Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-06-15

over the sapphire wall, and smiles on thee;
MY Counting prayer is answered-warm ant
Through Heavens wide open door the sunbeam
Why he was taken only God can see.
But well Know the parting was to bless,
And that he waits in bliss for thee and me;
GODS orphans, dear, are never fatherlessl
CLAlRETTE, OR THE HUSBAND
4& HUNTER.
A GAsCON sTORY-TRANsLATED FROM THE
FRENCH.
CLA1RETTE lost her father and he,
mother when she was but thirteen wears
of age. She was good -natured girl, but
had rather a flighty head, and ALWAYS
looked at things upon the surface, and took
very little pains to get at the sense which
lay hidden beneath them. She according
ly alpWeds her uncle and guardian to
neglect her property, paying no attention
to it; and liked better to frequent fairs,
markets, the festivals of patron saints. and
to enjoy Sunday amusements, rather than
to hoe ia her fields, spade up her garden.
and leadther sheep to the pasturags.
Clairette was by no means ir,dolent or
inactive; she would pass ar. hour every
morning dressing herself and two more
during the day smoothing her ribbons,
doing mp her scarfs, s.nd putting away her
sk1rtsf After this came walk here and
pfomenade ere, SO that the poor child
hao not .aoment to spare. To make
amends Sc had several nice companions
now many one has at her age! The
cnifL seems to make stores of friends, and
Cd the more because at every step it takes
an the world it is suretO lose one A dozen
young girls had attended school and made
their first communion with Clairete After
this important act. which brings us out OF
our infancy, and which resigns to us ou1
place in the great workshop here below,
each was allotted her task in the family.
Marghehde did sewing during the day and
spun in the evening; Biebe looked after
the house and carried out meals to the
field hands; Lixandrine took the sheep
and the cows to pasture.
Clairette, alone, as idle as little savage
she called this hberty-was proud OF
her Independence, and pitied her poor
companions who gave themselves so much
trouble in the world. "Of what use is it
lis. BE be's Sunday dress any the better for
plodding along muddy paths strewn with
brlers? Has Lixandrine finer complex.
d
mer SON tending her cows?" u
Ite time came, however, when, in spite
OF her pride in her half-vagabond life
Claifett8 was less ambitious of indepen-
dence, and felt disposed to come under the
dominion of q husband. This very ma.
Surai desire, but still vague one at eight
cen, besides being subject to circumstances
became imperious, like the satisfaction OF
point of honor, when Clairette returned
from the wedding of Marghelide with the
tailor, Latane. ta ~--a-
Mafghelide was the younger By what
inexplicable grace of St. Joseph, the pat
ron of spouses, should she take the lead
other associates? She was assuredly less
pretty than Clairette, and likewise less
amiable-who would dispute that? What
charm had given her the preference in the
eyes of the brisk young Latene?
All, here it. isl Marghelide wore 8
splendid red petticoat as brilliant as q
poppy, and which scared away the cattle
but which produced a quite different eff.
fsctzonslE the young men; the color ot
this lucky petticoat relieved so sharply on
thSgfeen aof the meadows and the gray
of the brambies as to be very easily seer
wfldefed, must have run for the petticoa
the same as lot of frogs after the baited
hook On theeAd of a fsh-line =
Woman lis naturally disposed to regard
her toilet as = sort of talisman, and not
alone the city dame, but the simplest
young girl of the fields. 1t suffices to wear
a petticoattb possess an instinct for colors
and calicoes. : Clairette had it in the high
est degree; she was sure that she had dis
covered Margbelide's secret; she ran of
to sell six of her sheep, and bought tht
deepesbscarlet petticoat she could find il
the Barket. taD44a 90 ~
From that day forth Clairette never
went to the spring, to church, to ball, OF
to a fair without wearing the attractive
garment in which the lucky Marghelide
had captured the tailor Latane.
In vain, however, did she glide through
the crowd and thus display herself. TIT
womeh found her tawdry, the young girl
looked envieus, while the young men po
itely invited her to dance but no mothe
ever dreamt of selecting her as a wife TO
heEsen, and no, son ever uttered wor
about taking her for housekeeper.
Al year of fruitless efforts had passed
riage. What bad luck! Soon her frien
as Marghelide, and espoused the farme
Menichot.
Claifette became Respondent. She ha
lost fifteen months in displaying her re-
petticoat,I and she could not imagine tn
cause of her failure. Was Biebe, ther
the more charming? Nobody would dar
MAINTAIN that falsehood. 1t was sufficien
to seetheni alongside of each other at
dance. .Clairette always had thirty part
ners more than her rival. Was she NOR
entertaining? Biebe could not put togetf
er two consecutive ideas, and when he
beaux spoke to her, she answered onl
with downcast eyes. ~
81 have it," said Clairette, meditatins
and eager to know the cause of her disgrac
"Biebe wears distaff at her side constan
ly,s even with the water jar on her hea
and when carrying the basket with tt
workmen's meals"
The distaff, it must be admitted, ha
about it certain matrimonial virtue Whio
enticed young men anxious to marry, Il
same as amirror attracts looks. Clairet
was determined to have one of the
magical utensils If plain willow dists
proved sodhighly advantageous to Il
housekeeper Biebe, what would not be t
effect of a handsome distaff of hazel, e
Nu-AoOly CdlNO NY tuC UCoe WOAhuiOh
the village, decked with the finest whi
wool instead of coarse flax, and entwin
wfthfed ribbons instead of pack thread
The young girl fits herself out; s
buys the choicest spinning apparatus
the country, covers it with wool as whi
as snow, adorns it with ribbons artistical
arranged in bows, and never shows HI
self outside her door, in the street, or
the village, without this elegant impleme
of aalgood and industrious maidens
One point only had been forgotten, a
that was to tWirl the spindle. T
motionless distaf at her belt always d
played the same flock of wool. -
Now what happened? Clairette's e
CANT instrument proved to be less eff
cious than the rude willow stick of |
industrious Biebe.. The year passed aw
ClaiEstte. OF every fsstivity, found dane