Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-05-14

THE 0NE-EYED WIDOW AND
THE SCHOOLMASTER.

Pascal camus he would do anything to de-
stroy my peace"
.'she's an old one-eyed vixen, that Madame
Marengo nothing makes her so happy as to
find means Of annoying me. l know she
wishes to put me in my grave but scorn
and pity her,
Such was the nature of the criminatives
daily uttered by two parties in regard to each
other--the one an aged schoolmaster, and
the other the widow of sergeant, both of
whom lived in the same tenement in one of
the back streets of Paris. Let us introduce
them to the reader Madame Marengo was a
tall, masculine sort of woman who had seen
service. She had for years followed the Grand
Army during Napoleon's wars, in which she
had first lost an eye, and then lost her hus-
band, gallant sergeant, who had assumed the
name of Marengo, in the honor of the battle
In which he had been promoted from the ranks.
For her long and faithful services in attend
ing on the wounded at the different engage
msnts, as well as for the deprivation of her
husband, Bonaparte had presented her with
cross OF legion of honor which she greatly
priced, and constantly wore suspended from
her neck. Now somewhat broken down, but
still animated with much of the old fire, she
subsisted by carding and renovating wool
mattresses-a great dread among the humber
classes in Paris. She did not derive much
but this little, Joined to the trifing pension
which accompanied her "cross," was enough
forall her wants in her lofty and solitary attic.
NJ. Pascal Camus, who lived on the ground
floor, where he conducted small school, was
equally 3 curiosity in his way. While the
cardeuse was tall and bony, and a little rough
in manner, the achoolmasterwas short, dumpy
and pompous; while she was all for the EN-
pire, and considered Napoleon to have been
- - g L. -s.1
In his admiration of the Bourbons, detested
Napoleon, and called him usurper and tyr
ant. There were here sufficient elements Of
discord; but more were not wanting. M.
Carpus hated the eardeuse, because she wore
q cross of the legion of honor. The cardeuse
hated NJ Camus, because he presented in
wearing queue and shoe buckles--undeniabl
tokens of regard for the old regime. Differ
ing in sentiment on so many things, these
two personages had at least ons point in COM
mon--they had gssST --svsly very great no
tios- down.4UWn Importance. Madame Ma
70. 80 could never forget what she had seen
and gone through. NJ. Pascal Camus secret
ly believed himself to be a genius. 1t is true
that his genius had not been acknowledged
by the world, but he rather liked that; great
Reniuses had all been unknown at some time
or other; and even should his genius never
be acknowledged during his lifetime, there
was no small pleasure in rejecting how socie-
ty would afterwards lament for not having en-
couraged and rewarded his merits. 1t was
quite feast to think how mankind would
some day be sorry for having neglected him,
and wish to do him honor when it was too
late. Perhaps" thought he-for the poor
man was widower-''my little daughter
Annette may one day come in for share OF
what can no longer benefit me.''
Every one who thought anything of the
subject, observed that no two persons could
be more opposite in their notions than the
cardeuse and the schoolmaster but nobody
could understand why they should live on
such terms of hostility. They did not neces-
sarily require to interfere with each other
though dwelling under the same roof, six
floors separated them, and they did not even
need to know each other. Why, then did
they quarrel so frequently? Why utter such
terrible things of each other to their neighborsi
The truth is, the good people who lived in the
vicinity of the belligerentsl did not exactly
comprehend their character. Both We're, il
reality, not ill-disposed; under an externa
eccentricity, each had kindly heart. They
however, equally reqHired a certain homage
which, If granted, all well and good but i
denied, then there was nothing but mischief
With two such persons a collision was newt
able. 1t is impossible to say on what oceas.
ion mutual huff was created: but dis
agreement once having taken place, the bris
ties OF both were up; and soon was proclaim
ed an everlasting and mutual war. Hence
forth they exchanged scowling glances wher
they met on the staircase, and the mutua
hatred was intense.
Did this blow-up render the two unhappy
No such thing. They were of course kept OF
the fret; but somehow this was what they
liked. 1t was meat and drink to them to hav,
somebody to be at war with-somebody who
they imagined, was constantly prosecuting
them. They, in fact, required to live in ont
of two conditions OF feeling; that is, either tt
feel that they were worshipped or hated. Al
who paid them any sort of respect, were thu
most amiable people possible; all who CAV,
them any real or imaginary cause of offence
were demons. Having settled down in th
voluntarily-embraced enmity towards eacl
other, their tongues, on all suitable occasions
told of sufferings. Madame MarengO averret
that M. Camus, whom she called an old saw
age" an "old Cossack,' and fifty other ba,
names, had no other earthly purpose in Twin
but that Of tormenting her. Some charitable
persons wanted to persuade her that the goo,
man might wish to live for his own sake, o
perhaps for that of his little daughter Annette
but Madame Marengo only smiled incredul
ously: she knew better than that. II was
remarkable proof of the sympathy which vii
sometimes exist even between inveterate foes
that M. Camus was precisely of a simila
opinion. He affected however, to look upo
Madame Marengo with calm contempt. and
certain degree of the heroic resignation whic
In generally found to characterize lofty spirits
II was not the cardeuse, he declared, VIII
acted but hidden and mysterious powe
within her. He forgave her for he knev
she was not free agent but merely the in
ntrument of that fatality which delights i
presenting genius. When people advise
him to leave the house, he seemed to CON
passionate their ignorance, and informed theI
that Madame Marengo would follow him where
ever he went that he did not, however, blam
her for for this; she could not help herself
And he generally closed his remarks with
quotation from Corneille or Racine, in whic
the cardeuse was successfully compared +
Alfalfa, Agrippina, and Berenice, to all whic
postical characters the one-eyed widow eyid
emily bore striking resemblance.
Thus 1t will be seen that the enmity of tn
cardsuse and the schoolmaster was rather
pleasant kind of affair after all. 1t was some
thing to think of and whenever they wer
afflicted with any little misfortune, they Ina
the comfort of knowing that it must com
from the enemy's quarter. OF course 1t neve
signined whether there was proof that sue
was the case or not NJ. Camus and Madam
MArengo left proofs to the vulgar.
The parties were in the full enjoyment {
their hatred, when young working man
named Paul Simoneau, about seventeen year
of age, came to lodge in the house, and too
one Of the attics on the same landing wit
Madame Marengo. He was one of those 10Y
GUS, contented-looking beings whose constal
good-humor secures them universal goodwill
world n 10 iv