The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1871-09-14
MARIE OF YILLEFRANCHE.
CHAPTER I.


snow, and they shuffled quickly over their
errands in their clinking sano's Tnere
was good deal of talk ard laughter
am ing them, but all the faces looked
pinched and cod.
"Waere did Marie la Veuve liver" I
asked. All knew. and all were wiling to
show me the wsy, for Marie was the vii
lage favorite," as one of the gosslps ex-
planned to me: Sc she kept silent tongue
in her head: had been good daughter,
sister, and wife; was helpful to AL those
in trouble, and joyful with those VITO re-
j0lced; tut things were going badly with
Marie since the birth of her fatherlesa
child, and there was no hope OF peace, and
these c0guizs de PruSste1s We're eating up
the lsnd
When ] entered Mares room she was
lying on her bed, white and i'll, with
little swatd ed bundle bes de her. This
Is my baby she whispered, setting up
right the Little stiff imsge. The baoy
opened IFS dark eyes, and looked st NE
with that entire want OF speculation IN its
gaze common TO its kind. Mar said no
more, bat her face was as speaking in in
t-rest as her chiid's vas vacant; she took
my hand and held it in both Of hers.
Ilere was not silence in the room, for be-
side the bed stood the voluble little
mot1erin-law telling me all TIE symp
toms; how there was no milk for the
hltle one, how feverlsh the mother was,
woat sleepless nights what exhausting
days. The doctor says IL is because tn re
Is trouble or. tiic mind. OF course there
is trouble, with the husband dead, shot
down before the eyes of his brother, on
tie heights above Sedsn, on that fatal day
OF August 31st; If curse there is rouble,
with nothing 10 cat, and all the little
savings gong; is 1t not all trde, ma mere ''
And the lit .l5 old woman turned for cor
robOratioD to a bent figure sitting at the
further corner of the room, stretching out
lean long thin fingers toward the glow
from The little stove. eyes, yes" muir
INJURED this other, ait is the war, famine,
and fever that have done it all. | have
just this and that" taking up the hem of
her dress and petticoat Just this and that,
all gone; and then the smell of powder
and blood"
apOlOgetcally; "her mind is gone, bat
she is Msrle's mother, and IL her day was
the belle of the village; she mari d well,
and had a farm of her own, plenty of
linen, and three great Its mOntes Marie
was not the only child; there was another,
boy. humpbaCked, and of we Ak intellect,
who showed no love for any one but Ma
RE, and her whole lie was devoted to
MIN until he died. My son never laughed
At HIM as the other village lads did but
would spsLd long hours in amusing him,
and the boy was never stubborn or wilful
with Jacques. And then Marie married my
son, and all the villagers said she Night
have done better, but man VINO is gentle
with children Is sure to be gentle with
women, anu son who IS thoug htful for
his her Is sure to make a good hus-
band and 50 | t Id Marie and to jacques
said, Never leave off asking her until
yeu get her; and in the end he did win
her And now ne has died lighting for his
country and | am proud and satisfied,
though | am not happy" Tae brave little
woman paused here to lift The corner Of
her apron to the dim old eyes,
All this time Marie lay back upon her
pillow, fearless and still She was not a
strikingly pretty woman, but there was
supplicating sadness in her large, dark
eyes, fly yelled by black lashes, and
there Was wealth OF tenderness about
the full, lghtly compressed lips that lent
TO her whole face strange, fascinating in
terest.
Had this sweet, silent woman, I Won
der, dfifted unkrOwingly into matrimOny
was II "iuxtaposition in fine?" or was it
that deep, sensitive gratitude that grows
so near akin to love In woman's heart !?
Jacques had not ridiculed the idiot boy,
ana she, 40 loving to her brother, and TOO
young to sound the depths of such a sac
ritice, had given herself to Jacques for re-
compense. And now trouble had come,
and she had been near to death, and. as
the woman said, all the little savings had
gone. The case was bad, but Marie was
not so downcast as [ had expected: per
haps she had at this moment forgotten
much that she had suffered; perhaps also,
she was experiencing great and underlined
relief. What if there should dawn a new
life for her, with health and her ChildY-
lie without breads or suppressed weari-
ness, or smOthered incompatibilities. "If
only could liver said the speaking ewes.
So, al least, | read her story. Otherwise
1t might seem almost strange that she
should wish for life, with nothing to look
forward to but widowed loneliness. She
and had hardly uttered a word together,
but as she held my hand in hers, | fel.
arising between US sudden sympathy
that springs up between two people, re-
cognlzlng spontaneous trust that needs
no outward expression.
The door was now opened softly to ad-
NIT German soldier, one of those c0qulns
cut logs OF wook. | had noticed him. as
came in, chopping them up in front of the
door. He gave me military salute as he
passed on tiptoe to the little stove, where
he began to replenish the diving flame
moving about silently and softly. There
stood little saucepan of milk on the
hearth, which the women were neglecting ::
he moved II to little distance from the
flre, ana, stirring 1t, saved it from being
burnt. lie then opened a cupboard, and
drew out little packet of corn flour which
| hsd sent to Marie the previous dav.
An l had forgotten" cried la belle mere
quickly drying her eyes; "she ought to
have had that an hour ago Go and get
some water from the well, Heinrich. while
mix some in cup Heinrich reached
her cup and spoon from shelf, and pass
ed out as quietly as he had come in. He
was powerfully built man, with a great
head set rather clumsily on square up
lgol shoulders; there was gentle digui-
" IN his manners, and good resolute ex-
preston in his deep, gray eyes. One felt
ne was the reposeful element in that little
household; the women lad taken the nsrt
OF Iequlsitloning the enemy, ana mskine
full use Of his kindly helpfulness while he,
the strong one, was being bullied, because
OF his strength, by the week ones.
DO you not think there is danger"
whispered Ia belle mere, as she accompal led
me 10 the door, having that cat Prus
san IN tae house, with Marie so youngg"
What do you mean?' l ask d, aston
ished.
don't say that he is not all that is
conceivable, and Marie is entirely engrossed
with her baby; mats ap-es, How long is
II to last: | asked myself. When are
these Germans to be sent away? Marie is
COED woman, and he good man, not
wlthstanding that he is our enemy He
has, too, such way of doing things for
me before ask him, seeming to divine all
we want My ~ 1es was always willing,
but not torethoughuul as this one is. |
nave nothing TO complain of in Marie's
conduct; she scolds him and he never an
s"ers her back, and she sends him about
ana ne slways goes. -Hais dpres ? In nv
Gay II was an impossible thing for Young
hisi: Nad woman TO live together without
hhing IN love but the young are more rea-
sohaoie now-at least, Marie, l know. is
no Ia oh.