The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1873-04-20
SELECTED STORY.
TUE MOTHER OF JACOUEs.

THE MOTHER OF JACQUES.
Mother iJacqusi spoke out qucaly
and gsily, As # he were resolved to rouse
her from her abstraction), "thou must not
grieve for me. II Is only because think
the winter will come before | attn here
again, and III II there will be no one 10 dig
or to fetch wood and water for thee, that
l lament; and THE too is wrong. We have
not sought this. my mother; it !. sent TO
us; and hast thou not always told me that,
II we bear the crosses sent to us willingly,
they are not hard to bear!'
| lilo bent down and kissed her, and then
she gave way. She hid her face on the
shoulder of her darling and sobbed and
cried bitterly; but when this was over she
| dried her eyes aud tried To- look cheerful v
| in his face.
ut Is ] who am q selfish old woman"
she said. What do know, my Jacques!
Thou wilt come back TO me, perhaps, a
| corporal-who can ssyl--for thou art
brave, my boy, and thou wilt make a
good soldier: Allons l must think Of
thy linen. How scon2r Here she broke
of abruptly and turned away.
"ln two dnys, my mother said
Jacques simply but he was 81 I'd that she
went away and lett him; be felt that
they were only prolonging u common
misery by this show of cOuragck toward
each other.
They kissed each other ms much as usual
when they said goodnight, but Eugene
could not sleep. She was up with the
sun, and IT rose early then, and after che
had set her sons break fast che trudged of
TO the little church just this side of Ifochu,
tho church Of Notre DAmo de In Grace !.
But for the alter lights the church would
have been in darkness; there we're only
few other worshipers, and when mass
was said IL seemed to Eugenic that one
Of these was lingering, like herself, to
speak to monsieur 10 cure.
Eugene went out OF the church and
stood in the road. The sky Was overcast,
and the cool gray haze seemed in keeping
with the intense stiffness. IL was . bare,
,recless spot, and not even the chirp of q
bird or tho whirr Of an insect broke the
quiet. There came footstep, and Eige-
MO started and recognized girl with =
lilac kerchief drawn forward over her
MA fol, rrancoi.e, Who {ould have
thought of seeing you 50 tar from home at
This hour, and it is neither Sunday nor
fete day.
La mere Duclos looked .carchingly for
An instant, but the downcast blushing face
all questions. when monsieur
10 cure came on. Of the sacristy h. found
Eugene kissing FRANCHISE rs If she were
her own child
Tue good priest walked part Of tho way
home with Eugene, md then she went in
alone and spent this last sorrowiul day
with her son.
They had not many words for each
OF her now and then Jacques, as he passed
where she sat stitching, stopped down and
kissed his mother. In the afternoon he had
To 20 10 Trochu, and this
absence was almost relief for
the brave old woman strug-
gle1 hard to keep from tears, and the very
sight Of the loved lace made her eyes
swim AS she bent over her work.
Then came the sad goodnight, and at
last the dreaded moment Of parting. II
had been so long in coming through those
hours Of suppressed sorrow, and yet now
it seemed TO Eugene that the day had
made Il bound from morning to afternoon.
All was ready Jacques and his bundle;
his mother too was ready to go with him;
only Bobot was left behind.
The men were all to be marched TO the
nearest railway station, their destination
being Orleans; but Jacques had got his
mother to promise she would leave him
before he fairly started.
What use, he said, $50 stand and be
pushed aside in crowd, and yet not be
able, perhaps, to see mef'
Eugene cannot thwart his slightest
wish. They are close to Trochu now, and
Jacques stops.
"Good.bye, my mother" He takes
her in his arms, almost lifting her oil the
ground, and she feels the sobs he cannot
keep back now.
"God bless thee my Jacques and ], Is
over. He hurries away so fast that when
no turns to kiss his hand the small bent
figure seems far OF ~ u stands gazing
after him.