, 1870-07-03
STERNE'S DAUGHTER

4fth tHt 4tuhst'A -ltHfFHtUW-
', Mig is an ancient t1icA-built scwn. on the
Tars,. the pride Of the lat a,sl fertile plain Of
Lausueloc. A. .tlbiba. it was not without r1-
noWn: aud, III later times. it gave name 10
thosc dce l,.4ui1iet. Of their day, the .Alblgeu-
scs. 1t still 5s1o.luccs the woa4l with Mlicll tho
aboriginal fastlioAallcs painted themselves.
ana WITH Which art.s,s OF the present peE,,ol
IL the maskct-rlacc ot perhaps the richest
enru country in France. The noble towers Of
its Gothic brick cathedral, Stc.-Cecile, are As
landmarks to wayfatcrs OH the r1Mn. The
people ME aGuiet, ilous people; hut they care
less fo1 Car!lnal i .Anlhroise tha,l they DO for
their TOW nsnan. the lnclless yet gallant navi-
gator, La Ferouse. 1ler were prophcsyins
lns future !rnuwn while they we're utlcon-
sc!ous Of Ii. future fate, when. III 1Va,
two English laGits we're residing in the
alciest tovs'. ans! were Icing welcomed to i,s
beet ectis,y. They were mother anil daughter
the widow anil the only child of Sterue. who
tlei IN les. The tiEst WAS ti.e poor, gaunt,
shattered wreck Of that once beautiful Eliza.
4e,h 1.umlcv. who llad firrt stirred tho pulses
OF Stcrue's heart aud won a homage. which
afser~aI... Ike Istaels Incense, was offeEeu at
many shrine. Tie second la.ly 81, the I4y,lis.
III tls sf1cct:sFl for whom Stetnc newer wavet-
cd. She was the joy OF Ills heart when p1es-
snt, its strong desire wien absent. All that lie
had felt il, lis early days for ",ny Lum!ey -
the rincere and eager love, the intense acu.i-
mert, the n1ore inteu-e romantic feeling, tue
overwhelming g!adners when. after long hesi-
ta:ion, Elizabeth LuInlcy BECAME his wlfe-all
was modified. get not lin:.slshc,l, IN his pates-
nal love for his dauehtt-; Aai Lx.iias filiaI
affection was rendered 10 .,er :lte:es in es,ual
measure.
The two 1udics had residol aa1 ing in France
that even the elder might have become. at
least, neclima'i.cd by 1772. The younger was
at that lime as one to the uanser born. Her
attractions Lad their natural influences ou the
hearts q more tAsn one young E5eAslts1ss-t5 e1Aea1s 10
tlen.an hQtL bah. aid that vas certain
steaAuIrr Anne 3fedailc, who was one year
younger than herself, the ron Of geutlemas,
employed III the French Customs or Tax Olsico !;
lie Was " Mcrrtttr des Dcc,mus." Ill that the
public has hitherto known il that this youut;
tcul'le were married. So completely did they
t1isarrear from all record that biosraphers
have been rclucsd to The mere suggestion thai
lie Great Revolution, which ended
the history Of 70 many families. Ea'
Ally has not TO completely forgotten
tho story Of Lydia Steruc. On the l5,h o,
Apnl, l712, Lydis, then just OF full age, made
c!jntatlf u the Protestant religion III The
private chapel Of the Provost house in lby,
an act which put away NIL obstacles to ller mar.
rage with Roman Catholic. In the luven.
ta.1 re dcs Archives Communalcs dAiby' it i.
written: lie marriage etait forre, urgent; car
alutt IL loi auto.issit Ia recherche de Ia patcE.
nitc- Whether this refers to the minority Of
the bridegroom and patern1l opposition, or the
.lnwillingnerr OF the brides mother to cnnssal
to the match, VIC cannot SAT. However this
may be. the wedding took place Oh tho day
tiiat Lydia united herself to the Churcl,
OF which her lover was member.
The ceremony was performed where the
nlj1uation had been pronounced, but Ste1ue's =
widow wah not present No other reason is
alleged for her absence but that OF her hesltli,
for The improvement Of which Mrs. Ssetne had
been living in ALLY. The widow died there, in
January. lSta. in the house Of 4 medical man
named lonte1es, No . 1tue st. Antoine. aud
20 closed the story Of tho poor lady Who,
three-and-thirty years eaSier, had said tc
Sternc, My dear 1aurev, l never can be
youle. for verify heliye have not long tc
live; but I have left YOU every shilling Of my
fortune" The daughters wedled life WI:
triefer than her mothers. One Bon was bort
OF the 1naIHsgo al Abby, and when he died,
September 10, 1883, at the school Of Sorese,
weep for the early death Of her only child.
Tleee details concerning the widow, daugh
ter, and grandson Of "ionck are entuel,
new. In the -ittfnTum, No 3211. at the close
ofa notice Of II. stapfer's Study on Steruc, wi
expressed wish that he had thrown sonl'
light over the obscurity which enreloped th'
story OF I.vlia's married life, ~ Staple
| has most coEteou.1y and amply Eratiied till
| wish 1y furnishing us With information dc
rivcd frcm the archives at Alloy, which set
| tho word - Fini. 10 the hitherto iccomllet
| story CT sterne's daughter.