The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1870-12-16
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PERB AxTOINE's DATE-PALM.
~ THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH.

]
/ open air as Sturdily as if its sinuOu
roots were sucking strength from
! their native earth.
/ Sir Charles LyelI, in his ''Secon,
/ Visit to the United States" mention
/ this exotic: "Thc tree is seventy o
eighty years old for Pere Antoine,
Roman Catholic Priest, who dice
about twenty years ago, told MI
BFingier that he planted il himsel
when he was young. In his viii h
provided that they who succeeded t
this lot of ground should forfeit it
they cut down the palm.
Wishing to learn something of Per-
AntOine's history. Sir Charles Lyeu
made inquiries among the ancient Gre
ole inhabitants of the faubourg. Tha
the old priest, in his last days, becamt
very emaciated, that he walked abou
the streets like a mummy, that HI
gradually dried up, and finally blew
away, was the mea9er and unsatis
factory result of the tourists investi
CATION. This is all that is generally
told of Pere Antoine.
In tue summer Of 1861, while New
Orleans was yet occupied by the
rebel forces, l met at N, OH the
coast ofNew England, a lady from
Louisiana Miss Badeau by name
who gave me the substance of the
following legend touching Pere An
tome and his wonderful date palm
If it should appear tame to the read
er, it will be because l haven't q
black ribbed silk dress, and strip OF
of pOint-lace around my throat, like
Miss Badeau; it will be because /
haven't her eyes and lips and South
ern music to tell it with.
When Pere Antoine was Il very
young man, he had q friend whom he
loved as he loved his life. Emile
Jardin returned his passion, and the
two, on account of their friendship,
became the marvel of the city where
they dwell. One was never seen
without the other; for they studied,
walked, ate and slept together.
Antoine and Emile were preparing
TO enter the church indeed they had
taken the preliminary steps, when Il
circumstance occurred which changed
the color in their lives.
A foreign lady, from some far-Oh
island in the Pacific, had a few months
before moved into their neighbor-
hood. The lady died suddenly, leav-
ing a Girl of sixteen or seventeen en-
tirely friendless and unprOvided for.
The young men had been kind to
the women during her illness, and at
the fOrlOrn situation of AnglicG, the
daHglter-sWOre between themselves
to love and watch over her Is If she
were their sister.
Now Anglice had a wild, strange
beauty that made other women seem
tame because. her and III the course OF
time the young men found themselves
regarding their ward not so much
like brothers as ut first.
They struggled braVely with their
destiny, month after month, for the
holy orders which they were about TO
assume precluded the idea of love
and marriage.
But every day taught them to be
more fond of her. Even priests are
human. So they drifted on in q
dream. And she? If Anglicc shaT-
ed their trouble, her face told no
story. 1t was like the face of a saint
on cathedral window. Once, how
ever as she came suddenly upon the
tWo-men, and overheard words that
seemed to burn like fire OH the lips
OF the speaker, her eyes grew very
luminous for an instant. Then pass
ed on, her face as immobiIe as before
in its setting of WaVy gold hair.
'Entre or ct TOuX DieuX fit ses longs
cheYeuX."
One night Emile Jardin and Ang-
lice were not to be found. They had
flown; but whittier nobody knew and
nobody, save Antoine, cared.
1t was q heavy blow to Antoine,
for he had made up his mind to run
away with her himself.
a strip of paper slipped from vol
umG on Antoine's desk, and fiuttered
to his feet.
"Do not be angry" said the bit of
paper, pitcously; "fCrgive us for we
love-"
Three years Went by Wearily enough
Antoine had entered the church, and
was already looked upon as arising
man but his face was pale and his
heart lcaden, for there was no sweet
ness in life for him.
-Four years hgd elapsed, when q
letter, covered with oUtlandish post
marks, was brought TO the young
priest-a letter from Anglice. She
was dying, would he forgive her 4?
Emile, the year previous, had fallen Il
victim to the fever that ragged on the
island and their child, little Anglice,
was likely TO follow him. In pitiful
terms she begged Antoine to take
charge of the child until she was old
enough TO enter q convent. The
epistIe was finished hastily by anOth-
er hand informing Antoine of Ma
dame Jardin's death; it also told
him, that Anglice had been placed on
board a vessel shortly to leave the
island for some western port.
The letter, delayed by the storm
and shipwreck, which was hardly read
and Wept over when little AnglicC
arrived.
On behOlding her, Antoine uttered
cry ofjoy and suIprise-shc was So
like the woman he had wOrshipcd.
As mans tears are more pathetic
than WOman's so is his love more
intense mot more enduring, nor hall
so subtitle, but intenser.
The passion that had been crowded
down in his heart broke out and Law
ished IFS richness on this child who
was 10 him not only the Anglice o
years ago, but his friend Emile Jar
din also.
ADglice possessed the wild, strange
/ beauty of ler mother, the bending
/ willow form, the rich tint of skin, TIT
/ large tropical eyes that had almOs
made Antoine's sacred robe q mocke
~ to him.
For 4 month or two Angliee wa
wildly unhappy in her new home
She talked continually Of the brigh
country where she was born, tht
fruits, and flowers, and the blue skies
the tall, fan like trees, and the streams
that went murming through them e