Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-10-03

There is vacant hut on the sands,
wlsero shall live with FRANCHISE
~ WAS perplexed. 1T is impossible,
at your age, that you can have learned
the trade OF wood -carving I
"'No,'-coloring. sBut tho men
Of my family, they have the mind in
the fingers you understand One
paints, ono is draughtsman, one is
sculptor. ! am child, but I can carve
! in wood. That is oil. When come
to try myself, knocking on his FORE
head - find no talent but the one.
carve in wood. VOLTA tout T.
But nobody wants to buy wood
carving here. You will starve,'I per-
| sisted.
Louis shrugged his shoulders
'So9 But am wood-carvcr, moi 2
AS tor your sister, she must re-
main with Mrs. Darnell. What canyou
do with herr
The men of my house have always
supported the women, proudly. Fran
coise shall not live on aims
Darnell and were both out of all
patience with the lad. But though he
was affectionate and gentle and ready
to take advice on all subjects but the
one, on chat he was obstinate and pig
headed belief. 1t seemed impossible
for him to comprehend how he could
do otherwise than work at the one thing
he could do best, and carry out the
peculiar traits of his family.
well, to cut the story short, the
matter was still in dispute when I left
the bay. When I returned, q year
after, found the two children ACTUALLY
living IN the hut, and living comforta
bly,. Louis had persisted in his wood
carving, which some of the fishermen
took in trade at first for fish and vege
tables, and at last one of the hucksters
carried some of his work to New York,
md succeeded so we'll in selling it for
him, that the boy was able to clothe
himself and bis sister, and to make a
very snug little home out of the cabin.
Now comes the curious part Of my
story ,.y;,
''rhe next spring had, as super.
cargo on my vessel, man named Fon-
querel, OF what nationality I don't
exactly know; but, at all events.
very sh1ewa, intelligent fellow, wide
awake to all peculiarities iu human M
ture. One evening, in the cabin, talk
ing of shipwrecks, told him this story
Of Louis, Just as I've tcll it to YOU.
He seemed remarkably interested in it.
"'What was the boys name, did
you say9'
"'Dessoux. Louis Dessoux.'
Then it can't be. There was a
family in Alsatia, called LIE Menager,
to whom fancied he must belong.
They were counts under the Empire.
men of large landed property. But
the singular Point about them was,
that they each had unusual mechanical
talent, and that every one practiced
some trade or art. not, of course. for
remuneration. but as constant occu-
patton. They were simple middle-aged
men, too, of exceptional Independence
in opinion and action, and obstinate as
mules. I fancied your boy must be
one of them But none of LIE Menaoers
went to Algeria.
"'And then,' said I, his name is
Dess0ux. That settles it.
The matter escaped my mind. T
landed my supercargo in York, and
forgot all about him until, a wear az
terward, received q letter from him
dated Lyons. He had been 80 i'm
pressed with my story, he said, that he
had gone down to Cape Henlopen to
see Louis, and, on returning to Europe,
had made it his business to hunt up
the LIE Managers. He discovered that
one of his brothers had, in fact, recelv-
ed an appointment as officer in Algeria,
had taken his wife's name, Dessoux,
with her estate. and with his family
had embarked on the brig L'Etoile for
America, intending to visit friend in
New Orleans"
$50 Louis and FRANCHISE went
home 2" cried Agnes.
eyes. There were large estates in
Alsatia waiting for the boy, and, bet
ter than that, knsfolk who welcomed
him with the love they had given to
his lost father and mother"
"And it all came to him." said Joe,
thoughtfullv, "because he persisted in
making himself out of himself
"Pre-cisely. His best SELF" The
captain clasped his hands behind his
grizzly old head, and pushed his feet
out nearer to the fire, watching Joe
with quizzical laugh in his half shut
eyes. cts my notion, Joe," he said,
"that We can't change the features God
gave to our mind, any more than the
features of our body; and the loyaller
we are in preserving them and making
the best of them, the surer we'll be Of
6nding our estate and kinsfolk when
we get into port in that other country
beyond the sea."-RebeccQ HurdinQ
| Davis.