The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-02-02
Miscellaneous.
WITHOUT HEART.

Wv tNNhiI.S III tHt duluultiy OOldlle
Baronnc de st. Ange sat in the draw
ing room Of her villa at st. Cloud, sur
rounded by her usual circle of friends
of long years, and all accustomed to
meet every evening.
Neither Madame de st. Ange nor her
friends hOwevCr,wero old; and although
she was a widow, Eimc. de st. Ange
was not a day over twenty five, and
had made up her mind to reE1jtin a
widow all her life.
She was rich and possessed OF every
attraction to insure her a brilliant DO.
sition in society, but she was, SO far as
a woman can be, utterly devoid Of van
ity. She preferred to be loved, to be
respected by those around her, who
thoroughly understood and appreciated
her, rather than to be admired by Il
thousand people incapable of under
standing her, and who would have for
gotten her as soon as she had ceased to
amuSe them.
The greater part Of the year she lived
at ST. ClOud-three months was all she
gave 20 Paris. Year after year the
same circle of friends drew around her,
spending week after week beneath her
roof. But the circle was often onliven.
ed by visitors from Paris, fifteen min
utes of railroad being all that divides
the capital from st. Cloud.
This evening Nine. de st. Ange was
expecting guest from Paris, and all
were just saying, Monsieur de Mont
mrdy will not come" when NJ de
Montmcdy was announced.
"Do not ask me why l am late, but
rather wonder how it is that am here
at all"
"Why, what has happened?"
~ have been knocked down."
"Anocked DOWN."
"Yes, and by a womau."
"a woman %
"Yes, woman, who fell from third
story window first on my head and then
on the pavement, where the mangled
body lay very still, all crushe and
bleeding"
"Good heavens! An accident or a
suicide?'
81 know not all / know is that when
| rose l was so OverpOwered with hor-
ror that l was obliged to lean for sup
port on the two people nearest to me,
and that nothing but glass of stiff
brandy restored me to my senses. Then
beheld another sight that almost
turned my blood"
"What could be more horrible than
what you had seen?'
"When what / have told you occurr-
ed, | was with q friend of mine, one
men ever knew. l looked round for
him and beheld him with the bleeding
distigured corpse in his arms, carrying
it into the nearest druggists; he laid
1t on the counter, gazed at it for an in
stant, then having washed his hands,
he turned to the looking glass to see
that there were no stains on him, and
| taking my arm went on calmly with
the conversation this accident had in.
terrupted. He was not even a shade
paler than before"
81, who am a surgeon" said one ol
Nine. de 81. Ange's guests, "could not
have done this"
"And ~ exclaimed General Simo
net, "who have seen mon on the battle
field lying dead by the hundreds, could
not have looked on such a sight as this
unmoved.'
81 wouldn't have seen such thing
for ten thousand francs" said NJ. Cant
lac, who, being a millionaire, valued
every emotion in specie.
81 should like to see your friend,
said Nine. de st. Ange, tranquil, "fol
to tell the truth think he is clever
humbug."
mot at all; there was no action, nC
ostentation."
"Is he yOung?"
"Twenty-three."
As he rich ~
every"
SIS he handsome?"
Ladies and gentleman" said NJ. d,
Montmedy, laughing, "all your ques
tions will soon be answered, for hav,
asked the Count de 81. Floy, taking ad
vantage of a general permission givel
me by Nine, Ia Baronr e, to come her
this evening"
"Delightful!" exclaimed the Baron
ne, 1--WE will put his insensibility TO tn
test"
"And we will conquer it, l will We
ger anything"
~ think not" said NJ. de MontmC
dy ; at this moment tho servant, oper
ing the door, announced NJ. de s