Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-10-04
POOR CEaEESTEyE.

old man said to his boy companion, as they
~'bohsso6 looking through the sunshine at
- tie lgrs eat front.of the cathedral at Rouep.
= ayes, fifty years ago stood before itas we
are standing now, and tbipk Jthe very same
birds were building their nesfs then up over
the porch there. Look how they fly in and
out ] How many genera lions OF them have
lived there do you think, my boy?"
They stood in the open squaTe. with their
backs to the cafes and theaay shops, the
sunlight falling tenderly on the great gay
ssculpTured walls, befQRe,them, lighting up
ssnart and capital and niche with all their
wondrous workmanship Of living form and
clustered pinnacle.
Fifty years ago." he agein said softly.
"Poor Christine ~
Fifty years ago Frank Liston spent sum-
mer holiday in Rouen; he was about 10
then, a high-minded, enthusiastic youth.
His father was dead, and he was educating
himself to be an artist, and was looking
forward with all the eagerness of gener-
Gus nature to the time when he should be
able to remove his mother, who was poor
now, above all want. Young as he was, he
had worked so hard already, that he had
more than once earned something for her,
snd with a flushing cheek had poured his
golden guineas into her lap; and she, by
hard pinching, had saved some of these
guineas, and this summer, because in Striv-
ing after such early wages he had begun to
. outrun his strength she made aim take a
few of them again, ana seut him across the
channel to visit t(what in his heart she
knew he longed to see) some enc or Two OF
the old picturesque French to#ts.
1t was bright June weather %asa 10
reached the first of them st which We uaBns
to halt, Rouen, and saw from fur away di1s
dark old city, towards wh-ch fer = ssrs his
artists heart had tended. strab3iIGst cut
amidst the windings Of the Seine. Re had
been laughed at by enc or 5w0 before he
started CT his journey AID. A.Ia- vSeens told
that tnis1s Z Bel8 en- yTas nothing cat a1nIsofs
able town Ct grImy, lettering houses and
blackened chGTehss, but 5hesy youth had gsisy
returned laugh for laugh lie knew val
what ne crossed the sea 90 seez, add he
knew that he should rot fail to fad Il,
even in the midst e those 6soagfag houses
: and those EholdeTB y Gu scaes, he fosHd il
in narrow streets and Neglected corners s
and wheresoeVef he discovered ii, Rasther
in open square or hidden alley, he 4<ea
it as men hail the 81 gA& Of lon grsou za6, aoag
unseen friends faces. Hs bad brought ais
sketching board @s& all as materials for
drawing viii him, aa3 aoAd&y though it
was, AZ meant 10 work taa6aghout ii bat
the novelty &8d lovetasss Of everything
about him distracted bi1a 50 81 first, that D
few days had passed before hi could DO any
thing but roam and gszs sr9and hil8. He
had been three days IN BoBsE bsfcfe at
length be took his stand bsf6fs tbs Gatae-
dral and began TO draw. It w@s mild,
warm summers day, nn3 the square was
very quiet. Only few people passing in
and out Of the church, and occasionally q
child or two attracted By curiosity to steal
near and stare at him, disturbed him rs he
worked, and hour after hour passed happily
over him. During hour after hour, too,
there was loD9pegson besides himself who,
having come to the square before him, re-
NAMED till long after he had gone away--a
girl selling rosaries and little images at the
cathedral door After he had been working
for some time he noticed her. When his work
was over, and he came forward before he
turned homeWards to enter for few mo-
.. ments into the church, he stopped when he
came to where she sat in the cool shadow by
the porch, and looking into her basket took
up in his hand little rosary Of coral beads.
.. How mueh?" he.asked.
"a franc, monsieur she said.
She smiled and thanked him as he gave
the money to her, anu he took his beads
and passed on. He thought q for moment
"What a pleasant smile she has - and then
he thoughtvno more of her till the mex
: morning. when he came back to resume hi:
work, and found her in her place again.
That day he took note of how picturesque
the quaint old Normandy dress looked on
hers the Ygreat high cap, so scrupuiouslJ
fstafched and white, the short petticoat sc
bright in hue 4 trim, neat figure, too
rounded and light aud firm; a young
bright face, not beautiful, but pleasant tC
look upon He should like to make sketch
some morning of her, he thought, and thai
day when his work was done he went up to
where she sat, ana entered into talk with
her. He had frank, fearless, bCyish habit
of talking to every kind of persons who
,gcame across him, man or woman, gentle OF
simple. For years already, ever since he
had thought of becoming painter, he had
been accustomed to roam about the country,
attaching himself sometimes in all simple
faith to strange enough companions, falling
INFO odd adventures, running occasionally
some risks, and yet always, by some good
guidance or instinct, escaping scathless
from all; bringing his fresh, honest, trust
ing nature, that, thinking no harm itself,
suspected no harm in others, unminded and
unsaddened out of every trial. He went up
to the girl and asked: t
@ Do you come here with your basket
every day ?''
They had already exchanged a little nod
OF recognition.
"Yes, monsieur, every day." she an
:. "Wen-and don't you get very tired Of
"Tired of it," she repeated, with &