Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-11-13
Madame McMahon.

sion at Versailles, leading little girl b
the hand, and devoting her attentio
Immediately TO a number of poor pee
pie who seem to have waited for her
and among whom she and her pretty lii
tie companion then distribute aims, ad
dressing a few benevolent words to eacl
of the recipients of their charities.
When the two, whom the most casu
al observer will at once recognize to b
mother and daughter, appear, the tw,
sentinels present arms. They leisurel,
walk down the superb avenue and NOV
among the other promenaders in tn
most transformations manner, standing
still every now and then, and exchang
ing few pleasant words with acquain
tances. But for the glances which mos
of the passers by send after the lady
you would believe she was the wife o
some government employe-perhaps o
deputy of the national assembly; TO
she wears simple black dress, and he
bonnet, although of faultless shape, can
not have cost many dollars. And we
she is at the present time the foremos
lady in France, the consort of Marsha
MacMahon, president of the French re
public.
The career of this eminent lady, al
though the papers have had very little
to say about her, has nevertheless beer
an eventful one. and in her exalted sta
ton, Notwithstanding her quiet, unob
trusive manner, she is known to exert {
momentous influence upon the decisions
of her husband. The latter admirei
pluck, and it may be truly said that ht
has most plucky wife. Indeed, i
was an act of heroism on her part thai
first attracted his attention toward her
It was on the first of December, 1888
at an advanced hour of the night, that q
fire broke ont in the female seminary OF
Limoges The flames spread with such
rapidity that the fair young inmates
could be rescued only with the utmost
difficulty. At last, when all of them
were believed to be assembled, shiYering
in their thin night dresses, in front OF
the burning edifice, the cry resounded
suddenly, 'Iouise de Bailly is still In
the building"
The lockers on stood as if petrifed,
and the firemen did not venture to enter
the house, which now looked like fiery
furnace. Poor Mademoiselle de Bailly
was already given up as hOpelessly lost,
when all of a sudden tall young girl,
with her blonde hair hanging loose over
her shoulders, and her deep blue eyes
flashing out the heavenly fire of inspira-
ton and indomitable courage, rushed
from among her terrified young sisters.
and exclaiming, 81 viii try to find her y
ran toward the burning building.
A thousand voices shouted, do not
risk vO1r life fins foaliShIv' -
Others prayed for ''dear Heloise," who
thus recklessiy risked her own life in
order 10 save that of one of her young
classmates. But none of the warning
EXPLANATIONS deferred the heroic girl
from her purpose. In a few seconds she
had entered the front door, undaunted
by the binding smoke and the flames
that were momentarily gaining ground.
For the spectators of this thrilling
scene this was moment of supreme
suspense. The strongest hearts quailed
when the heroic girl did not immediate
ly return. A minute, nay two, elapsed,
and minutes under such. circumstances
are eternities. But all at once her white
nightgown appeared in the door. Yes,
it WAS she; and by the hand she led the
missing terrified Louise de Bailly.
Such a shout as went from the hearts
of the relieved crowd. Such praises as
were showered upon the brave young
girl
But she herself was half ashamed of
being thus feted. ''Mon dieu :" she ex-
claimed, ''it was easy enough for me to
ascend that stairway il was not yet on
fire. Only the smoke troubled me a
little. Had ] waited minute longer,
poor little Louise would have been lost.
At the reopening Of the seminary, a
few mouths later, NJ. Surreguin asked
Madam0isellc Heloise to step forward,
and presented her, in the name of King
Louis Philippe, a handsome gold medal
for saving human life, and praised her
courage and devotion in the most elo-
quent terms.
Among the spectators on tins occasion
was a young officer of the garrison OF
Limoges, who seemed to be deeply in
terested in the heroine of the day. He
asked what her full name was, and wal
told that she was the daughter of NJ
Antoine Gilbert de MORN, Seigneur de
yalleau
This information made the inquirer
somewhat thoughtful Perhaps the fact
that NJ. de Morie was one of the wealth
lest and proudest noblemen of the sur.
rounding country had something TO dc
with this.
Captain MacMahon (that was the
name of the young officer, however,
was not much disturbed by this inform
alton. True, he was then but a captain
in the French army, and had nothing
but his pay to depend upon, but then, he
had excellent prospects of once becom
ing rich; and his family was as old, il
not older, than that of Heloise's father
and French soldier always has mar
shaIs baton in his knapsack.
How he managed TO get acquainted
with Mademoiselle de MORN we cannot
tell, but certain it is, when the young
lady, some time afterwards, was told BY
her father that he had selected hus-
band for her, she startled him by the
announcement that he might save him.
self the trouble, and that she had already
mBde her own choice.
The old gentleman was at first aston.
ished, and then became furious. But
his daughter briefly told him that she
wanted no one but Captain MacMahOn,
of the fourth regiment of the line.
And now began a struggle between
the exasperated father and the determin.
ed daughter Notwithstanding the eff.
forts of NJ De NORM to intercept Hello,
ise's correspondence with her lover, fire
quent letters were exchanged between
the two; and when Captain MacMahon
was sent to Algeria, they pledged them.
selves TO remain true TO one another.
This separation lastad three years, until
1912, when Macafahon, who had greatly
distinguished himself in Africa, sudden.
" fell heir to considerable property.
This softened the obdurate heart of NJ
De NORM, and in 1874 Heloise became
the wife of Lieutenant Colonel Mac.
Mahon.
She accompanied him to Africa, ano
wrote from thence to the Gazette dc
France a series of anonymous sketches
on Algerian life which were favorably
noticed by the critics, and which, oddly
enough, were generally attributed to a
distinguished officer of the French
army.
In 1S49 Madame McMahon returned
TO France, where the successive deaths
of her three children almost broke her