The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1860-05-23
McGREGOR, IOWA, WEDNESDAY, MAY %, 1850

see her face, so I moved around to tn
her.
"Can you tell me who that lady is, sir p
I said to an Englishman who stood besid
me.
"No, I cannot" said he; 1--WE call her tn
pretty little Dutchwoman; but really dom
know whether she is Dutch or not I thinl
she is from Paris"
"She looks quite Parisian," answered
"She is dressed to perfection, and 81 bic,
gantee!"
"Yes," said he; ''it is quite a pleasure t,
watch those pretty little hands and well-fit
ting gloves as she plays; and whether sh,
wins or loses her countcnafice never changes
She plays too high, too, and with very bad
luck"
Iwatched her for some time; and wher
she rose from the table-a considerable los
er, by the blythe attraction was gone, and
left the room.
found, when got back to the hotel
that the rest of my party had been equally
interested in the fair stranger; to their in.
quiries of who she was, they had received
the same answer as myself
For several days-though we saw her ev.
cry evening at the table, always in a new
pair of admirably fitting gloves, playing
high, and generally losing-we obtained no
more information about her; no one, indeed,
seemed to be able to give any, though she
still remained an object of general inter-
est. .s
We lodged that year at the Grand Hotel
Britannique, which we selected because it
had garden in which little child that
was with US could run about, and we soon
observed that she had found two playmates
Of nearly her own age. They were French
longed to lady and gentleman who were
lodging in the hotel, but whom we had not
happened to see. The eldest of these chill
dren was beautiful little girl between six
and seven years of age the other was a
boy, called Adolphe-a fine child, but not
pretty, nor very attractive. thought he
bore marks Of Dutch origin he looked
rather heavy. . -.....
We lodged in pavilion in the garden,
and the door being always open, the chill
dren and their maid, Louise used often to
come into the apartment occupied by our
child and one day Louise brought re-
quest that Madameoiselle Edith would be
permitted to accompany Madameoiselle Eu-
genie and Monsieur Adolphe, who were 60
ing to take ride on donkey. Weconsen.
ted, and so the intimacy increased from day
to day; but still we never chanced to have a
near view of the parents, till one morning,
at breakfast, the garcon inquired whether
we had any objection to dine at five o'clock
instead of four, because there was a lady
and gentleman in the hotel who would join
the table d'hote on that condition; but they
at present ate in private, because four was
too early an hour for them. We made no
difficulties; and, accordingly, when the din
ner-bell rang, the lady and gentleman ap-
pcarcd accompanied by Madameoisclc Eu-
genie and Monsieur Adolph, who, young as
they were, according to French usage, al
ways dned with their parents, for such
we found these strangers We're. But this
was not the only interest they had for
u.s.
In the lady, we recognised the "pretty
little Dutch " oman;" and in the gentleman,
,ir-haired, phleglematic-lo looking man,
whom we had often seen playing high also,
but seldom, if ever, at the same time as his
wife,
AS the guests at the ia bic were few, We
and when we strolled into the garden to
take our coffee after dinner, Monsieur v
accompanied US; and this being our GUS
tom every afternoon, we naturally grew
tolerably intimate. We dubbed together
for carriages to go to balls, and she fire.
qucntly took country drives and invited me
to accompany her.
On these occasions she always took Euge-
ME with her, who was evidently her moth
er's darling; and In addition to her beauty,
was dressed racir, and very expensively
The boy she was much less enthusiastic
about; and as we heard cries and screams
issuing from their rooms, which we were
informed proceeded from Monsieur Adolphe
who was naughty, we were inclined to
think that his peccadi!loes were looked on
with less indulgent eye than were his Sis
ters.
The father, however, was very fond of
him, and did all he could to make amends
for any coldness that might exist ON the
part of the mother and nurse.
At length Monsieur v informed US
that he was under the necessity Of going to
Paris for few days, and he requested my
son and myself to pay his wife some little
attention during his absence, which We will
lingly did. -. .u
Nothing could be more discreet than Mad
anne VS. demeanOr, or more quiet and
elegant than her dress; and we continued
to like our little DutchwOman, whom, by
the BY, we soon found had no claim to the
appellation, for she was Partisan. She
laughed heartily when we told her the name
she generally went by in Spa, and she knew
no more than. ourselves why she was called
so. ...
think it must have been a conclusion
drawn from her husbands appearance, who
looked more Dutch or German than French,
being fair, heavy featured, and somewhat
stolid. .....
When Monsieur V returned, he con-
fided to my son that he had been to Paris,
where they resided, to obtain some money, !
as they had been so unfortunate at play that |
they had lost the whole sum destined for
their summer excursion.
This ill-luck, however, did not deter them
from the gaming table; on the contrary, |
they returned to it with additional gusto |
and revived hopes, but with no better for
tune.
At length the end of the season arrived,
and we took leave of each other to 60 our |
different ways. Madame v gave me
her address in the Champs Elysees, saying
she hoped to see me, and that she had even
ing receptions twice week; and Monsieur
v confided to my son that they had
lost upwards of seven hundred pounds, and
had scarcely money enough to take them
back to Paris, in short, he borrowed two
hundred francs, lest they should run short,
which was returned by the earliest post af-
ter their arrival.
Three months afterwards, was startled
by the intelligence that Madame v was
dead-murdered by the hand Of her hus-
band in fit of jealousy; and we learned
that she had been an actress, and that he,