Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-07-25
NJ A r I E TT E.

Mariette Dubois was the undoubtecl
belle of Dinan. Moreover, she wa s
credited by common report with possess
sing a larger dot than any girl in the
village-a reputation not without value
even in so primitive a'society as that of
Dinan some sixty-five years ago.
The effect of these combined attrac-
tions was that before Mariette was
seventeen years old, various offers bad
been made to the Widow Dubois for
the fair daughters hand. The black
smith, the apothecary, and the inn
keeper were all her declared admirers.
But the widow seemed hard to please.
The blacksmith she dismissed at once
with a contemptuous emo" The
apothecary met with no better fate. To
him, thin young man in spectacles,
she had d strong personal aversion.
GA poor wizened creature always
smelling of his own vile drugs" she
declared him to be, with many express
sions of distaste.
The inn.keeper, burly, well,to-do
parsonage, veteran with an armless
sleeve, did his very best to combat the
objections of his hoped-for mother-in-
law. But in vain.
"Dost think know no better than
to give my pretty Mariette to weather
beaten old savage such as thou, Paul
Lemaire 2" said the old lady at last, by
way of clinching the argument. "And
thou old enough to be her grandfather.
and cripple besidesl Bah!'
The hero of dozen battles was mo-
unnaturally somewhat offended by
these personalities. But he was toe
much man of the world to lose his
temper visibly. He only shrugged his
shoulders with an air of disdain.
$50 be it then, madame, but "-and
this he knew to be q grand stroke oi
revenge-"if if it is indeed upon thai
young ne'er-do-well, Jean Lerou, thai
you have fixed your heart for son.in
law, I would have you take care.
brainless youth, such as he, is no Fl
protector for mademoiselle, your daugh
ter. And if, at the next CONSUMPTION
his narue should be drawn, that woult
be nice for her, would it not? All
Hal cripple, indeedl Tt is something
to have fought the battles of one'
country. 1t is not every man who re
turns to tell the tale. Jean Lerou
Ughr"
The widow was for moment startled
by this su dden attack, but quickly re
covered herself.
"And if it is upon Jean Lerou tina
my choice is fixed, what business is
of thine, Monsieur Fire-eater p sh
retorted, angrily. "And if the poo
lad should be unlucky enough to b
drawn for the next CONSUMPTION, dos
think I have not little bit of none,
put away somewhere, in an old shoe
perhaps-eh? just enough to pay fo
substitute, or perhaps a few sou
over ?"
And 80 the old soldier was fairl
beaten off the field. 1t was as he ha
said, however.
By peculiar sympathy, not perhar
unprecedented between mother an
child, the widows choi ce had fallen O
the man whom her daughter would cel
tainly have preferred had the matte
been left to her. And the sympatheti
chord must have had good deal to
with it, for, with the exception of
handsome face, and fine manly figure
Jean Lerou had little to recommen
him as an eligible parti for the youn
heiress. But youth and good look
have won their way with pretty maiden
and romantic mothers both before an
since the time of Widow Dubois an
Mariette.
At least they were handsome coupl
every one said that, when the whol
village turned out en- .fete to celebrat
the wedding, and Jean was pronounce
on all sides to be fortunate fellow
but one who at the same time would n
doubt prove kind husband to Mariett,
and good son to the widow. Indeed
q happier trio, as time went on, it woul
have been difficult to find, until the tri
was one fine day turned into quartz
and the happiness SO increased by ,
least one-fourth. Surely never befol
had there been such delighted bo,
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