The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1870-03-31

4u"* -, .:;.....
~sssai saa ste s;:.:. x y -i":::>:..
, a. a." .:t., .s' = :sNSO( mo- O.;y 3 H.. L. s. (.
! give ,,7e one more more auttei,; and a s.nk dow
apd down. All. Why. would they nc
at least talk. and say what they. meant
This Was all'shs was TO know. - Thi
uo"ertaioty: all her life shs might ez
pee: no more nothing else: This ho'
rible instinct Of what they wero think
ing vas her only certainty. To Cath
arine, tho >,is sht Of the letter hat
brought every thing back with rush
Poor little thing, che had thought he,
house was swept and garnished, and
here we're seven devils worse than the
first who had taken possession. 1t val
an absurdity, childishness, bat she
longed for that letter. The sudden
conviction that for all her life she
should have, 20 right even to read what
he had written, even 70 ask question
or speak his name; was . sort Of passin
torture. 1t lasted until dinner was an
nounced, some ten, minutes after. 1t
seemed like an hour Of agony. to Cath
ariue, there in the lamplight, sitting in
her muslins, as i. nothing had happen
ed: IT. was nonsense ). and yet she saf-
fered a. keenly rs from any OF the GER
taiuty that came to her later. From
his hand it wass easy to bear blow ;
but to. be parted bY others, 80. IT,
Permit me; .mademeiselle, to have
the honor said Monsieur le Maire, Of:
fermg hia arm: 4e..a. :;
:Catharipe suddenly felt: ,s if she
hated poor sFontaiue, ambling. and com.
plimenting beside her, IS if it was 4
cruel mockery Of fate TO- come with
this absurd compromise TO jeer At her
and turn her into ridicule- L She had
neyer before felt 80 sure Of Foutaine's
admiration, :aad ne.er thought Of it 80
solemnly. All dinner-time she was: 81
lent j; she turned from him-shs wa,
almost rude. -He had never before
seen her so little amiable, so inatten.
tive. g.; ....y .s-
Monsieur Fonteine departed early in
the evening, very crestfallen and out Of
spirits. For tho first time in his life
he told, himself his heart was really
touched. He was humble, as most
vain people are, and he alternated from
absurd complacency to utter desponden-
cy.:f Never until now had no felt like
this. about any one. His first wife was
Z small heiress, and the match had
been purely one: of, convenience. Fol
Refine, a.tegri6ed fascination, induced
him, reluctantly to come forward at his
mother's, spsgestion.; 2bpt .Catharine's
gsnlsne.s charmed and touohed him a,
onoe.s: Here was a person; he could IN.
dezstand and ssympathize. WITH. he
longed <o>protcct her, 70 : make some
great sacrifice for. her, to bring hel
home, e,proudly to his chalet and garden,
and to say, ".All this is yours; only
lore me . little and be good to. Toto u
HMy excellent mother Will regret her
want Of fortune" thought Fontaine.
sAlas !! who knows whether che will
ever have the occasion: to do 50. And
yet" said the maire to himself, with a
certain simple diguity, :'that child
might do: worse than. accept. the hand
Of an honest man. He. did. not 60
into the chalet through the kitchen as
usual, but he walked down the garden
to his sscabane," small wooden sentry
box faciug.th sea. 1t had been erect
ed at the bottom Of the sloping en-
bankmsnt for the convenience OF bath.
ing a little heap Of. white: stones
that Toto had plsesd. upon the seat
were cleaning IN the darkness. Fon.
taipe pushed them carefully into, one
corner, aud then sat down and smoked
ona cigar after another until quite late
in the night. :. ...s2 -: ,.:.
Meanwhile the drawing-room Of tn,
chateau was still lighted up. Some ont
had been singing, and others, had beer
dancing, but Catharine would not joi'
them. Poor child, was the music 0
her life only to'be for other people t
daucc to =! ~ Were her dreams Of Low
70 be- 70 cruelty realized Fontain'
| With al hh devotion, attention, conve'
sation, was not'a much alive to Gait
arioe d th1t one bit Of paperin Madam
De Tlaeys pocket. 80
I Cathsriue was standing ready in th
=, hall the next morning when the r chi
dren came running up' to ker: She ha
.vakened l.te, refreshed by. = Ion
dreamless sleep, and shes thought 81
bad shaken Of the vivid impressions /
the night before. But how relentles
), " people are pursued, ip life by ar
idea which: has once taken possession
them! Everything seems to sugge
and bring it back the very stones O
out; We open book, and We re-
something concerning it; chance pc
pie speak Of it to US even the Oh
dren in their play told Catharine th