Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1857-08-07
Citcrarp Selections.
RAG-sELLERs DAUGHTER.

I
stick; his fiery, twinkling eyes his bas-
ket flung over one shoulder, and receiv-
ing the various ofal from the sale of
which the gatherer derives his daily crust
all these are too well known, in these
days of travel, to need description. The
chiffonier's profession-for they distin-
ruish it as a professions the general
resort of strangers from the provinces,
who find themselves in the great city
with little money, and no legitimate
means of earning more. The requisite
basket and hooked stick are easily OBJ |
,aiDed. Certain streets are free to new
comers, and here the neophyte pratices
ill. by some act of good-fellowship, some
display of eminent shrewdness, or some
unusual piece of good luck, he obtain re-
rlar admission to the brotherhood of
cbiFoniers, and establishes a kind of
guaaer sovereignty over certain dis
trg.
Twenty-Five years years ago Thomas
Bsrolleft his native village, in the pleas
ant Auvergne, and came to Paris to seek
bis fortune. But fortunes do not come
even to the seekers, in Paris, and
Thomas, after wandering about the
streets vainly looking for honester work,
at last laid out his remaining few sous in
the purchase of a decrepit chafonier's
route, basket, and stick, and took regular
ly to the streets.
Thomas was thirty, sober, shrewd, and
not bad-looking. He found no gold nor
jewelry among his nightly collections of
offal. But coming home to his garret
one morning, he found there what proved
to him a pearl of great price--a
young girl from his native village, also
advcaturing in Paris, and willing to
share his fortunes.
Of course, there was a wedding, in
which the neighbors of Thomas took a
lively part, and shortly thereafter-two
having saved more than one, as often
happens in the houses of the poor
Master Thomas Bertol, by that time the
happy father of a curly-headed, little
girl blessed with bright eyes and many
rags, quilted his garret and his nocturnal
wanderings, hired a roomy vault, and
became the purchaser of the rags and
scraps picked up by his companions anC
neighbors.
The quarter of Paris frequented BY
the chifonier fraternity is remarkable fol
the extremely rickety, tumble-down con
dition Of the tenements, the narrowneS
Of the streets, and the generally dilapid
ated appearance Of all the accessories
Master Thomas was no aristocrat. H
chose his new place in the darkest, un
comeliest street of the quarter,and in th
most rickety house of the street. Hi
vault was some ten feet beneath the levt
Of the filthy pavement with which
was connected by a steep ladder. Herr
by the dim light of small lamp, th
quondam chiffonier and his wife busie
themselves in sorting and packing ii
rags, broken glass, old iron, brass, pev
ter, nails, and what not, which made I
their miscellaneous assortment. Hel
the little Marie grew, from q curly-hea
ed child, tumbling about among the rag
and catching only semi-occasional glim
ses of the bright sunlight above, into
gentle, slender-waisted, graceful Made
with great wistful blue eyes, and su
dued, yet serene smile.
Here, too, the mother-unable to Ii
without her native trees and flowers
gradually faded away; and was lost
the father ere his little child could ft
the loss; and so the old man-for
grew early old-quietly went on sorti
his queer goods, now buying, now Sc
ing; ever counting up his small gail
and casting loving 81 ances the while
the beautiful girl, who was now his boo
keeper, house-keeper, and sole compa
ion.
1t was one bright day last June wh
my friend, George LIE We're, and l b
occasion to take a ramble through t
chIiionier'S quarter, and were struck
Inc modest beauty of a young girl "
was sitting at the head of a steep a
nekety ladder, knitting, humming tt
10 herself and looking wistfully out
the small ray of sunshine which m;
lis way between the nearly-meeting no
tops and played at her feet.
%""hat beautifully innocent face
meet IN such place as this" was
exclamation, as we touched our hat q
not an insult to do such homage to
Anown beauty in Paris and went on
"A few words on the qneerness Of