The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1874-04-08
Vol. x.

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souled, so noble hearted, so devoted
and true. She did not weep-hel
grief was too deep for that. He7
heart, if she had one, Was stone
Nothing moved her: All sorrows
fell so far short of her own as tx
seem not worthy the name of sor
row. She was still so young, bare
ly thirty-three, and she already had
drunk to the very dregs the sweet
est and saddest of ife's wine. Fo,
her woman's heart there was no.
thing left. For her mothers heart
there were six boys, and for her
brains and her hands the care and
support of them. She had her
home, but no income now. What
could she do? Teach French, and
take q few boarders. So a few
weeks time saw the happy, bright
eyed, vivacious Marie changed into
a pale, sad, black-robed woman,
with her handsome boys gathered
about her like constellation, and
half a dozen gentlemen to sit at her
| table and learn French. Most of
| them were professional men, while
| one or two were her own country
men. The first to come was Tom
Sigismond, partner in downtown
tea house, and the pet of bachelor
coterie, many Of whom had been
classmates in college, and led the
usual lie of well TODD city fellows
who have no ':incumbrances.' Some
one in the firm was wanted who un-
derstood French, and why not learn
it himself? 4 Franco American
friend gave him Madame Marque-
rats address. The artlessness Of
madame's broken English, and the
sweetness of her broken-hearted
face, made the formal business mat
ter foregone conclusion. And so
it happened that being the first by
day on the carpet, Tom was Civ
en- the late doctors place at table, if
she would be so good as to carve.
Carving was as new and untried g.
business as speaking French. But
he was fellow to do any thing for
a woman except marry her. He
would carve if ne amputated his
hands in the operation. And then
those six distracting boys, with
their 'tmamsn, maman, maman,
kissing her, hugging her, rubbing
their heads against her, overwhelm-
ing her with their devotion, and
trying her patience to the utmost
How could he ever expect to learn
all their pretty French names, much
less abide in the midst of such e
bedlam?
And SO each and all of the gentle
men thought, but had their Won
derings answered by the nameless
graces of the widowed madame.
Day by day only enhanced their ad
ration, and astonished them with
her capabilities. From morning
until evening neither her hands nor
her feet seemed to find rest. There
were always the boys to be sent to
school, the market, her French pu.
pills, her household to superintend
and yet she seemed always so inca
pable of fatigue, always SO tidy, and
always courteous and ready to talk:
but always 50 very, very sad.
One day Gustave, the tnird boy.
was brought in from the street with
the blood streaming from a wound
in his head. It had been nearly 8
year since Pierre had died, and un
til now Marie had thought she had
no heart But the sight of her
bleeding child showed that she had
and she gave way to food of tears
After that she was quite like the
impulsive vivacious, and warm heart
ed Marie of old. She was a French,
woman in a thousand ingenious
ways-so rich in tact, in expedien
cy, in helpfulness; but had it moi
been for all those boys, one might
never have known what a character
she had. One day it was teaching
little Pierre never to lie; another
Louis the beauty of unselfishness
another, courteous manners to Co
let, generosity to Claude, or pa
tience to Paul. She was certainly
the most wonderful mother these
men ever had seen; and neither ha6
they forgotten their own. The
sight Of her and her boys day after
day developed their own fatherly
instincts and longings for home
and freside and a madame Of thei,
own. But where could another Ma
rie be found? None of them asked
himself that question oftener thar
did handsome Tom Sigismond. Wo
men were so tremendously deceit
fr,l. He could count up score 0
perfect beauties" he had hirtec
with, who smiled sweetly, sang ane
talked like seraphs, and made be