The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-31

at that time /; they admired the youn
Americana and they made a pet of me-
I was walking down grassy noun
with the Dutchess de B on one sid
and the marehioness L on the otL
er; we had our arms interlocked, an
we were trying to skip together, laugh
ing and shrieking all the while. [ re
member Low full of birds the trees were
and how many millions of butterfie
there seemed to be in the air. Th
atmosphere was filed with the perfum
of the wide flower beds, and the shad
oWs of the great trees were so dark ant
cool that they seemed to be huge cav
erns opening into the ground. / thinl
there must have been fifty of US, all hal
mad with our freedom, and all runnins
here and there like school l-girls. Sud
denly we heard some gardeners whC
were digging in spot where there haG
been broad driveway, crying out t.
| the chamberlain who was riding bv
They seemed very much excited. W.
stopped to listen, all the gay group!
became silent, and all the bright colors
which had been flying over the lawn:
| stood still. From long distance We
thought we heard them shout =
:" Oh la fontaine La fontaine Lf
fontaine, c'est trouvee 7
eve looked at one another. The
sounds were repeated. We cIapped oul
hands, and I think I jumped up and
down then somebody began to run
towards the spot. Somebody pulled
upon my arm. It was the marchioness.
Then the duchess began to dash off,
then so did I. Then we all ran, prin-
cesses, countesses, ladies in waiting,
dukes, and all. Oh what mad race
that was You should have seen me,
ran the fastest. 1t was so much like a
flock of silk geese of all colors. They
screamed and laughed like children, and
bent their heads down and fourished
their skirts in the air as if they were
just out of school. There was an old
able with a gold cane, and two generals
of our army and they ran too. You
should have seen the birds fly out of
the shrubs in clouds as we rushed by.
The grasshoppers jumped up into our
faces and alighted on our dresses, and
the locusts made a terrible hum. When
we came to the end all red and painting,
we found that it was true enough. The
fountain had been discovered, and that
was great glory. There was a great
stone basin, aud an iron dipper still
fastened with rusty chain. Then we
had splendid ceremonies we had our
little banquet served in the excavation
they had made, and each of us dug a
spade-full of earth from off the long
hidden treasure. And now," said
Madame, bending her eyes upon her
hearers face, "and now tell me, should
1 not have been happy on such day as
that p
eyes, you should be happee ~ re-
piled the other, fervently.
Madame raised her hands to her
mouth for an instant, and then swept
one of them over her head. She trans
formed herself into a withered and
haggard centenarian. She had robbed
her mouth of its mock glOries and her
temples of the silvered rolls of hair.
Her lips retreated, the lines of her
cheeks became dep, the protuberances
of her head became prominent. and in
place of the cap, that graceful screen
of deformity which always excites ven
Grafton, there was skull which was
red Gas if it blushed) and which was
thinly covered with few white hairs,
which fell on either side and which
were gathered into ball as small as g
nut, behind.
The lady turned her eyes TRANQUILITY
upon the distressed and astenished
of her friend.
ooh, whye deed you show NEE ."
exclaimed the other, burying her face
in her hands.
"Look at me again." responded
Madame in the sharp and unmelodious
voice which was compelled by her con-
dition. The other obeyed, and then
sadly shaking her head she burst into
tears. Madame called her maid, and
in a moment or two she was resto, ed to
her usual appearance.
"I did that to show you what had
been begun when l was the happy
baroness who lived at Fontainebleau,
said she, whispering in the ear of the
weeping girl. "And l did it also to
warn you. You may be attacked with
a fierce heartburn which may wither
you as it has withered me, and chose
to show what such u heartburn can
do."
"What do you mean do you speak
to mee?" asked the other, in an agi-
tated voice.
eyes," was the response.
Madame caressed her with her hands,
and with the undefnable manner of one
who is about to administer a blow
'' Do you love me ?" she asked.
"Weeth mye whole heeart y pas
replied the Cuban, pressing
her cheek against that of her COM
panion.
Madame produced letter FROM her
bosom and unfolded it carefully.
"This," said she before exhibiting
it, comes from the Baron R., who
is my husband. It announces to me
that he has recently fought duel with
q political enemy, and that he will re-
quire twenty thousand francs to pro-
cure immunity from imprisonment. I
have sent it to him and he will escapa.
He wrote this letter after our separa-
ton. After he has made me an alien,
after he has robbed me of my peace |
and filed me with sorrow, he becomes |
an extortioner. After he has starved |
my spirit he begins to starve my body. |
Look at this letter remember, it is |
rom my husband.
Madame exhibited the paper, and at |
5he same time she placed her arm about |
the Cuban's neck and pressed her lips |
20 her hair. She encircled her in an
attitude of sympathy and protection.
No sooner had the Cuban's eyes fairly |
rested upon the closely written page |
han she uttered a pisrcing scream and |
iell forward into Madame's lap, trem- |
bling in every limb. The other bent over
1er as if she were mourning for her.
There passed a moment of supreme |
silence; one of those calm periods which |
follow every blow, and which seem to |
be occupied by the entering of the new
grief into the various chambers of the |
leart.
Presently the sufferer withdrew from |
beneath the hands of her friend and rose |
TO her feet. She was pallid. She walked |
with an rect head towards the door.
her pace increased. Then
she hurried she passed out into the |
hall and then she ran. Madame heard |
her fly up the stairs crying the name OF
her boy with increased wildness, until
both the steps and the voice were lost |
in the distance.
For five hours Madame sat rigidly up
right in her chair, gazing towards her
little fire, but with eyes that saw moth
ing. Her hands were clasped upon her
lap, her lips were immovably closed, and
there had settled upon her features
placidity which, in the eccentric and
varying light of the flames seemed