set of costly Sevres china spoil
ed! And what made the matter worse
was, that this set had been given to Mad
anne Blainval by her lately deceased hus-
band; and July well knew how dear to
her lady was every object which recalled
the deceased
II shall be scolded-perhaps dismiss
ed"-quoth the pretty sou6rette--who had
lost for an instant her soft, sweet smile.
But nature always returns, like water to
its level, or like lover to his lady. In
less than three minutes Julie had picked
up her spirits-a bright gay smile beamed
from eyes and lips, and she merrily cried:
81 have got an idea!''
Now, with such girls as Julie. thoughts
and deeds are twins. 1t was but min
ute's.work to run down to the garden,
pick up stone, run up stairs, and lay it
in the midst of the fragments of the cup.
Reader-you take, don't you? She
wanted her lady to believe that the cup
and window had been simultaneously
smashed by single stone.
But-they don't break windows for mere
wonton pleasures-at least they don't in
France-and Madame Blainval had pen
etration enough to suspect such trick,
cunning as it was. Therefore certain
degree of finish was still requisite to per-
feet the idea. The stone was worth no.
thing in itself-it still required a mount
ing!
"Well!-here is something to clothe it
with" said Julie. (She still held in hel
hand the fatal letter. The billet had
no signature nor address-it was an i'm.
passioned declaration, but vague and gen
eral Julie could afford to sacrifice let
ter which she knew by heart. The stone
was accordingly arrayed in its paper gar
= ment, and the intelligent young lady now
felt herself defended by complication o
corroborative circumstances, which assur
ed her of success.
All had been arranged for half an houl
when in that time Mad. Blainval entered
solitary and sad as usual. She wore Ions
sweeping mourning robes-which were
however, so made as to hide none of tn,
beauty of her figure or face, At the frs
glance, she saw the mischief-but the th
grief which the broken cup inspired wa
soon lost in the anger resulting from read
ing the note!
"Can it be possible that any one coul
dare to write me such letter? 20
course it is for me-since find it here il
my house!")
What vexed her most in this letter O
note, (call it what you will, reader-it'
all one to me, was the impertinence {
of the style. 1t was indeed, free and essay
confident and assuming. to remarkabl
high degree. Written in other languag
it would have effected her far less. !
lady of rank and style attack like SINAI
servant girl! No-such an offence coul
not be passed by with Indifference or dis
dain. Come what might, and cost whs
1T might, she would at once discover til
wretch who
"But," reflected Madame Blainyal, q
it must have been neighborl'
The window through which the bile
had come opened on the several garden
Directly opposite was large fine hous'
the inhabitants of which had never +;
yet attracted the attention of Madam