Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1857-12-11

He is never so happy as when in my
company" she would say to her mother;
" that any one may see but l do not
think he cares to gain me for his wife. . |
The mother would bid her be patient, /
and all would in time turn out well, but
Madeline thought there should be some
limit in the expected patience, so she
would pout her cherry lips, and give
Jacques short answers. Still, though she
evidently succeeded in giving him pain,
he seemed as far from declaring his SEN
timents as ever.
The crisis, however, came at last
Madeline had cousin Marie, who was
not near neighbor, but also a sort of
rival beauty. There had been no slight
jealousy between the girls, on the sub
jects of love and marriage, but Marie
had at last triumphed, and, the day for
her own wedding being fixed, she openly
twitted Madeline about her laggard lover.
This was a sad blow to the vanity of
the young girl. Marie's fance came
from what was in those days thought a
great distance, and neither grudged
spending his time nor money in visits to
his betrothed while Madeline, with her
lover almost at the door, seemed likely
enough to remain single. Oh, it was
too much fer any maiden's patience.
The wedding day came, and she, of
course, was one of the guests, together
with Jacques and the girl, bent on
Furnishing her tardy admirer, coquetted
with others by his very side. But she
did not stop at coquettry only. The
brother of the bridegroom, gay and
handsome fellow, now at Marseille for
the first time, was smitten with her
charms, and after the wedding, found, or
made many excuses for visiting the town
which contained Madeline. Jacques, it
seemed, would not be piqued into sub
mission, and she was not inclined either
for a spinster's life or long silent WOO
ing; so, after some hesitation on the part
of her parents, who still leaned to their
young neighbor, partly from old associa-
ton, and still more for his reputed wealth,
Madeline was betrothed to the stranger.
Madame Guyot often sighed, and in
her sons hearing said that it was pity
that two of the prettiest maidens in Mar
seille should be carried off by strangers
for she had long since made up her mind
that since Jacques must needs marry
soon or late, it would be well to have q
E daughter-in-law whom she had known
from babyhood.
All her hints might have been unhearc
: for any outward effect they produced OF
her son but when the marriage day
came, he remained shut up in his little
! chamber. Neither food nor drink passed
5 his lips, but could he have been seen -by
e any one, a mighty conflict would have
5 been revealed to the watcher; it was tht
last great struggle with human passion
? The last bar to his devoting himself t
Y one great object was removed.
y The gossips who had aforetime inter
n ested themselves so literally in the at
e fairs of Jacques and Madeline, one
: more twitted Madame Guyot, saying
n plainly was not love that made her so
S such miser in his habits but she an
h swered them more proudly than eve
e that Jacques would look higher for
Il wife.
So, first one great lady and then al
other was to be the fair object for whor
II our hero cherished a secret passion, an
e. whom he was trying to equal in wealtI
If But though Madame Guyot fostered ii
RS idea, she, poor soul, knew better ft
2 only few days after the marriage of h
$ ONE love, Jacques had begged her
7r broken accents, to find out whether Il
little vessel in which Madeline had borr
5, the precious draught of water to
r bedside, dozen long years ago, we
n still in existence.
es 1t is better as it is, mother" repli,
ST Jacques, though his lip quivered viii
he spoke, and again begged his moth
a to procure what he had mentioned,
er any cost.
a Madame Guyot's mission proved 81
er eessful, though the mother of Madeli
ne marYeled greatly at the request; and bo
OF matrons agreed that the conduct of ia
ques was problem beyond their pow
IL to solve.
d. Eagerly was the little vessel seized
as him, and after bestowing many CRATE
NJ thanks on his mother, he conveyed it
OF his own little room. Could the thing
les clay have spoken it might have told he
tor when others slept. JACQUES sDent ho1