The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-02-09

to love him ard be himself won BY the grace
and beauty Of the child, had often 90 Tar ., az
while she danced all alone before his winoow
In the garden.
From THE moment, Madame de Guers gave
Valentine all her time, her heart. her cares.
such precious gifts with the aid of years, add
ed to everything lovely and noble In the oniia
OF all the young girls Of C. vsi ~. ,.nse
beautiful, but, better still, the best, the. sim.
plest, the most tender, the humblest, the most
joyo ns, and the best loved tho most ill-nn-
tured Of the citizens could NOT fefase hes no
mage, and her adopted mother loved her TO ex-
cess and with pride and delights n. Ma9oass
too, tho Oldest friend Of the house, and MS
son, the elegant Alfred, saw In her perlsction
treasure, aud their united wonder. Ihen ~
eighteen the future is 80 beautiful. the horizon
60 pure, dreams 30 sweet, and friends 80 tender.
How happy, then, was our Valentine nc tnis
moment, when. Joyous under the eyes OF her
mother, gay and confiding in the presence OF
her future husband, and gracious and pretty
~ she always was In her simple and quiet
toilet, she wandered hither and thither IN the
garden the air. , tse
snow-bslls that shed their petals on hef ins-
trous brown hair
We de not know exactly what Alfred and
Valentine were talking about in the garden
walk, as ru aning from side to side to form
their bouquet they chaneed SO often to meet.
But. under the arbor, they were more grave,
calmer, and certainly more mature, and they
spoke of business.
should like the young couple to live in my
house," said NJ. Maubars. 1t is, may say,
without vanity, one of tho most comfortable
and best furnished in the town. AS to me,
J'ou know am becoming monk, or n bear.
or house-rat The rolling of the half-dozen
coaches and the three or four cabs our town
possesses is sufficient to trouble my digestion,
and almost dcafens me; so | think, In order to
LIANT Il in I Ve
in tho pavilion of my large garden at Vanx
which is not more than a league from the
town. My good old Baptistne will accompa-
ing the children can come and see me, that is,
every fine evening and you can have them
right by you-nothipg to do but cross the
street, and walk few steps on the quay, ring
the little bell, the latch will fly up, and there
will DO Valentine in o clean dress and red rib
bon coming to meet you, for her delicate hear
ipg would distinguish your stop among q
"Poor dear ohild don't want to be selfish
and yet is hard to part with her." murmured
Madame de Guers, while sitting sigh.
=. DO you cal! that parting With her, when
And then, my dear friend. must tell you you
have become very worldly of late. You are
obliged to accompany Valentine to this and
that soree, and'it fatigues you, absorbs and
Alfred's turn to do all this for her you W i'll see
how you will improve, and old ladies always
recover so naturally. Confess it. my dear Ma
dame de Guers, have you not for some time
been very negligent of yourself, and your old
people"
"Alas, yes! poor good old people" replied
the respectable lady with q sweet smile. +" Yet
every morning. after Mass, stop to see them.
True, my child monopolzes much of the time
should give to them, but she loves them too
she has so excellent q heart! How often l
have seen her, when quite q child, take from
her weekly allowance to buy jujube for old
Mnnou w no hna cat IN fnhncco
for Perine, whose happiness is in smoking!
And how she takes care of them when neces-
sary, my friend: How merry she makes them
and consoles them, and reads them good
books, and the Scripture she explains SO pref
tily In truth this humble work will not per.
ish with me have some one to whom can
confiie it,"
This demands an explanation. Madame de
Guers was not only an excellent tender, and
devoted mother, a constant and generous
FRIEND but she was, ut the same time, pro-
death of NJ. de Guers had left in her soul a
bitter and secret sorrow. which she had never
been able to console. The former lieutenant
of the service in spite of the solicitations and
tears of his Christian aud devoted wife, had
bid farewell tothis world in q manner far from
exemplary, dying, without doubt, peaceably
and bravely enough, bnt without repentance,
without hope, without peniteDce, neither FIX
ing his eyes on the cross nor listening to the
of the cure. So, for the poor, ten
der soul of the wife there remained gnawing
regret, continual terror, and at the price of
any austerties of any saci iiices, she wished
to secure the eternal salvation of this obsti.
nate husband. God only knows what mortif-
cations she practsed in secret, to gain a little
every day towards the tender and snblime
end she proposed and, above all, she openly
redoubied her works of fervor and charity. A |
part of the money left her by her husband had
been employed by her in a house of refuge, |
where ten or twelve old, iufrm women, the |
very poorest of the department., could live
comfortably aud in peace till the end of their
days, aud at the low price of reciting every
day from their bench in the chapel u prayer
for the repose and salvation of the soul Of the
Jean Louis de Guers, former officer of tho
kings fleet. We said before that Madame de
iuers had given Valentine all her heart her
lime, and her life; we should nevertheless
have remarked that she reserved portion for
The poor old recluses of her little hospital,
not finding it difficult matter to reconcile, in
lcr humble and peaoeabie existence, happi-
1ess and duty, charity and love.
My dear old pensioners" she said again
Nhile regarding from distance her charming
adopted daughter, who smiled on her from q /
midst the shady trees, "they will DO truly happy
o find after me this dear child, who will, l an,
ure possess the courage and str 'ngth to replace
ne. Good little Valentine! she has already
,iven them, in my name, n portion of her
cart, and to do 50 she needs to be as generous
$ in truth she Is, for could have given.a
ouch more brilliant heritage to this dear child
md / already nlnntN1 oil